10 Things I wish everyone knew about gas prices

[auntiem]

Some of our younger members may not remember, or may not have even been alive, but that's just what happened in the late 70's and early 80's. Oil prices were out of control, so people started buying smaller, more efficient vehicles, which brought the demand, and in turn, the prices down.

This will show my age, but some folks will remember the "even/odd days" for buying gas. It brought out the truely worst SC in everyone - not pretty at all.

[Gurndigarn]

I also second the Hummer/huge SUV comment. If you all you need it for is to get back and forth to work, and maybe pick up a few groceries, then buy a freaking compact!

I had friends who did this. The cost of the car payment on a hybred plus gas was less than what they were paying for gas each month.

[sarahj]

Thanks to my dad working in a corporate office of an oil company, I have a handy little card to charge my fuel to. It's like a credit card, and I get 25% off the pump price, but it has to be paid at the end of each month. I win. Well, as long as I'm a student, I live at home, and I'm under 25, I get the card. It'll get me through going to uni out in the middle of nowhere (about 3 hours away in peak traffic) next year and the year after.

Plus I drive a cute little Lancer, and I only use it half the week at the moment. Costs me $50 a month in fuel, and another $50 a month for my public transport use (parking sucks in the city where I work & study, train's easier).

There's one thing I know about gas prices... they're lowest on Tuesday night/very early Wednesday morning. Not sure about anywhere else, but it's always like that here.

[repsac]

1) I do not set the gas prices. I am not Mr. Mobile, Mr. Exxon, Mr. Citgo, or Mr. Gulf, or Mr. Irving, or whoever. I'm just a peon.

After finding out that Hugo Chavez the dictator of Venezula has a controlling share of stock in Citgo, I no longer purchase gasoline from them.

[rvdammit]

If you're in the US ask them if they want to pa the UK price. Then tell them it's around triple what they're being charged.

[Andara Bledin]

Just a few facts about Citgo, courtesy of Snopes.

^-.-^

[BookstoreEscapee]

There's one thing I know about gas prices... they're lowest on Tuesday night/very early Wednesday morning. Not sure about anywhere else, but it's always like that here.

I've read this, but I've never really kept track to see if it's true. I usually get gas on Tuesdays after work, anyway. I try to fill up when I'm down to 1/4 tank, instead of waiting till I'm almost out. It hurts less. And I drive a Hyundai Elantra. I had a bit of sticker shock when I first got it cuz the gas tank is bigger than my Prizm had.

Man you must really wish you had one of those digital gas price signs. No rock throwing.

I was thinking the same thing!

[upsidedown_orchid]

I am happy when gas prices go up.
And no... I'm not affiliated with any kind of oil company so I don't personally benefit. I just know that the true environmental cost of gas is no where near what we pay for it, so anything that makes people think twice about driving as much/driving huge cars is a good thing, even if that means I'm paying $20 more a month of my own pocket.


I have a lot of guilt because I just bought a Rav 4. It's an SUV, but it is a baby SUV- it's actually really good on gas, and so much easier when going out to the mountains with tons of ski equipment

[CrazedClerk]

Not having a car makes getting around more complicated, especially when the weather is sucky, but when I think of all the money I've saved not having to pay gas/insurance/repairs, etc. I think it's been well worth it.

I feel bad for gas attendants because I know they take a lot of crap from customers.

I refer to this as "shoot the messenger" syndrome. Yes the gas bar attendant has no control over the gas prices, but he's the nearest target.

On a trip to the U.S. I got stuck at O'Hare airport for several hours due to a plane delay. I wasn't too happy because it meant I wouldn't be getting home until around 1am instead of the 10pm that was scheduled but I knew the ticket agents had nothing to do with it. Most people didn't get it though. I saw this one British couple (at least they had the accents) tearing a strip off a United employee because of the delay, this man was getting very visibly angry and this poor girl at the desk who was probably early 20s just kept apologizing and what not.

Also at the games store last Christmas I was the recipient of a lot of CS venom over the shortage of Nintendo Wiis. Sure, like a part time game store clerk is in charge of manufacturing Nintendo Wiis. I really hate people sometimes.

[Monica]

I get alot of mad customers when we carry only widescreen only or fullscreen only dvds. Sometimes, that is all the studios put out, one or the other. My thought is that if you want to see the movie bad enough, you will put up with whatever one you don't like, instead of refusing to see it all togther.

[infavorofnaturalselection]

I get alot of mad customers when we carry only widescreen only or fullscreen only dvds. Sometimes, that is all the studios put out, one or the other. My thought is that if you want to see the movie bad enough, you will put up with whatever one you don't like, instead of refusing to see it all togther.

I take it the people who want only fullscreen have no idea why it's called foolscreen or what "formatted to fit your tv" means. I love it when they proclaim widescreen cuts off part of the screen. No that would be the fullscreen since they have to remove 40% of the picture to format it to your nonwidescreen tv.

I never could understand why tvs were never put in a widescreen format since that is what cinema was using for decades.

Most older tv shows were filmed in a full screen perspective, movies on the other hand a different ratio.

Saw is interesting when it was put in fullscreen on home video the people watching it were confused due to a huge goof that in the widescreen doesn't show up.

[Sharsarannon]

In your place all I can think of is looking the SC in the eye and saying, " Do you honestly believe that I as a station attendant have the slightest effect on the oil market?"

[Fire_on_High]

Saw is interesting when it was put in fullscreen on home video the people watching it were confused due to a huge goof that in the widescreen doesn't show up.

What was it? Just curious, pm me if you don't want to post spoilers for someone else or if it was a scene too gory for the public forum.

[powerboy]

My next vehicle is going to be a 4 cylinder pick-up. To me, they are good on gas, and since I drive the speed limit, unlike most folks in the world, it would be worth it for me. Also I might get a motorcycle.

[Becks]

For the SCs who think that the gas stations get more money when prices go up-- They don't. Most stations make only a few cents per gallon. When prices go up, their share actually goes down. Most of the money comes from the extras...soda, chips, smokey treats, car washes, etc.