#united states of america
New Haven, Connecticut, USA
I’ve lived in the UK all my life and have never been to the US, so I thought I’d attempt to label a blank map of it.
Here’s what I came up with.
Edit: Tumblr is making this too small, so here’s a link to a bigger version.
Choctaw woman, United States of America, by Katie Hadley Photography
Keres woman, United States of America, by Craig Varjabedian
USAmericans. I need to know something.
Do you have to pay to put air in your car tyres?
Do… Do you get charged for compressed air at the petrol station (gas station?)?
Is that a thing?
ummm, maybe, but just a little? it’s one of those “it depends” situations. but at our preferred gas station (the one with consistently fair prices, a good carwash, and nice staff), it probably costs less than $5 to top up 4 tires, assuming normal conditions/use/etc.
so i would say, yes, but it’s not much?
i seem to recall a time in my life when it was more commonly free, but even now the machines are mostly coin operated. bc. it’s only a handful of quarters.
also, grown up tip: now that it’s may, it is a good time to check your tire pressure.
regardless of where you live, changing weather effect it, and it can make a big difference in gas efficiency and overall vehicle longevity.
Some stations require a purchase to turn on the air compressor, some stations have coin operated compressors, and a lot of stations have attendants who will turn on the compressor and refuse your money.
Also yeah check your tires and in case you didn’t know you can get a 12-volt compressor to keep in your car for like twenty bucks from Aldi or you can get a really nice one for like forty bucks from walmart; they also make great mothers’ day presents.
(For like a hundred bucks you can get a battery charger so you can self-jump your car and they ARE expensive and need to be charged at least once a month but they are fuckin HANDY. Maybe not as handy as the compressor. The compressor is fucking great. I love my little aldi compressor)
yeah, all that too.
bob handles this shit for us usually, but now i’m starting a tag for things i need to learn.
@ms-demeanor will be a major contributor to “#bob says.” if you wanna just follow both for how to do things.
where the fuck do you live that there are ATTENDANTS who do that FOR FREE? Are you new jersey?
I mean “cashiers who work at the gas station” more than “gas station attendant” I guess. You walk in and go “hey could you turn on the air?” and they do. Or sometimes they say “air with purchase” or sometimes you offer them the fee posted on the compressor and they’re like “no worries, you’ve got five minutes”
I repeat: where do yall live? Cuz I live in the South ™ and never in my 30+ years of life have I seen air at gas stations cost anything less than 50 cents and with inflation its a dollar minimum now and fully automated unless you go to a Tire Place(again TM). If you’re south of the Mason Dixon Line? My experience is that you better have quarters on you and if it doesn’t work? Too bad. For real, I am fascinated by these cashiers who are willing to help/run the machines from inside the store. That’s fucking wild to me.
Apparently it’s actually illegal to charge for the air in California, which explains why they always just turn it on if I ask them for change for the compressor!
I knew they have to give you water free here (it is HOT and there is TRAFFIC and cars overheat a LOT) but I wasn’t aware that air is legally required to be available to customers free of charge.
In PA you pay for air, in WI it’s hit or miss. I kept a list in my head of places where I could get free air if I needed it in a hurry, but bikes need air a lot more often than cars do.
Air for tires is free in Connecticut (CT). There are laws in place for that:
Text: Yes, state law requires licensed fuel retailers (gas or service stations) that sell motor fuel to the public to provide an operable free air compressor during their business hours to any individual requesting to use it to inflate tires.2019/12/20
So you just need to go in to have it turned on.
