At the Kroger gas station there is the little machine attached to the pump that dispenses engine additives as an upsale to your gasoline purchase. As you go about your normal fueling the machine introduces itself with the annoying four notes and then the irritating digital voice tries to sell you the various products that will get better gas mileage and extend the life of your car.
At the bottom right of the machine is a button that you can push to stop the message in the event you just want to pump gas in peace and quiet. I have noticed that the button to shut up the message has been damaged beyond use on most of the machines I encounter; like someone has stabbed it with a knife or a pen.
I am assuming that this act of vandalism is triggered by the annoying intrusion of the message, and the refusal of the machine to shut up immediately when the consumer pushes the button to end the message. One friend avoids these pumps because he finds them so annoying.
I don’t encourage vandalism but I certainly understand it in this case.