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tattoo666TX Champion Author Texas Posts:2,567 Points:344,480 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Dec 8, 2011 7:32:51 AM Ignore tattoo666TX Report Abuse We all need gas to get to where we want to go. Everyone keeps saying to boycott buying gas on this day, or at that station for what ever reason. Well if we want to boycott at all and actually have it make an impact without blocking our use of gas we have to boycott the right way. If you all have noticed, most places we buy gas at are no longer gas stations, they are "convience stores" now. Look at how much it cost to buy anything other then gas at any of these locations. The mark up on bread, beer, soda, milk and everything else they sell there (other then gas) is where they make their money. So if we buy our beer at the liquer store, and our bread, soda and other groceries at the food stores, not only will we be paying a lower price, but we will be boycotting the "convienece stores" to get our point across. I have personally seen where gas stations may only be making 3-5 cent per gallon on gas, but may have a markup between 100% and 200% on everything else they sell. So do you think it bothers them at all to sell you everything else but not sell you gas?

tattoo666TX

Champion Author
Texas

Posts:2,567
Points:344,480
Joined:May 2011

Message Posted: Dec 8, 2011 7:32:51 AM

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We all need gas to get to where we want to go. Everyone keeps saying to boycott buying gas on this day, or at that station for what ever reason. Well if we want to boycott at all and actually have it make an impact without blocking our use of gas we have to boycott the right way. If you all have noticed, most places we buy gas at are no longer gas stations, they are "convience stores" now. Look at how much it cost to buy anything other then gas at any of these locations. The mark up on bread, beer, soda, milk and everything else they sell there (other then gas) is where they make their money. So if we buy our beer at the liquer store, and our bread, soda and other groceries at the food stores, not only will we be paying a lower price, but we will be boycotting the "convienece stores" to get our point across. I have personally seen where gas stations may only be making 3-5 cent per gallon on gas, but may have a markup between 100% and 200% on everything else they sell. So do you think it bothers them at all to sell you everything else but not sell you gas?

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Catwatch27 Rookie Author South Carolina Posts:62 Points:33,235 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Apr 4, 2012 2:26:51 AM Ignore Catwatch27 Report Abuse Perhaps boycott the stations known for gauging. If a station gauges, don't go there...
gasmask78 Champion Author Virginia Posts:2,258 Points:442,340 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: Mar 29, 2012 9:36:59 PM Ignore gasmask78 Report Abuse I tend to agree.
rumbleseat Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:22,903 Points:3,526,800 Joined:Oct 2002	Message Posted: Mar 27, 2012 10:17:48 PM Ignore rumbleseat Report Abuse LTCBILL, then I propose we boycott stations that refuse to give a discount for cash. I shouldn't have to pay the premium for you using a service that costs the retailer extra in business expenses. If you honestly believe a station not accepting credit cards as cash is a ripoff, you should target the banks, that have no investment in the business, but charge the retailer a percentage of every single credit card transaction, which can easily amount to a larger slice of the pie than the retailer's "profit", from which the retailer still has to pay all the costs of operating the business. [Edited by: rumbleseat at 3/27/2012 11:20:01 PM EST]
LTCBILL Sophomore Author New Jersey Posts:198 Points:657,040 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Mar 26, 2012 11:21:37 AM Ignore LTCBILL Report Abuse I propose we boycott stations that don't accept credit cards as cash. It's just a rip off on a rip off.
catfish99 Champion Author Wilmington Posts:13,945 Points:2,492,525 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Mar 26, 2012 5:48:02 AM Ignore catfish99 Report Abuse bruin...are the convenience stores gouging you with their gas prices?
bruin19MD Champion Author Maryland Posts:1,052 Points:161,510 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Mar 25, 2012 7:28:05 PM Ignore bruin19MD Report Abuse I agree ... boycott convenience stores
kxy4fw Champion Author Denver Posts:1,226 Points:275,255 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2012 7:11:01 AM Ignore kxy4fw Report Abuse +++
Banjoe Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:4,215 Points:610,185 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Mar 6, 2012 6:50:38 AM Ignore Banjoe Report Abuse Good points brerrabbitTX
brerrabbitTX Champion Author Houston Posts:1,023 Points:18,145 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Mar 5, 2012 12:32:31 PM Ignore brerrabbitTX Report Abuse Let me just tell you from someone who works in the retail fuel business that people are not getting rich running gas station/convience stores and if you think they are you have no idea what your'e talking about. I see the numbers and can tell you that the average station across the US makes .09 to .11 cents a galon selling fuel. A really good station will do 100,000 gallons a month in fuel sales. If they sell that much gas then they are probably competative which means they probably make the low end of the margin range. 100,000 gallons at .09 cents a gallon is $9,000 a month. There are a lot of people that make salaries that are more than that a month. A site operator has to pay all his costs, employees, insurance etc out of that. So you think inside sales are the ticket? Well average gross margin for inside sales are 30%. So do a good business of $60,000 a month and your margin before costs are $18,000 a month. So total the site has margin before costs of $27,000 a month. A new site buildout costs around $2,000,000. So at the end of the day you have to pay insurance, empolyee wages, utilities, and all the other costs of a site plus make payment on a $2,000,000 loan you took out to build the site. And you people actually think these guys are making tons of money? Maybe you would like to try it?
gumper1 All-Star Author Wisconsin Posts:959 Points:279,560 Joined:Oct 2004	Message Posted: Mar 5, 2012 8:48:13 AM Ignore gumper1 Report Abuse If I do this, then I'll be spending more on gasoline. Plus my convenience store is cheaper on Milk, Bread, Bananas, Eggs, Butter, Potatoes, Onions, Ice cream and fruit than the grocery store.
catfish99 Champion Author Wilmington Posts:13,945 Points:2,492,525 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Feb 28, 2012 5:45:59 AM Ignore catfish99 Report Abuse Bito - welcome aboard, and thanks for pointing out what a lot of us have been saying for years. There is only a tiny markup on gas, both at the retail and the refining level. If refiners and stations sold gas at their cost, we would still be staring at $4.00 gas this summer.
sylver7 Rookie Author San Antonio Posts:45 Points:1,530 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 9:24:59 PM Ignore sylver7 Report Abuse I wouldn't want small biz to suffer economically - want to get the attention of big oil and speculators. Maybe boycotters should just honk their horns simultaneously around the world at a certain time and date, parked at Exxons, etc., without pumping gas and occupy the businesses. Of course there would be arrests, just like the occupiers of banks, etc.
Bito764 Rookie Author Montreal Posts:12 Points:2,560 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 8:20:48 PM Ignore Bito764 Report Abuse My best friend owns a gas station/store, and he told me that he really does not make much money off of the gas, most of his money comes from the other stuff people buy from the store.
Bito764 Rookie Author Montreal Posts:12 Points:2,560 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 8:18:20 PM Ignore Bito764 Report Abuse wow
rumbleseat Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:22,903 Points:3,526,800 Joined:Oct 2002	Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 5:13:14 PM Ignore rumbleseat Report Abuse chikoo, your post reveals you as a racist. I have little patience for racists. [Edited by: rumbleseat at 2/27/2012 6:13:40 PM EST]
1OILMAN Champion Author Alabama Posts:2,069 Points:155,610 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 3:47:47 PM Ignore 1OILMAN Report Abuse Tsalagiman: How much research did you do to be so knowledgeable. Darn it, you have ruined it for all of us now. Better go buy you several stations while you can, there will not be any locations left after your thesis. Bankers will throw money at you to get you started. They "know" how much we make.
Tsalagiman Sophomore Author Atlanta Posts:123 Points:143,060 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Feb 27, 2012 10:05:10 AM Ignore Tsalagiman Report Abuse @ chikoo: I agree with you on one point. When the news media reports a small increase in the price of oil, I have seen many stations increase their prices anywhere from 5-15 cpg at once, usually within the hour or at least the same day. I see the same amount of increase when their is a disruption in oil imports from a country that only accounts for a tiny fraction of the oil we import every day. Additionally, when I see one brand of gas being sold at one price, go two miles down the road and see the same brand being sold for 10 cents more per gallon with both being comparably sized and equipped convenience stores, that's 10 cents per gallon profit that can be readily seen, not the 2-3 cpg margin we frequently hear. In my town, there are two convenience stores at the same intersection and both are even on the east side of the intersection. One sells a major brand of gas, the other generic under the convenience store name. Both stores are owned by the same exact company and their signage indicates same ownership. Since the same jobber supplies both of them, you would think the price would be the same, right? Wrong! One is always higher than the other, sometimes as much as a nickel a gallon. Nobody can tell me it costs a nickel more per gallon for the truck to cross the street.
chikoo Rookie Author Birmingham Posts:5 Points:250 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Feb 15, 2012 12:35:23 PM Ignore chikoo Report Abuse THE BEST WAY TO BOYCOTT IS TO HAVE A GENERAL STRIKE ALL OVER AMERICA WHEN THE PRICES OF GAS KEEPS RISING DAY AFTER DAY, WEEK AFTER WEEK ENDLESSLY PARTICULARLY DURING SPRING/SUMMER TIME OF TRAVEL.WHAT, ARE THE PRICES OF OIL REALLY SHOOTING UP IN THE WHOLESALE MARKETS? AND EVEN IF THEY ARE RISING IT IS A VERY SMALL SHOOTUP ON BARREL PRICES IN THE WHOLESALE MARKET. THE REAL CRIMINALS ARE THE GAS STATION OWNERS WHO PAY A COUPLE OF PENNIES MORE ON THEIR PURCHASE AND INCREASE THE RETAIL PRICES BY 0.20 CENTS TO 0.45 CENTS PER GALLON. PEEP INTO THE GAS STATION OWNERSHIP, THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF THEM ( NEARLY 93% 0F THEM ) ARE INDIANS AND PAKISTANIS ILLEGALLY STAYING THIS COUNTRY AND LOOTING THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.HOW CAN THEY OBTAIN A BUSINESS LICENCE IN THEIR NAME WHEN THEY ARE ILLEGALLY STAYING HERE IN THIS COUNTRY. WILL SOMEBODY LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AND TAKE THE NECESSARY ACTION AGAINST THESE CRUEL PEOPLE AND OBLIGE. THEY BRIBE AND CURRUPT OUR FELLOW AMERICANS IN THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS TO OBTAIN THE LICENCES FOR THEIR BUSINESS.
catfish99 Champion Author Wilmington Posts:13,945 Points:2,492,525 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 4, 2012 5:45:15 AM Ignore catfish99 Report Abuse You are correct, warehouse clubs offer better deals than convenience stores. However, if all you need is a loaf of bread, you have to factor in the time and effort. If it is Sunday morning, do you really want to drive ten minutes past the Wawa or 7-E, go into a huge box store, stand in line, and drive back home to save a dollar? Each type of business has its' place. I wouldn't do my grocery shopping at Wawa, but I also would not run out of my way to get milk at BJ's or Sam's Club.
tattoo666TX Champion Author Texas Posts:2,567 Points:344,480 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Dec 26, 2011 8:49:14 AM Ignore tattoo666TX Report Abuse Well here is another way to look at it. The lowest prices around here are at either KROGER, Sams Club or the one station that gives a discount for cash customers. So being the first 2 do not need to be a full service store because they have a full store in the same parking lot, they are always busy. And I can get a loaf of bread for $1.00 or less as compared to paying $2-$3.00 at a convenience store. The third station gives a discount for cash. All they are doing is eliminating the fees that credit card companies charge the station for accepting their cards for purchase. So as I said, you can buy food and other stuff for lower prices at a grocery store. Some of which also have a gas station which normally has lower priced gas. So why not educate other people how to save money? If you look at the situation we are in now you can see how much of it is due to greed, So if greed is the key, why should I pay more to make the owners of WaWa or 7-11 or any other store happy?
cablguy29 Veteran Author New Hampshire Posts:278 Points:98,405 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: Dec 12, 2011 7:22:42 PM Ignore cablguy29 Report Abuse I agree with MAXSTAR.
levi8baker Rookie Author Indiana Posts:1 Points:120 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: Dec 12, 2011 12:28:53 AM Ignore levi8baker Report Abuse Absolutely wonderful post. there were so many ideas that I got from you and now I will have to happily and excitedly re-purpose my future discussion. Very well done and thank you so much for sharing such n important post. I also appreciated all the comments made by other members. / / / [Edited by: levi8baker at 12/12/2011 1:30:10 AM EST]
catfish99 Champion Author Wilmington Posts:13,945 Points:2,492,525 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Dec 9, 2011 5:45:20 AM Ignore catfish99 Report Abuse Most convenience stores are owned by individuals. Most of the rest are owned by corporations which are not oilcos - Circle K, for example. BP, Shell and Exxon have - combined - less than 4 stores for each state in the US. So please explain how BigOil will be affected by a boycott of your local Wawa or 7-E. 'Cause I'm pretty sure this will only affect the guy who sponsors your kids' little league team.
maxstar Champion Author Chicago Posts:18,459 Points:805,545 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Dec 8, 2011 5:33:23 PM Ignore maxstar Report Abuse Boycotts do not work. Besides I never do my grocery shopping at the gas station. I do however occasionally buy a cup of coffee, soda, milk when I am in a hurry and I do not find the prices outrageous. I find that compared McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts and others they are in fact competitive on cups of coffee, cold soda (cans, bottles or fountain). And many times they sell milk cheaper than a grocery store. Besides, when I am on the road I am not buying soda by the case or looking to brew coffee in my car.
saundy14 All-Star Author Ontario Posts:611 Points:230,235 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Dec 8, 2011 4:51:33 PM Ignore saundy14 Report Abuse no
MARIOWERX Champion Author Vancouver Posts:15,909 Points:1,635,760 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Dec 8, 2011 3:40:02 PM Ignore MARIOWERX Report Abuse coffee, fountain drinks, auto parts
1OILMAN Champion Author Alabama Posts:2,069 Points:155,610 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Dec 8, 2011 3:23:48 PM Ignore 1OILMAN Report Abuse Please list the products that are marked up 100-200%. I must have missed those products in my 30 years in the business.
Gas_Buddy Champion Author Maryland Posts:25,948 Points:3,030,065 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Dec 8, 2011 11:03:08 AM Ignore Gas_Buddy Report Abuse That makes a lot of sense; boycott the convenience stores at gas stations in order to lower the price by 3-5 cents a gallon. Considering that most people buy 12 to 15 gallons of gas a week, that will save you about 75 cents a week (with the gas station making no profit). Of course by not making a profit on gas, and not selling any convenience items, the store won't make enough to cover operating expenses, let alone cover investment costs, let alone any return on that investment, making it easy for the station to close. Then, with fewer gas stations, well... the fewer number of gas stations there are, the more the gas station operators will be conscious of people's desire that gas be sold at cost (with no mark-up). And by people continuing to not shop at the convenience stores, there's no reason to operate the convenience store/gas station. I guess then, simply close the convenience stores and let the gas stations continue to operate, somehow, by selling gas at cost. Do I have that correct? I mean the gas stations can operate (stay in business) from some other money they make, right? Like they can use family savings or get loans to keep the gas stations open. Right? Because I know the tone of responses that will follow, let me make something clear. No, boycotting the convenience stores in order to get gas stations to lower prices by 3 to 5 cents a gallon will not help keep gas prices low or save you any considerable amount of money. But, and I'm just asking because that 3 to 5 cents per gallon is that important, you are as price conscious about other costs, aren't you, not spending money unnecessarily on things such as unlimited cell phone/smart phone plans, text messaging, car options, iPads and tablets, cable TV, etc., which I think will save you more than the 3 to 5 cents you spending unnecessarily on a weekly tank of gas. Just looking for consistency; that's all.