Pain at the Pump: Won’t Someone Think of the Gas Station Owners?

1. gazboz
   June 14th, 2008 at 2:56 am

   Don’t they make most of their money on snacks, beer, soft drinks,and ciggies? There is probably also less spending on that stuff after people drop $80 to top off the tank

2. violet/riga
   June 14th, 2008 at 6:38 am

   I can’t be sympathetic to people in the US regarding ‘gas’ prices. In the UK it costs more than double that.

   (but that’s not the point of the entry, I know)

3. Bill
   June 14th, 2008 at 7:02 am

   £6 ($12.00) a gallon here in uk (approx)

4. Orjan Morjan
   June 14th, 2008 at 7:20 am

   Who in their right mind would think this is the gas station owners lifting the prices?

5. the man
   June 14th, 2008 at 8:04 am

   Bullshit.

   We all know this story is bull.

   Every time there is a rainstorm the gas stations gouge you.

   Every time a local soldier dies in Iraq the gas stations gouge you a few cents more.

   Then Bush cut measurement enforce ment so in many areas you only get 7/8 of a gallon anyways.

   Around my area a gas station owner was finally sued for having standard and “premium” when it was all the same gas. it is estimated he did this for 40 years.

6. prophet
   June 14th, 2008 at 8:49 am

   Can anyone think on the kids????

7. Dixon
   June 14th, 2008 at 11:43 am

   Independent petrol (gas) stations in the UK have been shutting at an alarming rate, in fact 600 a year since 2002, here’s the report from the BBC website

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7306967.stm

8. AJ
   June 14th, 2008 at 12:15 pm

   Yep, independent owners make their profit off snack foods, or they go out of business and get replaced by a station owned by the oil company. In my area, there are very few independent stations.

   So in debating whether or not to feel sorry, you need to know who the owner is of a particular station. You can’t tell by the name brand.

9. darelparker
   June 14th, 2008 at 5:22 pm

   I’m still having a hard time feeling any sympathy for an industry that charges $3.00 for two aspirin.

10. roger
    June 14th, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    Yes but people need to blame SOMEONE. I mean, if concepts like peak oil and commodity speculation are too abstract for the common folk, let’s blame the rapacious oil executives. And if the people are too confused by the ambiguous role of the executive, let’s make blaming easier by funneling rage towards your local gas station owner. Just like those emails said, if we all boycott the local gas station, gas will be back to $2.00 in no time flat!!

11. gazboz
    June 14th, 2008 at 6:12 pm

    darelparker: that’s another way poor people take it up the rear: often, there are no proper grocery stores in their neighborhoods, so they buy much of their daily needs from gas stations at these crazy markup prices

12. DOJ
    June 14th, 2008 at 7:52 pm

    in Canada prescription drugs are cheaper than in the US, mainly because government limits on the price (i think, can anyone confirm this?)
    so could the inflated prices be fought using the same principal? cap the price at some level where it’s profitable for producers/refiners, but speculation/inflated prices end at a preset point.

    i hope that makes sense…

13. JN
    June 15th, 2008 at 6:07 am

    I would be happy with that price because, where i live its over 1,55€ for just one litre. I love driving, but as a student its hard to keep a car.

14. andiscandis
    June 15th, 2008 at 8:15 am

    I just got myself out of this industry. Consider the following:

    A gas station owner has to purchase fuel in large quantities, usually about 9000 gallons at a time. He’s paying maybe $3.89 per gallon = $35,010. At best, he’ll gross 10 cents per gallon on that 9000 = $900. Subtract out the credit card fees and he’s at $630. Then take out for electricity to run the pumps and keep the canopy lit, payroll for cashiers, etc. If someone damages a pump or hose, he’s down to $0 profit. And with $35k tied up in the investment.

    The “boycott the local gas station” mentality will succeed only in putting local business owners out of business and moving revenues to company-owned stores. Genius.

    And if you need someone to blame, look at yourself and your own “rapacious” use of a non-renewable, polluting resource.

15. Tempscire
    June 15th, 2008 at 5:36 pm

    “People see $4 gas, and they think these retailers are making a fortune,” said Ben Brockwell

    No, I tend to think the oil companies are making a fortune. I usually forget individual people sometimes own the stations.

16. Justin Lynes
    June 16th, 2008 at 12:11 am

    The comparison of European gas prices to American ones is really apples to oranges.
    Our cities and daily commutes are set up, as a whole to be automobile based with entire neighborhoods set up as bedroom communities miles from where one works, goes the grocery store, and even where the kids go to school.
    I blame Robert Moses and his followers. But I also grew up in suburban Atlanta without sidewalks so maybe I’m a little bit bitter.

17. ryanp
    June 21st, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    And European’s actually pay LESS for the fuel. What makes there price per gallon / liter cost more is they have tons of taxes levied on gas. So arguing that they pay more at the pump is really moot since they basically pay the same for the materials, but their government makes them pay more.

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