Gasoline stations

Sigarms · Sep 25, 2008

N80 said:
What I do know is true is that the biggest part of the problem is that is people behving like sheep....or worse than sheep. Mere rumors about prices going up prompted people to race out and fill all their cars and top off tanks. The local radio and TV reported this, showing lines of cars at gas stations and small stations out of gas. This created a panic that has been going on for well over a week now. I hear people in my office saying how everyday they top off a nearly full tank "just in case". This is creating an abnormal and unneccessary demand that normal supply can't keep up with. I say its abnormal because the are no more cars, no more miles being driven and no bigger gas tanks than two weeks ago. And everyday the local media fuels the panic. I'm beginning to think the sterotypes about ignorant southerners are true. We're behaving like morons and paying the price.

That's EXACTLY what happend in N.C the day Ike hit land down in Texas.

The attorney general of N.C has made some headlines because he's written to some gas stations in N.C (one right here in Yadkinville) asking for a written response as to why they jumped gas over $5 a gallon (over a $1.50 jump in price).

Seems that N.C has some "price gouging" (sp?) laws and they are actually investigating to see if any were broken.

Honestly, summers during college I worked pumping gas (when they had 'em back then). Being in the gas station business is not something I'd want to be in. Perhaps my observations were wrong at the time, but rarely does the local station owner make money selling gas (add on sales for what you have in the store is where the money is at). Can't win, and darn if you do, darn if you don't.

N80 · Sep 25, 2008

The 'shortage' is all over the news this evening here in Charlotte. Is there anything worse than local TV news? Anything? I mean, good grief, Charlotte is the 19th largest city in the country and a banking hub with a number of prominent universaties, etc etc etc and you'd think the only news crews that they could get came from some reform school for slack jaws and droolers. Good gosh I know I sound like a grumpy old man but this is the sort of thing that rubs our noses in how stupid we people can be as a collective. Not much different from riot/mob mentality. Push the panic button and all thinking stops.

I'm seriously looking at watching TV all weekend rather than going down to my cabin(about 40 miles) for seat time and outdoors time becuase the halfwits of this backwards, two bit, suburb of a city can't figure out that THEY are their own worst enemy. It just makes me sick.......probably about 180/100 right now.

tallyho8 · Sep 25, 2008

In southeast Louisiana, our gas is about $3.65 right now. It went up from $3.25 right before Gustav and has remained steady now. There is no shortage. All stations are open and have plenty of gas. All the refineries in our area are open and working.

N80 · Sep 25, 2008

tallyho8 said:
All the refineries in our area are open and working.

195/110

My truck is on dead empty. No gas anywhere near my house. None.

Bird · Sep 25, 2008

I've seen in the news that some stations in the Dallas area ran out of gas, but I haven't noticed any problems out here 40 miles north of Dallas. Of course I haven't really been hunting any stations out of gas. I filled both vehicles 4 days ago; not because of any expected shortage; just that I took each one that morning, got it washed and gassed up, and my wife and I noticed signs today indicating prices had come down from what I paid 4 days ago.

kenmac · Sep 25, 2008

Here , some stations have gas,some don't . Some just have prem.gas only. Saw on the news that one station had all tanks in the dround full of gas. But, couldn't sell it because their pumps were old & the price on the pump would only go to 399 per gal. They could not or would not sell until they could upgrade the pumps to reflect the higher peice per gal.

N80 · Sep 25, 2008

If things don't improve here in the next few days I literally may not be able to drive to work. The local news keeps saying that Charlotte is supposed to get a big 'shipment' tomorrow as if some enormous tanker is going to descend on the city and make it all go away. I have no idea what they are talking about.

If I had even a remote inkling that anyone in Charlotte's TV media had more than two functioning brain cells I might believe that they are saying this to get the sheeple to quit panicking and buying more gas than they need.

In any case, they tell us that in a few days it will be back to normal anyway. Who knows. But right now, there are no stations with gas that are close enough for me to drive my empty truck to.

Fortunately my car has half a tank. So maybe I can get down to the cabin after all with my 4 door sedan full of my tools and guns and my filthy lab reclining on its leather seats. I don't think he'll mind. Of course its supposed to rain so I hope the car will make it up the muddy driveway. Sigh.

dgl24087 · Sep 26, 2008

Any station in my area that jacked gas prices to outrageous levels is now on my "Do Not Buy From" list. Strange part of all of this is that the stations closest to my house are cheaper now than the ones where I work. That has never happened before.

dmccarty · Sep 26, 2008

Area stations have been running out of gas. I have been sick with the flu for a week. Luckily I can work from home. Yesterday was my first day driving in a week. Last Friday the "shortages" hit here. The shortage was announced by the media and people started filling up tanks or as much as they could get. A local chain was not getting shipments and limiting people to 10 gallons of gas.

The refineries have been shut down for week due to the two storms. Its going to take awhile to fill the literal and figurative pipelines. Eastern NC is not supposed to have any supply issues since they can get fuel from tankers where is my area gets some fuel from down east but mainly from the Colonial pipeline. Western NC is hurting for supply since they are really dependent on Colonial. Areas in TN are having shortage since they have to have special gas for air quality reasons.

But ye have to wonder if the problem is due to people just getting gas when they don't need it. I did not see any closed diesel pumps. Just gas. Diesel price has been stable here for a few weeks. The low price has been at 4.05. With the high price still at 4.39 at the station that has no competition.

Later,
Dan