Gas Station Price Sign Survey — Full Guide

Everything you need to label a gas station's price sign accurately. Keep this open in a tab while you work.

1 · What this survey is for

We are studying how U.S. gas stations display fuel prices — in particular whether they advertise a lower cash price, and how that is shown on the sign. Your job is to look at each station in Google Street View and record what its price sign actually shows. Accurate, honest answers matter far more than speed — and your work is paid by accuracy: every station is also labeled by another rater, and a small set of "gold" stations with known correct answers is mixed invisibly into your batch. Careful work pays; random or careless answers don't qualify.

2 · The labeling workflow

Every station follows the same short sequence:

1. Read the address shown for the station.
2. Click Open Street View — a dedicated window opens at that spot.
3. Find the gas station and its main roadside price sign, and confirm you are at the right station (see §3).
4. Take a screenshot of the Street View and upload it (see §10).
5. Work through the four steps of the form — Location → Station → Sign → Price — clicking Next after each. Questions appear only when they are relevant.
6. On the final step, click Save & next station.

Your progress is saved automatically. You can close the tab and return later with the same link.

3 · Finding the right station

The pin may not land exactly on the station. Pan and move along the road until you see it. The address shown is the target — the station you must label.

If you still don't see a gas station, search the address on Google before concluding there is none. The pin can be slightly off, and common street names (there are many “Main St”s) can put you on the wrong block — a quick search confirms whether a station is really there.

You must tick the confirmation box stating that the station you're describing is the one at the given address.

4 · The regular grade

You only record the price for the regular grade — ignore midgrade, premium, diesel and the rest entirely.

Regular is the cheapest, most common gasoline. On a sign it is usually labeled Regular, Unleaded, UNL, or 87. If a price on the sign has no grade label next to it, treat that price as regular.

The form simply asks whether the sign labels the grade or you are assuming it, and then for the regular price.

5 · Sign types you'll see

A station can have more than one sign. Use the main roadside pylon sign as your reference; check smaller signs only for extra detail (such as a cash/credit breakdown).

Main vs. secondary. A tall roadside sign plus smaller ones on the building or pumps. Read the main roadside one.

Digital + breakdown. A big digital sign shows one price; a smaller sign splits it into cash vs. credit/debit. Read both.

Cash price bigger. The cash (discounted) price digits are physically larger than the credit price below.

Discount described. The pylon shows one price; the cash discount is written on a separate small sign ("10¢ OFF — pay with cash").

Discount on an LED. "SAVE 10¢ PER GALLON" scrolls across an LED panel rather than appearing as a second price.

Price on the canopy. Sometimes the price digits sit on the canopy fascia or building, not a separate roadside pylon.

6 · Digital, alternating & flickering signs

Many modern signs use digital (LED) digits. Some of them alternate: the same display cycles between the cash price and the credit price every few seconds. Street View captures a single instant, so you might see only one of the two prices.

7 · What the form asks you

You don't pick a category. The form asks three short questions about what you actually see on the sign, then guides you through entering the prices:

1. Are the prices digital (LED)? Yes or no.
2. Does the main price sign show more than one price for regular gas? E.g. a cash price next to a credit price, or a loyalty price next to a non-discounted one.
3. Is there a separate sign — a banner, an LED scroll, or a small placard — mentioning another price or a discount? E.g. a yellow "CASH 10¢ OFF" placard, or an LED scroll saying "SAVE WITH OUR APP".

If you say no to both 2 and 3 — just one price, nothing else — you get one more question: is that single price a discounted price? Some stations post only the discounted price (often the cash price), with the regular / credit price not shown at all, so re-scan for any small "cash" label, banner, or LED note tied to it.

• No — it's just the regular price, no discount anywhere on the property. We save it as a single-price / no-discount case (Category A), which is of special research interest, so we want it to be right.
• Yes — that one price is itself a discount. You then describe the discount (is it for cash? what is it tied to?) just like a multi-price sign, but you only enter the one price that's shown — there's no second price or difference to type.

If either 2 or 3 is yes, you'll enter the prices themselves (see §8) and at the end tell us what the discount is tied to (cash, debit, loyalty card, app, car wash, or other).

8 · Recording prices (regular only)

Record the price for the regular grade only — ignore midgrade, premium, and diesel entirely.

• Type all the digits you see, including the small ⁹⁄₁₀ — a sign showing 3.499 is entered as 3.499.
• If you genuinely cannot read the digits, do not guess — mark the sign as "not readable" instead.

Two prices on the sign? Pick your entry mode.

When a station shows two prices (e.g., a cash price and a credit price), the form lets you record them in one of two ways:

• Both prices — type the cash price and the credit price; the form computes the discount difference for you. No arithmetic.
• Just the difference — type only the discount in dollars per gallon (e.g., 0.10 for a 10¢/gal cash discount). Faster, but you do the subtraction yourself.

You set your default on the "How do you want to enter prices?" screen before labeling starts. Every station's price step has a one-click toggle to switch between modes — flip whichever feels easier for the station in front of you.

Only one price shown, but it's a discount? (You answered "yes, that single price is a discount" back in §7.) Then there's no mode toggle — you simply type that one displayed price. There's no second price or difference to enter.

9 · When something is wrong

Never guess. The form has honest answers for every situation:

• No gas station at this location — there is genuinely no station at the address. Before choosing this, search the address on Google — the map pin can land slightly off, and common street names (there are many “Main St”s) can mislead. If a gas station is anywhere in the immediate Street View vicinity, it is probably the target. Only pick this after checking, and note what is there instead.
• Sign exists but not readable — there is a station and a price sign, but you cannot read it (blurry imagery, blocked by a truck, glare, too far away). Choose this and describe the problem.
• No price sign at all — there is a station but no price sign is visible anywhere.

Even in these cases you must still upload a screenshot of what you saw.

10 · Taking a screenshot

For every station — including ones with no station or no readable sign — take a screenshot of the Street View and upload it. This keeps the dataset honest and lets us double-check tricky calls.

• Mac: press Shift+⌘+4, then drag a box around the Street View. The image saves to your desktop.
• Windows: press ⊞ Win+Shift+S, drag a box, then paste into Paint (or the Snipping Tool) and save as PNG.

Then drag the saved image into the screenshot box, or click the box to choose the file. Try to capture the price sign and, if possible, the "Image capture" date.

11 · Rules & quality

• Your work is paid by accuracy. Each station is labeled by two raters; we compare your answers, and we check a small set of "gold" stations with known correct answers mixed invisibly into your batch. Careful, accurate work pays; random or careless answers don't qualify.
• Answer every question yourself. Nothing is pre-filled and no option is pre-selected.
• Type in the names — the gas station name and the convenience-store name, exactly as shown.
• Record the price for the regular grade only.
• Verify the address when stations are close together.
• Screenshot every station.
• Never guess — use "not readable" / "no station" instead.
• Be accurate. Rushed, careless work is easy to spot and is not useful.

12 · FAQ

I can't find the image-capture year / date.

The "Image capture: …" label sits in the upper-left corner of the Street View window. On some panoramas it's hidden until you interact — take one step forward or back and it should appear.

How exactly am I paid?

By accuracy. Each station you label is also labeled by a second rater, and a small set of "gold" stations with known correct answers is mixed invisibly into your batch. Your agreement with the other rater and with the gold answers determines whether your work qualifies. Random or careless answers don't qualify — accuracy is what counts.

Can I switch the price-entry mode partway through?

Yes — every station's price step has a one-click toggle to switch between "both prices" and "just the difference." Your upfront pick just sets the default; flip whenever it feels easier for the station in front of you.

The Street View image is old — is that OK?

Yes. Record the approximate capture date from the "Image capture" label. Old imagery is still useful; just note the date.

The station changed brand between photos.

Label what the sign shows in the imagery you used, and mention the change in Notes.

I can see the sign but not the small ⁹⁄₁₀ digit.

Enter the digits you can read. If you can read the main price but not the fraction, that's fine — note it.

There are two prices but no "cash"/"credit" label.

That happens. Pick the closest grouping option and explain in Notes. The bigger or more prominent price is usually the cash price.

I made a mistake on a previous station.

Click its number in the strip at the bottom-left to go back and re-save it.