Comments on: Sit down and read. $3.65? Possibly. http://www.thegasgame.com/2007/05/15/sit-down-and-read-365-possibly/ Keep track of gasoline prices, oil prices, future gasoline prices, future oil prices, see predictions, get price prediction, find gasoline prices, see if you're getting gouged, find news about diesel prices, ethanol prices, and refinery maintenance and refinery shutdowns. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:59:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Retailer http://www.thegasgame.com/2007/05/15/sit-down-and-read-365-possibly/comment-page-1/#comment-308 Retailer Wed, 16 May 2007 13:32:08 +0000 http://www.thegasgame.com/2007/05/15/sit-down-and-read-365-possibly/#comment-308 Retail boycotts will never have any affect on prices or hurt the oil companies. Because contrary to popular belief, the oil companies don't own very many stations. Nationwide they own around 2.5% of the retail stations. In Michigan there are almost 5,100 retail stations, and other than the 295 Speedway stations that Marathon owns, you will have a hard time finding any other stations in MI that are ran by oil companies. They have all sold off or leased out the stations they used to run, because of the poor retail margins in the midwest. The oil companies don't know and don't care what their branded retail stations sell. If their branded stations buy less from them, they will just sell more of it as unbranded. As long as our country refines less gasoline than we consume everyday, there are always going to be stations that will buy every gallon they can produce. Boycotting retail stations based on the brand of gasoline they sell, will only hurt the small business owners that are already struggling in our industry. I would guess that over 3,000 of the stations in MI are single station owners, along with several chains of 10 - 100 locations. I have not talked to anyone in the last 5 years that is happy with their profits. Over 90% of the price of gas is decided before it arrives at your local station. Retail boycotts will never have any affect on prices or hurt the oil companies. Because contrary to popular belief, the oil companies don’t own very many stations. Nationwide they own around 2.5% of the retail stations. In Michigan there are almost 5,100 retail stations, and other than the 295 Speedway stations that Marathon owns, you will have a hard time finding any other stations in MI that are ran by oil companies. They have all sold off or leased out the stations they used to run, because of the poor retail margins in the midwest.

The oil companies don’t know and don’t care what their branded retail stations sell. If their branded stations buy less from them, they will just sell more of it as unbranded. As long as our country refines less gasoline than we consume everyday, there are always going to be stations that will buy every gallon they can produce.

Boycotting retail stations based on the brand of gasoline they sell, will only hurt the small business owners that are already struggling in our industry. I would guess that over 3,000 of the stations in MI are single station owners, along with several chains of 10 – 100 locations. I have not talked to anyone in the last 5 years that is happy with their profits. Over 90% of the price of gas is decided before it arrives at your local station.

]]> By: bhwithun http://www.thegasgame.com/2007/05/15/sit-down-and-read-365-possibly/comment-page-1/#comment-287 bhwithun Tue, 15 May 2007 15:52:13 +0000 http://www.thegasgame.com/2007/05/15/sit-down-and-read-365-possibly/#comment-287 I'm actually in favor of high gas prices. Not that I like paying them, or that I want *you* to pay them, but I think high gas prices are the economic force behind positive change. We in the US have amazingly *cheap* gasoline, globally speaking. We have little to complain about, even at $3.25 I have seen gas station boycots before. The day at home that you are thinking about is something new, though. Usually in a boycott situation everyone just doesn't-fillup-today, which means they fillup the day before or the day after. By actually *staying home* you're talking about changing behavior; actually using less gas on that day. It has more potential than a gas station boycott, but still isn't likely to cause any concern to the oil companies because it cannot be sustained. We have a necessity to commute and travel long distances. Anyone who is willing to 'stay home' for a day should spend that time checking their tire pressure and taking the unnecessary cargo out of their vehicles, and maybe go to maps.google.com and make sure they are taking the most direct routs to and from their common destinations. This has a lasting effect. --- Here is a social force that I think might succeed, if you intend to leverage your audience to influence gas prices: Choose a station (company) that you feel is holding prices too high. (or one that you just don't like) You are uniquely qualified to make this assessment since you watch TheGame more closely than the rest of us. Once you have identified a company, suggest that your audience *avoid* that station until further notice. Go ahead and buy gas anywhere, just not there. This will shift sales from that company to another company in a sustainable way. The only way for the company to redeem themselves (and get their customers back) is to discount their prices to your satisfaction. When you think they have done so, notify everyone to resume purchasing at that company. Then pick the next company to avoid. With what you know about the profit margins, or crack, or whatever it is called, you can somewhat fairly decide if the companies are acting fairly. Send out the alert when one (or more) of them are not. I’m actually in favor of high gas prices. Not that I like paying them, or that I want *you* to pay them, but I think high gas prices are the economic force behind positive change. We in the US have amazingly *cheap* gasoline, globally speaking. We have little to complain about, even at $3.25

I have seen gas station boycots before. The day at home that you are thinking about is something new, though. Usually in a boycott situation everyone just doesn’t-fillup-today, which means they fillup the day before or the day after. By actually *staying home* you’re talking about changing behavior; actually using less gas on that day. It has more potential than a gas station boycott, but still isn’t likely to cause any concern to the oil companies because it cannot be sustained. We have a necessity to commute and travel long distances.

Anyone who is willing to ‘stay home’ for a day should spend that time checking their tire pressure and taking the unnecessary cargo out of their vehicles, and maybe go to maps.google.com and make sure they are taking the most direct routs to and from their common destinations. This has a lasting effect.

—

Here is a social force that I think might succeed, if you intend to leverage your audience to influence gas prices: Choose a station (company) that you feel is holding prices too high. (or one that you just don’t like) You are uniquely qualified to make this assessment since you watch TheGame more closely than the rest of us. Once you have identified a company, suggest that your audience *avoid* that station until further notice. Go ahead and buy gas anywhere, just not there.

This will shift sales from that company to another company in a sustainable way. The only way for the company to redeem themselves (and get their customers back) is to discount their prices to your satisfaction. When you think they have done so, notify everyone to resume purchasing at that company. Then pick the next company to avoid.

With what you know about the profit margins, or crack, or whatever it is called, you can somewhat fairly decide if the companies are acting fairly. Send out the alert when one (or more) of them are not.

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