Kip Powick Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Fuel report from Smallville... MONDAY.......TUESDAY.......WEDNESDAY...THURSDAY "morning" GAS = 83.3 THURSDAY "afternoon".... GAS = 93.7 I know, I know...every weekend it's the same. Talk to the owners..."Hey, we have nothing to do with the prices". You will never convince me there isn't collusion running rampant in the GAS industry...never !!! rant - over..shot fired ...retreating... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boestar Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 There IS. But since it is one of the largest sources of income for the government do you think any of the companies will ever be found guilty of colusion? Doubt it. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dmb Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 OK Brain...You don't like me and I don'tt like you...Lets just get through this thing and I will go back to killing you with beer. It's a deal Hi Homer!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest long keel Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Frankly I am glad with the gas fluctuations. It means there is competition. If the price goes over .9 I'll only fill with $5 or so and wait until the price goes lower. (Ususally same day.) This is better than the old fixed price because if you wish to play the game, you'll fill for less. People b#tc*ed with the price the same at all stations. Now they b#t*h when the price is different. The constant here is oil companies make money, goevernments tax, and people will b#t*h about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted April 28, 2005 Author Share Posted April 28, 2005 Frankly I am glad with the gas fluctuations. It means there is competition. Really??And what competition would that be when EVERY company boosts its prices on EVERY weekend ??... how is that COMPETITION?? The companies are all singing out of the same hymn book. You won't see many people bitch if the price stays constant at ALL locations, why would they?? You see people bitch, and rightly so, when the gas companies gouge the public on specific days...like EVERY weekend. I have never seen the price of gas come DOWN prior to a weekend and it won't. Most traveling is done on a weekend... ergo..slam the prices up. Perhaps all the airlines should get together and do the same thing and really boost the fares for weekends and holidays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 No, no, no! The prices don't go up on the weekend... they come down during the week! There you go with that old "glass half full" optimism Rich! You're getting in the way of a good rant! Could be worse! What if airlines sold Gasoline? ( a little variation on Alan Hess's "If Airlines Sold Paint") If Airlines Sold Gasoline: Customer: Hi, how much is your gas? Clerk: Well, sir, that all depends. Customer: Depends on what? Clerk: Well, actually a lot of things. Customer: How about just giving me an average price? Clerk: Wow, that’s just too hard a question. The lowest price is 79.9¢ a litre, and we have 40 prices up to about $1.29 a litre. Customer: What’s the difference in the gas? Clerk: Oh, there isn’t any difference; it’s all the same gas. Customer: Well then, I’d like some of that 79.9¢ gas. Clerk: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. When do you intend to use it? Customer: I want to drive to Toronto tomorrow on my day off. Clerk: Sir, the gas for tomorrow is the $1.29 gas. Customer: What? When would I have to drive in order to get the 79.9¢ gas? Clerk: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree to start driving before Friday of that week and continue driving until at least Sunday. Customer: You’ve got to be kidding! Clerk: Sir, we don’t kid around here. Of course, I’ll have to check to see if we have any of that gas available before I can sell it to you. Customer: What do you mean check to see if you can sell it to me? You have tanks full of the stuff; I can see others outside pumping it! Clerk: Just because you can see them pumping gas it doesn’t mean that we have it. It may be the same gas, but we only sell a certain number of litres on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price just went to $1.39. Customer: What! You mean the price just went up while we were talking! Clerk: Yes sir. You see, we change prices and rules thousands of times a day, and since you haven’t actually pulled away from this station with your gas yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the same thing to happen again, I would suggest that you get on with your purchase. How many litres do you want? Customer: I don’t know exactly. Maybe twenty five litres. Maybe I should buy thirty litres just to make sure I have enough. Clerk: Oh no, sir, you can’t do that. If you buy the gas and then don’t use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible confiscation of the gas you already have. Customer: What? Clerk: That’s right. We can sell you enough gas to drive to Toronto and back, plus a few local errands, but if you change your plans and don't drive to Toronto, you will be in violation of our tariffs. Customer: But what does it matter to you whether I use all the gas? I already paid you for it! Clerk: Sir, there’s no point in getting upset; that’s just the way it is. We make plans based upon the idea that you will use all the gas, and when you don’t, it just causes us all sorts of problems. Customer: This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if I don’t keep driving until after Saturday night! Clerk: Yes, sir, it will. Customer: Well, that does it! I’m going somewhere else to buy my gas. Clerk: That won’t do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules. Oh, and thanks for flying – I mean buying gas – with our airline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rattler Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Complain about the price of gas and then lay out $$ for a bottle of water.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted April 29, 2005 Author Share Posted April 29, 2005 Yo RATTLER.. THERE'S AN E-MAIL bumping around cyberspace that, because gas price will approach $2.00 a litre, tries to put things in perspective on your next trip to the pump. In an effort to soothe your angst, the missive points out that Lipton Iced Tea costs $2.52 per litre, and Gatorade costs $2.70 per litre, Diet Snapple $2.80 per litre. Great. But what exactly does this have to do with filling a gas tank? I don't fill my tank with iced tea. Or Gatorade. I don't even fill it with Diet Snapple though I have noticed my car might be developing a Buddha belly. So, hey, you. The guy who started forwarding this stupid mass e-mail. These are items we DRINK. They do not make cars run, they make bodies run. What you should do is talk about the ludicrous prices of making bodies run, because that's what we're going to have to do because it costs too much to drive. See, last weekend, on a trip to the wine country, I witnessed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich being sold for $6.50. I repeat, SIX DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS. The quaint tea housei was not hand-crunching the peanuts. They were not growing the berries for the jelly from scratch. I don't even think the ingredients were organic, because believe me, in a place like this they would have said they were, if only to justify the absurd cost of the childhood staple. The straight-faced moxie of the deli selling the $6.50 PB&J had me slack-jawed. So I went home and told my friends at a dinner party about the sandwich. I even put it in perspective. A kid who wanted to eat that restaurants peanut butter and jelly sandwich at school every lunchtime would spend $32.50 a week. That's some cash cow for the school bully. But that wasn't even the worst of it. The topper was my neighbour who recently returned from Vancouver and while there went to brunch at some place in the Gas light District. Her retinas were nearly seared by the sight of a bowl of Corn Flakes on the menu for $7.50. No fruit. Just naked Corn Flakes. SEVEN DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS. What is the deal? Gas is one thing. Wars, other people having more oil than we do, too many people driving gas-sucking, battle-ready vehicles only to visit a Wal-Mart — things such as that tend to drive the price of gas up. But peanut butter? The natural kind has oil on the top that's impossible to ever fully blend into the crushed peanuts, but not the kind of oil that's going to make a car run. And Corn Flakes? Is there gold in them thar boxes? If a bowl costs $7.50, that makes the price of an 11-ounce box equal to $135. That's perspective. To think people complain about the price of beer at a baseball game. If the Blue Jays want to fund a sexy new ballpark on the water's edge in Toronto after the “dome” collapses, maybe Corn Flakes at the concession stand are the answer. Geez, just thinking about that bowl of Corn Flakes is making me so angry that I want to get in my car and drive it through a plate glass window. But I can't afford to waste the gas, and I'm pretty sure that even though I'm writing about it, my wife wouldn't allow me to expense the fuel. But I digress. Of course, the real kicker is that we're talking about relatively healthy food here. Sure, there's some fat going on in that peanut butter and cheese, but eaten in moderation, it's just fine. At least it's real food, not some super-processed patty of beef that came from 170 different cows. And that, of course, brings me to my next point. A family of four ordering off the "Dollar Menu" (aka: Trans-Fat Menu) at McDonald's can be fully sated for the price of a bowl of naked Corn Flakes. And we wonder why Canada is getting fat? I'm not breaking news here, but Canada is getting fat because Canada can't afford to be thin. But wait. Maybe Canada can. Using incredibly convoluted thinking, I have suddenly rationalized all of this insanity. The price of gas will get Canada out of its cars, get it moving, get it more exercise. Therefore Canadians can calorically AFFORD to eat off the dollar menu. It's a win-win! Oh wait. I forgot about the $7.50 bowl of Corn Flakes. It doesn't fit anywhere in that rationalization. Pass the Pepto-Bismol. I hear it's $32.65 a litre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumbi Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 There's another email floating around these days that says that for the next year or so, we shouldn't buy our fuel from either S***l or P***o-C****a... According to some, it would force them to lower their prices and, in turn, the ones from which we continue to buy fuel wouldn't have a choice to follow or we switch... What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rattler Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Kip, I can and do get potable water direct from the tap here in YYC therefore the confusion re folks who complain about the price of gas but have no hesitation in putting our $2.00 or more for a bottle of designer water. There is no need to purchase designer water, designer coffee etc. in most parts of Canada. I drive a car that gets over 40MPG HWY and I made my choice based on that. I am all for higher priced gas as long as it results in an alternate source of power that is renewable. I want my great grandchildren to be able to enjoy the same level (or better) of life style as I do. I say, ban all private vehicles that can not attain at least 30 MPG city or 40 MPG hwy. Facts re bottled water. Edited to remove confusion re the use of will vs can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted April 29, 2005 Author Share Posted April 29, 2005 There's another email floating around these days that says that for the next year or so, we shouldn't buy our fuel from either S***l or P***o-C****a... According to some, it would force them to lower their prices and, in turn, the ones from which we continue to buy fuel wouldn't have a choice to follow or we switch... What do you think? See...... Urban Legend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gumbi Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Thanks Kip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Whoa, not so fast Kip. Gumbi's not talking about boycotting for the sake of keeping money out of the hands of terrorists. He's talking about boycotting companies for the purpose of keeping money out of the hands of thieves! I think he's on to something. Might be tough in those one gas station towns out in the boonies, but it just might work everywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted April 29, 2005 Author Share Posted April 29, 2005 Kip, I can and do get potable water direct from the tap here in YYC therefore the confusion re folks who complain about the price of gas but have no hesitation in putting our $2.00 or more for a bottle of designer water. There is no need to purchase designer water, designer coffee etc. in most parts of Canada. I drive a car that gets over 40MPG HWY and I made my choice based on that. I am all for higher priced gas as long as it results in an alternate source of power that is renewable. I want my great grandchildren to be able to enjoy the same level (or better) of life style as I do. I say, ban all private vehicles that can not attain at least 30 MPG city or 40 MPG hwy. Lets not get into a discusssion about apples and oranges. Designer water, cigarettes, alcohol, wine...habits or luxery items ??? can not be compared with gas. In todays world cars are a necessity for many, especially the young family of 4 that have kids going every which way, and both parents working. I would never condemn anyone for their desire to purchase a $2.00 bottle of water or their frappe/laitey/chockey double whip cream coffee, either. It is their right to spend their money as they see fit. Your statement advocates that "we" should not be buying these items and if we did not, we would have the money for higher gas prices. "At what point are you going to say...the price is too high?" My point is that gas companies are gouging the public and no one, you, me or anyone else can do anything about it..Why ???? What is happening at the higher levels of govt that they are blind to that fact ? What hold do the gas companies have over all levels of govt that NO ONE will step in and say "stop screwing the public"?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted April 29, 2005 Author Share Posted April 29, 2005 Whoa, not so fast Kip. Gumbi's not talking about boycotting for the sake of keeping money out of the hands of terrorists. He's talking about boycotting companies for the purpose of keeping money out of the hands of thieves! I think he's on to something. Might be tough in those one gas station towns out in the boonies, but it just might work everywhere else. Jeff.. It has been tried and it is a big bust......we in Canada are just plain too nice folks to create a stink . There has been a call, (tons of emails), for a one day boycott and it went nowhere and it won't either. People will drive and will get gas..even if it is only enough to keep them going until the price comes down. PS..here in Smallville we actually have 7 stations...and they all went from around .83 to .93+ at the same hour today. If,and when, I have the time I'm going to start a project for the newspaper with a weekly flow of gas prices, with photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Just don't let your little project get in the way of valuable "on the water" time, Kip! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rattler Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Kip: gas is a luxury for most folks who refuse to use public transit, run power boats vs sail etc. etc. etc. The one who complain the most are the one who consume the most...... I can agree, however, that fuel is overpriced for the transporation industry but should therefore be surcharged for those who don't have the need to operate their SUVs, power boats etc. when a smaller vehicle, different mode or public transportation could serve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest long keel Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Frankly I am glad with the gas fluctuations. It means there is competition. Really??And what competition would that be when EVERY company boosts its prices on EVERY weekend ??... how is that COMPETITION?? The companies are all singing out of the same hymn book. You won't see many people bitch if the price stays constant at ALL locations, why would they?? You see people bitch, and rightly so, when the gas companies gouge the public on specific days...like EVERY weekend. I have never seen the price of gas come DOWN prior to a weekend and it won't. Most traveling is done on a weekend... ergo..slam the prices up. Perhaps all the airlines should get together and do the same thing and really boost the fares for weekends and holidays. Geez Kip, I figured if this cheap charlie pilot (me) can remember to fill his car each Monday, everyone else would too. Heck once you are retired you live the 7 day weekend schedule don't you? Oh well, keep up the rant if it makes you feel better. Should I post a Sunday night or a Monday morning reminder for you to fill the tank. Price is a steady .81 for the last 24 hours here in the GTA. Don't wait til Saturday though... As far as designer water goes...We spent big dollars on reverse osmosis and water softning to treat our "good" city water. Figure it will be cheaper in the long run then paying it out at $2 a bottle. Time will tell. Cheers, lk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadaEH Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Can someone explain to me why gas in Toronto was 88 cents while in Vancouver it was 106? Why the difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IFG Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Hi, Kip - The last thing anybody wants is to be tagged a flack for the oil companies, but this one does seem to have been worked to death over the years. Let's face it, in the time that the raw material has gone from $15-50/bbl, gas has risen $0.49-$0.90/litre, about a 230% rise vs. 80%. An year-to-year American prices comparison: As for smaller fluctuations timed for peak demand, even if it's happening as much as people are convinced of it, we in the airline industry inhabit the largest of crystal palaces from which to throw any stones ... Cheers, IFG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airband Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Can someone explain to me why gas in Toronto was 88 cents while in Vancouver it was 106? Why the difference? Looks like about 6¢ for YVR Transit Tax and 12¢ 'cuz we can'. Provincial Gas Breakdown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deicer Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Lets not get into a discusssion about apples and oranges. Designer water, cigarettes, alcohol, wine...habits or luxery items ??? can not be compared with gas. In todays world cars are a necessity for many, especially the young family of 4 that have kids going every which way, and both parents working. I know I'm jumping into this late but....... Cars are not a neccessity. Who makes you think that? For running around the kids? Maybe they wouldn't be obese if they got off their fat behinds and took a bike to soccer practice instead of Mom driving the Expedition. Failing that, they could use what I had available when I was a kid... Their FEET! My son's school is two blocks away, yet his friend that lives 4 houses away has his mom take him everyday in the van. That's disgusting. As for people using cars to get to work, in our industry with the hours we work, a car is a neccessity because there is no public transit overnight, and during the weird shift hours. But if you talk to most people who commute downtown during office hours, they cite "convenience" and "not wanting to be crowded" as reasons not to take public transit. You know what the 401 is like during rush hour, it is the busiest vehicle corridor in North America! But if people would wean themselves off their car for, say two days a week, just think of how much easier traffic would flow. Think of how much less fuel would be consumed. The best thing would be that the additional ridership would allow transit systems to have higher revenue and therefore afford to put up even better service. All we have to do is get away from our SELFISH, SELF CENTERED INDULGENCES, and get back to thinking of our commuties as being united. Aw he!!, you're right..... It'll never happen. Iceman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted April 29, 2005 Author Share Posted April 29, 2005 I know I'm jumping into this late but....... Cars are not a neccessity. Who makes you think that? For running around the kids? Maybe they wouldn't be obese if they got off their fat behinds and took a bike to soccer practice instead of Mom driving the Expedition. Failing that, they could use what I had available when I was a kid... Their FEET! My son's school is two blocks away, yet his friend that lives 4 houses away has his mom take him everyday in the van. That's disgusting. As for people using cars to get to work, in our industry with the hours we work, a car is a neccessity because there is no public transit overnight, and during the weird shift hours. But if you talk to most people who commute downtown during office hours, they cite "convenience" and "not wanting to be crowded" as reasons not to take public transit. You know what the 401 is like during rush hour, it is the busiest vehicle corridor in North America! But if people would wean themselves off their car for, say two days a week, just think of how much easier traffic would flow. Think of how much less fuel would be consumed. The best thing would be that the additional ridership would allow transit systems to have higher revenue and therefore afford to put up even better service. All we have to do is get away from our SELFISH, SELF CENTERED INDULGENCES, and get back to thinking of our commuties as being united. Aw he!!, you're right..... It'll never happen. Iceman G'Morning... Did it hurt?? I mean shooting yourself in the foot Cars are not a neccessity As for people using cars to get to work, in our industry with the hours we work, a car is a neccessity because there is no public transit overnight, and during the weird shift hours Aviation employees are not the only ones who have weird hours. Now about the kids. While I agree that walking is great and more should do it, you can not use that blanket statement to bolster your argument. Smallville = 40,000 if you count the outlying areas. There are about 4 soccer fields, all on the east side. It would be a 4 mile hike for kids from this side to go there. There is no public transport here, it was tried - failed- the consumer base too small they say. So we have soccer Moms and baseball Moms..that is just the way it is. I agree..there is too much traffic..perhaps we should do what Mexico City does..different licence plate numbers on different days. If you truly feel cars are not a necessity why not stop driving one to prove your point and "No, I won't pick you up to take you to work, a movie, your vacation, visit the in-laws, Tims or anyplace else. I'm busy tankering fuel to the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Cronin Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 I once had a cop tell me (this was after I asked him to "just shoot me") "Maybe you should walk to work"... I'm not good at rocket science, so off the top of my head I can't tell you how long that would take, but I'm guessing at about 65 km that I wouldn't have a whole lot of energy left once I got there... So, ahh that leaves living close to work... but in the airline biz... at Pearson anyway... how many of us who work there could actually live close enough for walking? We'd have to live in great big appartment buildings... but you couldn't have them so close to the airport... so maybe they'd have to be underground buildings?... and if I had to live like that I'd be back looking for a cop to shoot me! I'm with Kip on this one! I only wish I could have managed to get a few jerry cans out to that diesel spill at the 401 and 400 a while back!... BTW Kip, you are paying the marine tax on that gas you're tankering, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 I understand...not agree, that the oil companies use a pricing policy in one town/region to support its price in another town/region. It's been going on for a very long time. But, in Vancouver and I’m sure in other locations across Canada, we can see fluctuations of 15 cents or more in only a day or two. This leads me to believe the oil companies are playing a huge price gouge game with us all. The price of oil never fluctuates more than 1 or 2% for the same period that gas fluctuates 10-15%. Why is that? Interestingly, the price of gas across the US border seldom fluctuates and seldom does the price change more than once or twice a week! I have seen three different prices at the same pump on the same day a few times in Vancouver. Scandalous I believe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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