Gas Price Outrage!

[Haggis@wk]

Not to mention the introduction to Fat Ivor's.

A gustatory experience best shared with agreeable dining companions and beer!!!

Needless to say, a like invitation is extended if your travels ever take you near the great state of Texas; Tex-Mex, barbeque and ribs that beg to be eaten. Thank God I’m a carnivore!!!!

AS USUAL.......
the Yanks will STOMP the Dead Sox today and all will be happy in YANKKEELAND!

How's that Haggis!

My mother, a die hard Atlanta Braves fan till she passed away in 2003, use to refer to players that left Atlanta to play for the Yankees in the past tense as if they had died. Every other Atlanta player was always “little ol’” as in that “little ol’ chipper Jones.”

She had a sweatshirt that said “My two favourite baseball teams are the Braves and whoever is playing the Yankees”

[Trumpetmaster]

Not to mention the introduction to Fat Ivor's.

A gustatory experience best shared with agreeable dining companions and beer!!!

Needless to say, a like invitation is extended if your travels ever take you near the great state of Texas; Tex-Mex, barbeque and ribs that beg to be eaten. Thank God I’m a carnivore!!!!

AS USUAL.......
the Yanks will STOMP the Dead Sox today and all will be happy in YANKKEELAND!

How's that Haggis!

My mother, a die hard Atlanta Braves fan till she passed away in 2003, use to refer to players that left Atlanta to play for the Yankees in the past tense as if they had died. Every other Atlanta player was always “little ol’” as in that “little ol’ chipper Jones.”

She had a sweatshirt that said “My two favourite baseball teams are the Braves and whoever is playing the Yankees”

love the sweatshirt... ah alas... my prediction came true... Yankees hit 5 homers and stomped the ...... you know who

[barfle]

So Ah'm a suthun jenlman? Ah preshiate th' seniment, Mistah Haggis.

I still consider myself a Californian, though. Suthun Californian, but certainly not a Dixiecrat (if you're old enough to remember THAT term!).

Back on topic, gas seems to have dropped about a dime since the last time I posted. Most stations in my parts of Vahjiniya are under $4. But not much under.

[barfle]

I fear GCR may be right about the upcoming demise of the BB. I've noticed that since the station went "pay to play" that the volume of posters has decline and is possibly approaching a critical point.

I couldn't help but notice that the "newest member" is crossjohn98, who joined October 28th, 2010.

Indeed, we seem to be a vanishing breed.

[Trumpetmaster]

I fear GCR may be right about the upcoming demise of the BB. I've noticed that since the station went "pay to play" that the volume of posters has decline and is possibly approaching a critical point.

I couldn't help but notice that the "newest member" is crossjohn98, who joined October 28th, 2010.

Indeed, we seem to be a vanishing breed.

Loyalists!!!

[Shapley]

Our gas prices have seen a slow but steady decline for the past several weeks. Currently, prices stand at $3.519 in Cape Girardeau.

[Giant Communist Robot]

Gasoline inventories have fallen for 11 straight weeks; they must be getting ready for the summer driving season. Meanwhile, the crude build is up.

[jamiebk]

So oil is under $100.00...any change at the pump? Nope...still paying $4.29 in Norcal

[Shapley]

We were $3.49 yesterday.

[Trumpetmaster]

depending on where you go... price for regular ranges $3.79 to $3.99
that's IF you pay CASH...

[BigJon]

Down around 20 cents here.

[Giant Communist Robot]

Crude inventories are unusually high. Gasoline inventories have dropped for twelve straight weeks now. A tighter supply means higher prices; just in time for the summer driving season.

[Shapley]

We were down to $3.37 yesterday. The price seems to drop in $.02 increments every two to four days.

[jamiebk]

Crude inventories are unusually high. Gasoline inventories have dropped for twelve straight weeks now. A tighter supply means higher prices; just in time for the summer driving season.

All contrived for your gasoline-purchasing pleasure....

[Giant Communist Robot]

Crude inventories are unusually high. Gasoline inventories have dropped for twelve straight weeks now. A tighter supply means higher prices; just in time for the summer driving season.

All contrived for your gasoline-purchasing pleasure....

Well, of course, but what caused the recent drop in the price for gas? I think they are looking from a supply and demand perspective--more gasoline during a time of declining prices means further declines of prices. It hardly makes sense to think they would drive the price down, especially when the retail margins are so small. Why did this happen just before summer? Coincidence?

[Shapley]

Back when I was in the service station business (when we still called them 'service stations', which should give an idea of how long ago that was), or retail markup was in pennies per gallon. Thus, we made the same on a tank of gas no matter the price-per-gallon. I do not know if that has changed in the dedades since.

Even during the 'gas wars', when prices were lowered below cost to lure customers, it was the distributors and oil companies that took the hit, not the retailer. The retailer had a 'ceiling', set by State law (I think). My best recollection is that it was about $ 0.11/gal. when I first started work there, and was raised to around $ 0.15/gal. around the time I quit and started work for the Hammond Organ Company.

With this system, we made a higher percentage of the purchase when prices were low. During the 'gas wars', we may have been making over 50% of the purchase price, as I recall gas as low as $ 0.17/gal during one such 'gas war'.

For those not familiar with them, 'gas wars' were competive sales gimmicks run by oil companies to lure customers to the stations that sold their brand. The signs that displayed the brand and price were usually fitted with a sign that read "Gas War' in bold letters, to let consumers know that such a war was on, and that they could expect heavily reduced prices. The regular retail price for gasoline when I started was around $ 0.40/gal. A typical 'gas war' price in those days would be around $ 0.22/gal, which probably covered just the station's markup, the taxes, and the delivery cost.

[Shapley]

Before I left the business, gasoline prices had reached $1.00/gal. I remember this because we had to install new pump 'computers' because the old ones would only read up to $ .999/gal.

We called them 'computers' in those days, although they were just mechanical readouts - the upper part of the gasoline pump. The lower part housed the actual pump, valves, and piping.

As an independent service station owner, we had to buy our own computers. That is why many of the service stations in those days just drew the $1 in front of the mechanical readout, since some computers could calculate prices over $1, they just couldn't display the pricing. The station owners were too cheap, or too poor, to buy newer units. We also had to make the switch to unleaded gasoline, though I was still a young pup and worked weekends and Summers in those days. It sticks in my mind that we did not have to buy the new computers and pumps for that switch, but they were provided by the distributor. We went from 'one armed bandits' to doubles, because we had to have separate hoses for leaded and unleaded gasoline.

[Shapley]

Just a bit of nostalgia, there.

[dai bread]

There was a joke going around at about this time of a Cadillac driver pulling up to a pump and starting to fill his tank. After a while, the attendant (nostalgia!) said "Turn your engine off. You're gaining on me!"

[Trumpetmaster]

some towns here on Long Island do not allow you to pump your own gas.
OF COURSE....these stations are higher priced than the pump your own stations.....

Also, let's go back in history here....

I can remember being with my dad at the filling station when gas was 28 cents a gallons.

Good Grief....