Wis. gas station shuts pumps over prices

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MrBrau1

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070525/ap_on_re_us/gas_price_protest

best part from the story:

'Schwartz called that "outrageous" and said even he can't fill up his SUV at that price.

"If it keeps going like this, my kids will never be able to afford to drive," said Schwartz, who has an 18-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter.'

Clueless dipshit.

The American consumer gets what the American consumer deserves. What are the odds he's charging that gas for his 15 MPG SUV on a credit card?
 
The greedy American.

He'll also want a government bail-out when he can't pay his interest only mortgage. Personal responsibility doesn't exist in the US anymore. Everything is "someone else's fault."
 
MrBrau1 said:
The greedy American.

He'll also want a government bail-out when he can't pay his interest only mortgage. Personal responsibility doesn't exist in the US anymore. Everything is "someone else's fault."

I believe in personal responsibility :(
 
MrBrau1 said:
The greedy American.

He'll also want a government bail-out when he can't pay his interest only mortgage. Personal responsibility doesn't exist in the US anymore. Everything is "someone else's fault."

I'd agree with you if this was a shoe store he ran, but to be fair, the government has a lot to do with the price of gas. A lot of his scenario IS out of his hands.
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:
I'd agree with you if this was a shoe store he ran, but to be fair, the government has a lot to do with the price of gas. A lot of his scenario IS out of his hands.

It's more like a combination of "market forces," combined with cartel/oligopoly-style supply throttling and price gouging.
 
Ormus said:


It's more like a combination of "market forces," combined with cartel/oligopoly-style supply throttling and price gouging.

True, but who's behind those or should I say at least turning a blind eye on those cartel/oligopolies?
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:


I'd agree with you if this was a shoe store he ran, but to be fair, the government has a lot to do with the price of gas. A lot of his scenario IS out of his hands.

Never underestimate market forces. He drives a inefficient SUV. Most likely to satisfy his giant ego; a 25 MPG minivan is far too unsexy.

he gets what he deserves, and hurts the country in the process. He has power, and won't use it. He'd rather feel good about his dick.
 
MrBrau1 said:


Never underestimate market forces. He drives a inefficient SUV. Most likely to satisfy his giant ego; a 25 MPG minivan is far too unsexy.

he gets what he deserves, and hurts the country in the process. He has power, and won't use it. He'd rather feel good about his dick.

Well I'm not a fan of SUVs inefficientcy, but he may just live in a part of Wis or lifestyle where an SUV is a practical vehicle.
 
BonoVoxSupastar said:


Well I'm not a fan of SUVs inefficientcy, but he may just live in a part of Wis or lifestyle where an SUV is a practical vehicle.

Yeah, I've survived for 4 years in Northern New England with a FWD VW sedan. The "snow" arguement is just false. It's all about his dick.
 
MrBrau1 said:


Yeah, I've survived for 4 years in Northern New England with a FWD VW sedan. The "snow" arguement is just false. It's all about his dick.

I didn't mention snow. I know farmers and people who live in houses without paved roads to the main highways that need 4x4s and other such vehicles.

Yes the majority of SUVs are useless, but you don't know this man's story.
 
Mequon is north of Milwaukee ... if I remember correctly, it's not uber-urban, but not really farmland either. Although considering it's Wisconsin, I bet you wouldn't have to drive very far out of Mequon to hit farmland.
 
The rest of the world is laughing their asses off at us whining about our $3.49 per gallon gasoline prices. Did we really think it was never going to happen to us? Are we really that stupid? :rolleyes:
 
I worry most about people who are already struggling to make ends meet as it is, and as gas prices keeps rising and wages don't, it's going to be even harder.

Unfortunately, not every city has a decent or convenient public transportation system, so for a lot of people, it's the car or nothing.
 
corianderstem said:
I worry most about people who are already struggling to make ends meet as it is, and as gas prices keeps rising and wages don't, it's going to be even harder.

Unfortunately, not every city has a decent or convenient public transportation system, so for a lot of people, it's the car or nothing.

I've seen this first hand. It's a sad sad state of affairs. And yes this may not be a great example, but there are many out there that have to decide on rent or gas money. When you rise more than a dollar within 6 months, something is fucking wrong.
 
As I said in the Ask the Southerner thread, gas prices in Germany are currently at around $7.13 per gallon, depending what your car goes with.
Reasons are the holidays (Pentecoste this weekend, Ascension Day the week before), the taxes, the supply oligopoly, and a very important factor currently: The huge demand in the US and China.
No wonder they did so in the US either.
 
When I was out with my mother Monday afternoon the station where she was going to stop for gas was $2.97. We went to a store across the street and when we came out not even 30 minutes later the price was up to $3.03. If that isn't gouging I don't know what is.
 
The gas prices have finally caught up with me, that's for sure. I paid $3.66 on Tuesday and I imagine it will spike over the holiday weekend. I've had to transfer money from savings to pay for gas. It's not that it's really so bad, I just was not prepared for this and did not budget appropriately when I started my budget months ago. We're getting rid of one vehicle and moving in August so that we can both walk or bike to work/school if we have to, or at least be on a bus route (right now we are at the Grand Rapids/Kentwood line and not near a bus route). I'm not going to complain because we don't need two vehicles and we don't need a vehicle larger than our car, but it has gotten to the point where we are making some major adjustments and I've had to say no to doing certain things solely because of gas costs. We usually house sit for my relatives for 2-3 weeks each summer, and I'm contemplating telling them no because at this rate, what they pay us is not going to cover the gas to get out there and back.
 
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My usual gas station has topped out at $3.48 for the past two weeks. I'm fortunate to be able to afford my gas, but I don't often drive during the week, and can usually get by with filling up my tank only once a month.

And I have a wee Saturn, so even with the expensive gas, it only costs me about $25-$30 to fill it up. And I take advantage of the semi-decent public transportation in Seattle.
 
$3.50US is still about a buck less than what we're paying here.

ETA: I got rid of my car last summer. I live in a city which has iffy public transit, so I made sure I'm within walking distance of where I need to be for the most part. I absolutely miss the convenience of a car and I miss the convenience of a good transit system, but at the same time, there are definite financial benefits.

I told myself I'd go car-free for 3 years. One down, 2 to go!
 
corianderstem said:
And I have a wee Saturn, so even with the expensive gas, it only costs me about $25-$30 to fill it up.

How I love my Saturn. It does well in the snow, and I can usually get away with only filling it twice a month, even when I drive several days a week. Gas just hit $3 a gallon here this week, though earlier in the week I could still find a few stations selling it for $2.97.

I'm in an uncomfortable position now. I'll be adjuncting at the university I just graduated from in the fall, but I'm looking to pick up another class or two at another college to help me not have to stress out about getting by. I never thought I'd have to be taking gas prices into consideration in my job hunt, but now I'm asking myself if it will really be worth it to teach at a school an hour away if I have to make the trip several times a week.

I'm looking into teaching online, which seems like a great solution for me. I wonder if companies are starting to be more flexible with employees telecommuting at least a few days a week because of gas prices?
 
If your employers are like our German employers they don't give a damn about your commuting costs.

The employers in the region I grew up favored people that had a car because, even though our busses are very reliable, they worried about people coming too late because of missing the bus or the bus being delayed.

Of course, those were jobs you couldn't do from home.
 
BonoIsMyMuse said:
I wonder if companies are starting to be more flexible with employees telecommuting at least a few days a week because of gas prices?

I work in an administrative department for a college and I'd say, most likely not, at least around here. Until our staff makes a better effort to carpool, use smaller more efficient cars, and utilize public transportation (which we do have in this city), their complains will fall on deaf ears. They don't want to change their lifestyle, they expect everyone to work around them. It's one thing to complain if you've really made and effort and are still struggling to get by, but the worst complainers are usually the tenured profs making six figures living out in a suburban gated community. I make half of the national average, will live in a shitty duplex, and can bike to work if I have to and if I can still afford the gas to do a road trip every other weekend and run errands a few times a week, so can they. There's also other issues with telecommuting, so we discourage it unless the person has a disability or some other circumstance.
 
My workplace offers financial incentives for either taking public transportation or carpooling. The waiting list for our two garages is still over a year long, however, so it's only working a little. But if the city would beef up its public transportation options, I think more people would use them.

Some departments within the company are also trying to utilize telecommunting. We have a lot of employees who live very far outside the city, since it seems the only affordable houses in the greater Seattle area are well outside the city. So some people are able to telecommute once or twice a week, rather than sit in traffic two hours each way. :yikes:
 
Vincent Vega said:
As I said in the Ask the Southerner thread, gas prices in Germany are currently at around $7.13 per gallon,

yeah, but you guys get to buy it by the litre.

So it is only about $1.83
 
And where is the difference?
Whether I fill my car, or you fill your car, it's the same volume, just measured differently.
E.g.: 50l*$1.88=$94 ($1.88= exchange rate when I calculated it)
13.16g*$7,13=$93.8

So I don't quite understand (unless it's meant tongue in cheek :)).
 
Rumor is that if we have at least one bad hurricane it will be 6 dollars +/gallon

MSN

Surprising results are in from the latest MSN-Zogby poll.

Not surprisingly, one of the top fuel-saving tips is utilizing alternative transportation—when possible.

The poll also reveals that drivers living in Western states are more likely than those living in other regions to say they've already changed their driving habits.

Call it cliche, but in cliches ring truth: It seems like gas prices hit an all-time high with every passing day. At post time for this article, the U.S. national average price for a gallon of gasoline was around $3.21, and in many parts of the country it is well above this figure. So are Americans changing their driving habits to avoid paying so much at the pump?

According to a new MSN-Zogby poll, they are indeed. The results are based on an interactive survey of 7,241 adults nationwide conducted between May 11-14, 2007.

In fact, when asked how expensive gas would have to get before people would consider carpooling or using alternative transportation, one in three Americans (33 percent) said they have already changed their driving habits as average gas prices climbed past the $3 per gallon mark.

The poll also revealed that drivers living in the Western states (42 percent) are more likely than those living in other regions to say they've already changed their driving habits. More women (36 percent) than men (30 percent) also said they've already made changes.

But overall, 21 percent of those polled said gas prices would have to increase to between $4 and $5 per gallon before they would adjust how they drive; while 14 percent said gas prices would have to reach between $6 and $8 per gallon before they would be willing to consider alternative transportation.

Of course, there are some die-hard drivers who won't give up their wheels no matter how high gas prices climb—15 percent said they will never quit driving. Men (17 percent) are slightly more likely than women (13 percent) to take this position, as are older adults.

There are a number of things drivers can do to save money at the pump, and the answer doesn't have to be purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle. For a list suggestions designed to help cut your fuel consumption, check out MSN Autos Green Driving Tips.

If purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle sounds like a better plan, check this list of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in America, based on 2007 model-year EPA fuel economy data.

The MSN-Zogby poll results come from an interactive survey of 7,241 adults nationwide that was conducted between May 11-14, 2007, and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.2 percentage points.
 
You know, I have very little sympathy for the gas station owner when he talks about making "razor-thin margins on gas because we can't move enough volume".

I remember living in Southeastern PA and seeing a gas station every half-mile in some commercial areas. A new station will come in and try to undercut other local stations, making sales margins even thinner. It's really an oversaturated market in a lot of places.
 
Canadiens1160 said:
A new station will come in and try to undercut other local stations, making sales margins even thinner. It's really an oversaturated market in a lot of places.

Thank goodness for that!
 
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