# So you want to fill your soda to the top? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 16, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989 "2012-03-16T18:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/61 "2012-03-18T05:30:21Z")
I live in the first world (and so do all of you) - doesn’t that make all of our problems first world problems? ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/62 "2012-03-19T14:41:39Z")
> [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](#): > > The local 7-11 franchises sold these large 32-oz refillable containers (that they sold for $0.99 cents extra, on top of the volume of soda it held, whether or not you filled it to the top) called “Squenchers” that you could bring back to your local 7-11 and get a refill for only $0.25 (plus tax) regardless of the amount of soda you dispensed. It was cheaper than the regular sized sodas, **so they (maybe) lost money on refills**, but I’m sure they made the money back on selling the plastic refillable Squencher jugs (which I’m sure they assumed the customers lost along the way). Maybe they figured it would make them some money. You might be surprised. From what I hear, fountain drinks cost the restaurant literally pennies. At least in 2009, estimates from people working in the business were anywhere from [2 to 13 cents per glass.](http://www.eddieoneverything.com/deals/how-much-does-a-fountain-soda-pop-like-coke-actually-cost-a-restaurant.php) A local burrito place told my son that when they have their special “dollar burrito” days (for burritos that usually cost around $6 or $7 or so), they still make a profit as long as the customer buys a fountain drink. Those sodas are pretty close to pure profit, especially when you’re paying $2 and up for your drink. On the other hand, free refills all summer long as you described - well, that’s going to make a hit in the 7/11 corporate ledgers. So for you folks spending time at the dispenser filling up that cup to “get your money’s worth” … you will _never_ get your money’s worth. But I do still get some momentary satisfaction from a well-filled cup of soda, darnit. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/63 "2012-03-19T14:44:13Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I live in the first world (and so do all of you) - doesn’t that make all of our problems first world problems? I don’t know, sometimes I get malaria and flies crawl around on my eyeballs. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/64 "2012-03-19T16:17:42Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > > > You could try mixing in a glass of water with your meal every once in awhile. Problem solved. > > I tried mixing a glass of water once. It’s really hard to get the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen right. Yet another problem best solved with fire. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/65 "2012-03-19T17:14:00Z")
> [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](#): > > \Yup, You guessed it. It was quite the horrorshow of free fountain drinks. ALL SUMMER LONG. Folks all over the place were sucking up free refills ALL SUMMER LONG. There was an initial rush of sales when they ran out of Squencher cups, as all the local 7-11’s ran out of their stock. DID I FAIL TO MENTION THAT SUMMERS IN TX GET HOT? The local franchises had to make a public statement that they would no longer provide “Squencher” cups. Then the big rush hit and EVERYBODY was getting free refills on Squenchers all summer long. > > Bottom line: This was the summer that I taught my sister not to be greedy. I showed her that, no matter if they would give her unlimited drink refills on her soda, she should only fill her cup to what she could drink. > > Not said: I wouldn’t pull over for her to pee because her brain was too big for her bladder. > > LESSON LEARNED: This is also how I taught my sister about self-control. You don’t need to fill the 32 oz cup if you don’t want to drink 32 oz. So you drove your sister to get free refills but wouldn’t let her pee? That seems somewhat excessive. On the one hand, I get that you’re using natural consequences to teach her a valuable lesson. On the other, it can be intensely painful to hold it for a long time. And if she wet herself, intensely humiliating. I say this as someone whose mother would take us on long road trips when I was about 5 or 6, give us as much soda as we wanted and refuse to pull over so I could go to the bathroom because she had her mind set on specific places where she would consent to let us go. It didn’t matter how long it was - sometimes it was as long as three hours. If I couldn’t hold it and peed myself, she screamed at me and made me sit in it until she felt like pulling over. It was horrible. It got to the point where I would refuse any liquid for about half a day before we left to go anywhere so I was deliberately too dehydrated to pee, then I’d go to the bathroom over and over again for about an hour before we left. And, yes, I do have some weird, weird baggage. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/66 "2012-03-19T17:18:59Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I don’t know, sometimes I get malaria and flies crawl around on my eyeballs. Have you tried closing your eyes? That might help. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/67 "2012-03-19T17:37:17Z")
Nope, I can’t support this pitting. Just learn to wait in line patiently. ---
**Author:** ![Bouncer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Bouncer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bouncer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/68 "2012-03-19T18:14:30Z")
I’d like to modify the pitting to “To whoever just invented the soda machines going in place in burger kings that have 19 trillion falvor combinations… Die, just die.” One, this is touch screen technology which might be cool in my house, but is USELESS in a fast food place where any elderly person will repeatedly push every part of the machine BESIDES THE TOUCHSCREEN! Two… 19 TRILLION COMBINATIONS! Do you have ANY idea how that is going to slow the line down while Ms. I-can’t-make-up-my-mind and her three screaming brats go back and forth trying to find “Diet Cherry Oompa Loompa Mark IX Coke”??? Jesus god in heaven! The old soda fountains worked fine, and gave enough selection while still moving the line at some sort of acceptable pace. This abomonation will bring the ENTIRE drinks serving process to a screeching halt. For DAYS! Plus, of course, there’s only ONE of these machines as opposed to the two fountains that were there, and it is DEFINATELY going to break often given the use and abuse it is going to take. There’s a REASON you don’t put delicate electronics in the hands of the stretchpants clad masses! FFS just let them start flying aircraft while you’re at it. It’d be less complicated than this fucking thing, and probably work better too! Kindest Regards, -BouncerWhoJustWantsSprite,NotCherryMangoBanannaSprite- ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/69 "2012-03-19T19:25:59Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > @Drunky Smurf – be honest, it’s not 7.8 seconds. You’re standing there for five minutes topping off, getting a lid affixed, and straw inserted. Then you go to the jammed parking lot, sit in your car with the backup lights on, and leisurely drink your soda. When you finish, you put the car back in park and go for a refill. I like your strategy. I’m going to follow it from now on. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > After reading your next post in this thread, I have a feeling you make life shittier for more people than I do. 🙂 I try my best. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/70 "2012-03-19T20:03:18Z")
> [@SweetLucy](#): > > I once was stuck behind a lady who literally took 5 minutes to put sugar and cream in her coffee, at a coffee shop condiments table. :mad: I hope it was good, if it took that long to fix. I have to share, I was just behind a guy who put 11 spoons of sugar in his small coffee (yep, I counted) stirred, tasted it and then put a tiny smidgen more sugar in it, tasted again and declared it perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/71 "2012-03-19T21:16:37Z")
> [@Bouncer](#): > > I’d like to modify the pitting to “To whoever just invented the soda machines going in place in burger kings that have 19 trillion falvor combinations… Die, just die.” > > One, this is touch screen technology which might be cool in my house, but is USELESS in a fast food place where any elderly person will repeatedly push every part of the machine BESIDES THE TOUCHSCREEN! Two.. 19 TRILLION COMBINATIONS! Do you have ANY idea how that is going to slow the line down while Ms. I-can’t-make-up-my-mind and her three screaming brats go back and forth trying to find “Diet Cherry Oompa Loompa Mark IX Coke”?!?!? > > Jesus god in heaven! The old soda fountains worked fine, and gave enough selection while still moving the line at some sort of acceptable pace. This abomonation will bring the ENTIRE drinks serving process to a screeching halt. For DAYS! > > Plus, of course, there’s only ONE of these machines as opposed to the two fountains that were there, and it is DEFINATELY going to break often given the use and abuse it is going to take. There’s a REASON you don’t put delicate electronics in the hands of the stretchpants clad masses! > > FFS just let them start flying aircraft while you’re at it. It’d be less complicated than this fucking thing, and probably work better too! > > Kindest Regards, > -BouncerWhoJustWantsSprite,NotCherryMangoBanannaSprite- I haven’t seen these yet, but after watching a woman trying to use the self-serve checkout at Safeway this afternoon and getting about two items through while I did my entire checkout, I can see where this could get hairy. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/72 "2012-03-19T21:30:52Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Like in the back of a Volkswagen? Wouldn’t the back of a clown car be more appropriate? ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/73 "2012-03-19T22:16:58Z")
IMHO, it’s the same mind set that causes people to dig through every pocket and every compartment in thier purse to find _exact_ change despite having a wad of bills right in thier hand that will more than cover it. While people wait behind them at the checkout. ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/74 "2012-03-20T06:31:21Z")
**_YOU_ are so 100% inconsiderate!!!** The God of Ordering will smite you **100%** No refills for you! Wow! three years almost to the day when the original soda water restua **rant** graced these pages. ---
**Author:** ![Terra1041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Terra1041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terra1041)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/75 "2012-03-20T06:39:56Z")
I usually fill my pop (I’m originally from Michigan, so I’m not about to say Yoda or whatever you weird East Coast people say ^\_~) almost, but not completely, full. I want what I paid for, but I also want to avoid spillage. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2012, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/76 "2012-03-20T11:11:28Z")
Yesterday I was in line in the supermarket behind someone paying an 840 SEK bill with nothing but 20 SEK notes. 42 of them. And each one had to be individually fed into a machine which scans and decides whether to accept them. I just patiently waited, checked Facebook on the mobile and continued listening to some music. I must be doing something wrong. ---
**Author:** ![D.E.S.K.Top668](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@D.E.S.K.Top668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.E.S.K.Top668)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/77 "2012-03-22T01:27:44Z")
So to save you 45 seconds, I should get my glass of half soda/half fizz and spend 30 seconds going to my table, 30 seconds going back to the fountain when I’m done with it, 45 seconds in line (like you, behind somebody [OMG] FILLING THEIR CUP!!!,) and then another 30 seconds to go back to my half eaten burger and fries. No problem. Just tell me why your time is so much more important then mine. Everybody has to wait sometimes. Welcome to RealityLand; here’s your souvenir program and park map. Enjoy your stay at RealityLand - DESK ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/78 "2012-03-22T18:35:00Z")
You can wait. I’m titrating. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/79 "2012-03-22T19:07:10Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I tried mixing a glass of water once. It’s really hard to get the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen right. Two to one. Pretty simple, really, when you think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989/80 "2012-03-23T01:02:02Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Two to one. Pretty simple, really, when you think about it. Is that by volume or by weight, though? Cause I’m NOT gonna count individual atoms. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-want-to-fill-your-soda-to-the-top/615989.md?page=3)