Vault: Consumer Tips From Bert Show Listeners

Summary

The Bert Show: Vault – Consumer Tips From Bert Show Listeners

Date: January 16, 2026
Host(s): Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy, and listeners
Episode Theme:
This special "Vault" episode compiles everyday consumer tips, industry secrets, and profession-based hacks from Bert Show listeners and the show's own crew. The episode’s core purpose: share insider knowledge from various fields—travel, automotive, education, real estate, and more—to help listeners save time, money, and frustration in daily life. The tone remains light, authentic, playful, and packed with real-life advice.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Contest and Call-In Tips from Radio Pros

• Industry Secret: To win radio call-in contests, don’t call early! Wait until the exact “call now” cue.
  • Quote:

    “Don't call in early, because whenever you call in early, you have no chance of winning. So you wait until we say call now, then you start calling.” (B, 00:21)

• This quick hack improves your chance of getting through and winning prizes.

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2. Gas Station and Refueling Hacks

• Best Day to Fill Up: Wednesdays.
  • Gas prices tend to rise on Mondays and Thursdays before 10 a.m.; fill up midweek for the best price.
  • Quote:

    “Wednesdays are the best days to fill up your tank because prices...go up on Mondays and Thursdays before 10 o’clock.” (C, 01:38)

• Location Matters:
  • Avoid stations near highways, interstates, or airports—they’re always pricier.
  • Especially ahead of holidays, fill up the Wednesday before travel begins.
  • Quote:

    “Avoid gas stations near the airport because people returning rental cars, we don't have a choice there.” (A, 01:29)

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3. Score the Big Screen at Sporting Events

• Braves Vision Tip:
  • Only fans wearing Braves gear (or gear of the opponent) will be featured on the stadium screen. No unrelated apparel!
  • Want to participate in on-screen contests? Dress accordingly.
  • Quote:

    “Don’t be upset that you’re not on Braves Vision if you’re not wearing apparel for the Braves or the team they're playing...Wear the hat, wear a T-shirt...” (A, 02:38 & 03:12)

• Bonus: Being an attractive person “guzzling beer with big boobs” can also get you screen time. (C, 03:22—light-hearted, slightly cheeky)

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4. Doctor and DMV Appointment Shortcuts

• Minimize Wait Time:
  • Book the first appointment of the day or first after lunch—no one before you, so minimal waiting.
  • Quote:

    “If you make your appointments at those times, then you don’t have to wait. You don’t have anybody in front of you.” (D, 03:32)

  • Simply ask what time their lunch ends or mornings begin; book for then.
• DMV Line Tip:
  • At closing, if you get in line ~15 mins before close, you’ll be among the last served and might face a capped wait time (varies by office).
  • Quote:

    “They used to say if the DMV...closed at 5 o’clock, show up at 4:45...the amount of time in line is kind of capped out...” (B, 04:08)

  • Larger DMVs may cut off lines earlier—works best at smaller locations.

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5. Airline and Travel Hacks (from Industry Insiders)

• Cheapest Airfares:
  • Book flights on or travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for best deals.
  • Quote:

    “The best time to buy those lower fares are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.” (D, 04:59)

• Travel Timing:
  • Avoid highest fares on Fridays and Sundays.
  • For Least-Delayed Flights:
    • Early-morning flights are safest, especially in summer—afternoon thunderstorms commonly cause delays, notably at major airports like Atlanta.
    • Quote:

      “Try to travel during the morning because all of the afternoon thunderstorms make a lot of ground delays…” (E, 11:37)

• Booking Tip Clarified:
  • Tuesday/Wednesday are best travel days for price; booking timing varies.

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6. Communicating with Teachers

• Best Way to Reach Teachers:
  • Email beats phone—teachers don’t have classroom phones & limited break time.
  • Quote:

    “The best way to get in touch with a teacher is always through email.” (D, 06:19)

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7. Buying Cars: Avoiding the Rip-Offs

• Be an Informed Buyer:
  • Always check dealership and manufacturer websites for latest deals and inventory—the advertised lot price is often higher than online.
  • Get Your Credit:
    • Check your credit score before shopping; the better your score, the better loan and less chance of getting “ripped off.”
    • Use official credit bureaus: experian.com, transunion.com, equifax.com.
  • Quote:

    “The pricing on the website is far less than when you go by the dealership and see the pricing across the window.” (E, 06:59) “The higher your score, the better your chances are financing and the lessens your chances of getting ripped off.” (E, 07:41)

• Dealership Insider Tip:
  • Invoice pricing isn’t the dealer’s bottom line; they also collect undisclosed manufacturer rebates, meaning dealerships can profit even below “invoice.”
  • Quote:

    “The dealership is not only making $100 on that car...Ford will send that dealership like a $3,000 rebate for selling that car.” (A, 08:35)

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8. Closing Costs When Buying a Home

• Title Insurance Savings:
  • When purchasing both owner’s and lender’s title insurance, ask for a “simultaneous issue"—lender’s policy drops to $50, saving several hundred dollars.
  • Quote:

    “If you get owner’s and lender’s at the same time...they will only charge you $50 for your lender’s title policy…that'll save you a couple hundred dollars.” (D, 09:49)

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9. Venue Seating Upgrades

• Arena Secret:
  • Many stadiums/arenas set aside seats for “patron complaints.” If you’re uncomfortable due to legitimate medical issues (afraid of heights, anxiety), staff can often relocate you to better seats via the first aid room.
  • Quote:

    “They have a block of seats they save for patron complaints. If you’re afraid of heights and your seats are very high...they will relocate you…” (D, 10:23)

  • Note: Hosts humorously caution about legitimacy and not gaming the system.

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10. Making Your Gas Last (Fuel Additive Advice)

• Fuel Treatment Tip:
  • 99-cent bottles of fuel treatment/octane boost can improve economy when using lower-grade gas. Key is consistent use for ongoing effect.
  • Quote:

    “A 99 cent bottle of fuel treatment...will up the rating of whatever gas you actually put into your vehicle.” (D, 12:08)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Be a hot chick guzzling beer with big boobs…that’ll get you on [the stadium screen] also.” (C, 03:22)
• “Go in there educated and go to the websites because then you’ll know exactly what you could be paying.” (B, 07:58)
• “If the DMV...closed at 5 o’clock, show up at 4:45...the amount of time in line is kind of capped out.” (B, 04:08)
• “Talking about the auto industry...you can actually legally go into a dealership [and ask] how much they paid for that car…that doesn't matter.” (C & A, 08:16–08:34)
• “Try to travel during the morning because all of the afternoon thunderstorms make a lot of ground delays…” (E, 11:37)
• “The key to it is making sure you keep it up...keep your system running as clean as it possibly can.” (D, 12:48)

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Notable Listener “Pro Tips” With Timestamps (Quick List)

• Best time to win radio contests: After “call now” cue – [00:21]
• Cheapest gas: Wednesdays – [01:38 & 13:28]
• Avoid highest gas prices: Near highways, airports – [01:29]
• Get on stadium screen: Wear proper team gear – [02:38, 03:12]
• No-wait doctor appointments: First of day/after lunch – [03:32]
• DMV trick: Arrive just before close (small offices) – [04:08]
• Cheapest airfares: Fly or book on Tues/Wed, travel mornings to avoid delays – [04:59, 11:37]
• Easiest way to contact teachers: Email only – [06:19]
• Car buying: Do homework online, check your credit – [06:59–07:41]
• Homebuyer savings: Ask for simultaneous issue on title insurance – [09:49]
• Stadium seat upgrades: Medical reasons may get you better seats – [10:23]
• Better gas mileage: Use consistent fuel additives – [12:08]

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Episode Takeaway

This Bert Show “Vault” episode delivers a crowd-sourced guide to everyday hacks—insider knowledge straight from pros, revealing how to save money, time, and irritation in daily scenarios. The mood stays authentic, playful, and practical as listeners and crew share their best “life upgrades”—from beating the pump at the gas station to scoring on stadium screens, hacking your travel, or acing your next big-ticket purchase.

“These are from gas price watchers who say the best day to fill up your tank is on Wednesdays...for Labor Day travel, on Wednesday, August 31st. That's the day to fill up your tank and you will save a lot of money.” (C, 13:28)

Listeners walk away with immediately actionable tips, knowing “the best morning radio show around” really does have their backs.

Transcript

[A]

The Burt Show.

[B]

Let's lean on each other here a little bit today, okay? Because Melissa brought in some what I thought were fascinating facts a couple of days ago. And I realized that when you are an expert in your own profession, you know things about your industry that others don't know. And if you could pass on that knowledge and help somebody else out, that would be huge. Right? Like for us, I mean, on the very, very, very superficial level, like when we're out, people are constantly complaining that they can't get through on the phone lines during a contest, right? Now, as a professional or an expert in this field, I can say to you, look, if you really want to beat the contest, here's what you do. Don't call in early, because whenever you call in early, you have no chance of winning. So you wait until we say call now, then you start calling. So as an expert in this field, I can give you that advice. And now you're better for it if you've been trying to win contests.

[C]

Right. Now, the story that we had last week was someone who is a part of the gas industry. If you have to drive the day of the week, that you need to fill up your gas tank can make a difference in how much you pay. Now, gas price watchers say the best day to fill up is on Wednesdays because prices tend to go up on Mondays and on Thursdays before 10am so there is actually a system going on. And so they say you should also avoid gas stations right next to highways or interstates because their prices tend to be higher than those that are further into town.

[B]

Okay, those are big. Those are big right there.

[A]

Avoid gas stations near the airport because people returning rental cars, we don't have a choice there.

[B]

What was the first one there again, talking about?

[C]

Wednesdays are the best days to fill up your tank because they actually, prices at the tank tend to go up on Mondays and Thursdays in the morning before 10 o'. Clock.

[B]

I had no idea.

[C]

So if you're so like next weekend.

[A]

Says avoid gas stations in the United States.

[D]

Yeah, that's funny.

[C]

Like, next week, next weekend is Labor Day. And they say, you know, Next Wednesday, the 31st is the day to fill up your tank before, if you're driving to go anywhere for Labor Day.

[B]

Now that's so smart. So smart. So let me give the phone number out here. 404-741-1005. And in keeping with that theme, like, I'm hoping people like maybe in the travel industry will call us up and go, look, if you guys are trying to get some cut rates on flights. The smartest day to go on the Internet and look for those are blank, blank, blank, blank. If you're a doctor, maybe you have some insight on how we can get in to see you quicker than the three week waiting period that we usually get when we call you. Any kind of insight that you can give us into your profession would be really, really helpful.

[A]

I have one for everybody who goes to Braves games and wants to get up on the brand new Braves vision screen.

[B]

Great. Ok, this is great.

[A]

Don't attempt to get on the Braves vision screen or don't be upset that you're not on Braves vision if you're not wearing apparel for the Braves or the team that they are playing. Because there's no reason to put you up on Braves vision for anything. If you're wearing Mets gear and it's a Padres Braves series, like they're gonna put the Braves fans up to show the Braves fans and we're gonna put the pad Padres fans up to make fun of them. So if you want to. And if you want to participate in a.

[B]

By the way, you used Padre fans, you used plural.

[C]

Oh, sorry if Bert's not at the game. Padres gear.

[A]

But like if, and if you want to participate in a contest or something, like be wearing Braves gear, you know, wear the. Wear a hat, wear a T shirt. And if you don't have one, get when you get to the ballpark or.

[C]

On screen, you need to be a hot chick guzzling beer with big boobs.

[B]

Right? That'll get you on also.

[A]

That helps too.

[B]

Hey Desiree, you're on all the hits. Q100 high.

[D]

Hi, I was calling because I work in a doctor's office. You know, you always have to wait. And if you're the first patient in the morning or the first patient in the afternoon after lunch, if you make your appointments at those times, then you don't have to wait. You don't have anybody in front of you. So that's a good step.

[B]

So how do you find out, like what time the office goes to lunch for you to be the first person into the office? The first patient?

[D]

You just ask them. You just say, what's your first appointment after lunch? In our case it's 1:30. So you call and you say I need to be the 1:30 patient on Thursday or whatever and you know, put you in. And if you're first patient in the morning, don't have to wait. Perfect.

[B]

I knew somebody at the DMV in Washington D.C. and I don't know if you can pull this off here or not because it's such a different Animal with the DMVs down here. But they used to say if the DMV in virginia closed at 5 o', clock, show up at 4:45. That way you get in line and the amount of time that you're actually going to spend in line is really kind of capped out because as soon as you get in at 4:45, they close off the line. So you wouldn't have to spend four or five hours in a line. It's already passed by the time you get there.

[C]

I guess it just depends on which DMV you're going to. If you go one of the smaller offices, that might work. But I know that there's been circumstances where the lines are wrapped around the building that they will actually cut off the line out. I mean, that won't work at the bigger offices. Yeah, you're not in if you're in under the timeline. Right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The problem up there isn't nearly as bad as it is here. Good morning, Deanna. You're on all the hits q100.

[D]

Hi, guys. How are you?

[B]

Good, thank you.

[E]

Good.

[D]

I work for an airline and the best time to buy those lower fares are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And the best times of day to find those lower fares, you know, just throughout the week are usually like midday because a lot of the businessmen and stuff get their travel out of the way, like first thing on Monday, you know, and throughout the week, during the morning stuff. So by the morning, evening.

[A]

I'm sorry, these are the best times to book or the best times to travel.

[D]

The best to book on the best days to book your travel or. No, I'm sorry. The best days to actually complete travel are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays. If you're going out on a Tuesday, coming back on a Wednesday, those are usually the best times to find those lower fares. Because those aren't, you know, everybody say retirement travel Mondays and Fridays, or. I'm sorry, Fridays and Sundays are the. The highest travel days.

[B]

I'm so confused. So Tuesdays and Wednesdays, she's saying, are the best days for travel.

[A]

Correct.

[C]

Right. To complete on Wednesday, get cheapest fare.

[B]

Businessmen are back by then. Then it's, you're early for the weekend travel list.

[C]

Right.

[D]

Business persons.

[B]

Yep, Business. What did I say? Businessmen. Business persons. Good God. My God, I need to be a 96 rock. Hey, Amanda.

[E]

Hey.

[D]

I'm a teacher and I wanted to tell parents that the best way to get in touch with A teacher is to email. We don't have telephones in our classroom. It's hard for us to get a break. We have like a 23 minute lunch and so it's hard for us to call parents back. So the best way to get in touch with a teacher is always through email.

[B]

That's great, great advice right there.

[C]

Thank you. Absolutely.

[B]

404-741-1005 and morning show DJs email.

[C]

I'm fascinated by the people that call and then get mad when you're not immediately calling back and they call before the show's over. It's like, well, you know, where you been? Doing something, you know.

[B]

Hey John, you're on all the hits. Q100 Good morning, Virtual. Morning, sir.

[E]

Hey, buying a car, the best way to do it nowadays is have the most information. Most dealerships have websites for their used cars as well as their pricing on new cars. If you're looking at as an example a brand new Honda, you can go to the manufacturer's website and they'll give you what the latest deals are. You can also go, if you're looking at a used car at a dealership, go to the dealer's website, pull up the information. Nine times out of ten, the pricing on the website is far less than when you go by the dealership and see the pricing across the window. I'm sorry. The other thing is if you want to save on your, on your financing, pull your credit, have your credit in hand first. You can go to experian.com, transunion.com or equifax.com and get a copy of your credit report. If you know what your score is. The higher your score, the better your chances are financing and the lessons, your chances of getting ripped off.

[B]

So go in there educated and go to the websites because then you'll know exactly what you could be paying.

[E]

Exactly. And one other, one other piece of advice. When you go to the Braves game, don't be shocked if Jeff shows up on the super trial.

[B]

That would shock you.

[E]

It is shocking. Super head, but he's a good guy.

[B]

That's a big old head, man.

[E]

Have a great day.

[C]

I'm trying to remember and I'm going to get this so wrong. Talking about the auto industry, somebody, some consumer reporter I heard one time say that you can actually legally go into a dealership. And is it the buyers? You can find out legally how much they paid for that car.

[A]

Like you can go, that doesn't matter.

[C]

Is that not true?

[A]

Well, I did all that research When I. Cause when I was buying my car, like, I bought my first brand new car, like, with zero miles on it, you know, first brand new one just this year. And so I did all that research and you know, they talk about the invoice pricing. Like there's an invoice price and, oh, you get it. Only $100 above invoice. Well, that's only like the dealership is not only making $100 on that car. Like, if it's a Ford dealer and you bought a Ford car, they might invoice the dealership for $20,000 for that car. And if they sell it to you for 20,500 bucks, you paid 500 bucks over invoice. But then Ford will send that dealership like a $3,000 rebate for selling that car. So the price is actually far below, not far below, but there's a portion of it below invoice. And that's what, like dealerships can sell cars for below invoice, even though they never will. It won't be a lot, but they can because they are making money right now.

[C]

They're thinking about it because every, you.

[A]

Know, well, that's why they're doing that employee pricing. Every dealership in the world, like gm, I read somewhere when they did that, like, went, look, their sales increased like 150% or some crazy amount. So now every dealership's doing it.

[B]

Hey, Kristen, you're on all the hits Q100.

[D]

Good morning.

[C]

Hi.

[D]

I work for a closing attorney. And how to save a couple hundred dollars when you're going to buy your house?

[C]

Okay.

[D]

If you ask when you get your title insurance, if you get owners and lenders at the same time title insurance, you ask for a simultaneous issue. They will only charge you $50 for your lender's title policy. And that's, that'll save you a couple hundred dollars because it's usually between, depending on your loan amount, it's usually about 3, $400.

[B]

That's good advice right there. That's great.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

Thank you for. Thank you.

[D]

All right. You're welcome.

[B]

All right, Lori, good morning. You're on all the hits. Q100.

[D]

Hi, how are you?

[B]

Good, thank you.

[D]

Good. I used to work at the Phillips arena and I do know that they have a block of seats that they save for patron complaints. If you come into the arena, let's say that you have, you're afraid of heights and your seats are very, very high and you have an anxiety attack because your seat is too high, usually they will relocate you especially if you go to the first aid room and talk to one of the nurses there.

[B]

Oh, come on now. Come on. So you go into the stadium and you specifically complain that you have like, that you're scared of heights and they'll give you better seats.

[D]

Yes. Actually, I've helped several patrons relocate because they have medical issues from being too high or that there's someone next to them that is causing them to have some type of medical issues.

[B]

Yeah, but those are legitimate.

[C]

Yeah, they had legitimate concerns.

[B]

Can't go into First Station.

[C]

You can't meet somebody.

[A]

Cheater.

[B]

Lori. Cheater.

[C]

Everything we've talked about has been legit. That is so funny. There's gonna be a lot of people.

[B]

Afraid of heights at Green Day tonight.

[A]

I hope Lori liked her job.

[D]

I think she said she works.

[B]

She said she used to work.

[C]

That's why she called.

[B]

Hey, Matt.

[E]

Hey, good morning.

[B]

Go ahead, man.

[E]

I'm an air traffic controller. And to avoid delays in missing your connections when you travel during the summer, try to travel during the morning because all of the afternoon thunderstorms make a lot of ground delays while you can travel.

[B]

Smart. That's especially important here in Atlanta. For sure.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[E]

The airport closes probably once a day. If you're trying to not to miss your delayed flights, travel in the morning.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Great.

[B]

Thank you.

[C]

Thank you. Thanks.

[B]

Alrighty. And we will take one more from Morgan and then be done. Good morning, Morgan.

[D]

Good morning.

[B]

Hello.

[D]

I work in. And you guys were talking about some tips to help save some money on traveling and everything. Another good thing that you could possibly do to help save some gas money, especially nowadays, a 99 cent bottle of fuel treatment. Usually it has octane boost in it and it will up the rating of whatever gas you actually put into your vehicle. Say if you put in like the lower grade, it'll up it to about the mid grade.

[B]

Really? Because somebody once told me, never put anything in your gas tank except gas.

[D]

Well, the fuel treatments usually have cleaners and things of that nature. Now, the key to it is making sure you keep it up. Because if you have a new car, for example, usually they ask you to put in mid grade because you're going to have the best fuel economy for that anyway. But if you put something in your gas tank, the key is to keep putting it in there and keep your system running as clean as it possibly can.

[B]

Okay, thank you very much.

[D]

Not a problem.

[B]

All right, so we got a lot there to chew on. A lot there to chew on. So again, that one that I want to pass on from Melissa because yeah.

[C]

Everybody'S so stressed out about gas. Apparently. These are from gas price watchers who say the best day to fill up your tank is on Wednesdays because apparently prices take tend to go up on Mondays and Thursdays before 10am and they especially say for your Labor Day travel next week on Wednesday, August 31st. That's the day to fill up your tank and you will save a lot of money.

[B]

Cool.

[A]

The Birch Show.