gasoline prices

[jon1856]

U.S. gasoline theft on the rise along with prices
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. motorists, angered by soaring gasoline prices, are resorting increasingly to theft -- a trend that could worsen heading into summer driving season, a national association of fuel retailers said Thursday.
"It is getting bad. When the price of gasoline goes up, the number of drive-offs goes up," said Dan Gilligan, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, which represents about 8,000 retailers.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domes...e=domesticNews

There is a Shell station near me that:
1) That has just about always had the lowest price gas in the area.
2) Is, from what I have been told, is the busiest Shell in area.
3) Has at least 2 dedicated tanker deliveries a day.
4) Has pay up front pumps.

And yet it has more cameras on the property than any two banks I have ever been in!
I was told that they added one or two after they realized that someone figured out a dead zone in coverage!

And I should add that this station still has very active bays and when they are busy, an employee is walking around directing traffic flow.

[AGDee]

When you really look at this issue carefully, what's shocking us is that it's going up so quickly. However, gas prices were increasing at less than the rate of inflation for a very long time and it's correcting itself now. When I'm reading posts about 1999 and gas prices were around $1, I think "Hmm, when I was in college, it was around $1/gallon too". So, from the early 80's til the late 90's (20 year span), it barely went up at all. Now it's skyrocketing fast. If it had gone up 10 cents a year from 1980, it would be right around $3.80.. hmmm. 10 cents a year, every year, wouldn't have seemed like a big deal, but to have it go up almost $1.00 over the past year, it hurts more.

I know it hurts, trust me. Food prices, gas prices.. it's all putting a major dent in our budgets.

[Beryana]

Originally Posted by AGDee

When I'm reading posts about 1999 and gas prices were around $1, I think "Hmm, when I was in college, it was around $1/gallon too". So, from the early 80's til the late 90's (20 year span), it barely went up at all. Now it's skyrocketing fast. If it had gone up 10 cents a year from 1980, it would be right around $3.80.. hmmm. 10 cents a year, every year, wouldn't have seemed like a big deal, but to have it go up almost $1.00 over the past year, it hurts more.

Actually in the 90s it went up and then plummeted in 98 or so down to below $1.00/gallon (I recall seeing $.79/gal!). Yes, it has been steadily increasing - but there is still NO reason for it to go up $.20/gal in two days or be as high as it is except for pure, unadulterated greed. And it's greed on the part of some states too, not just oil companies. A few years ago when prices were reaching over $2.00/gal some states dropped their tax on gas to help out - don't see any doing that now (not that Wisconsin did at that time either! Doyle even MADE gas stations raise their prices and set a minimum gas price!).