Gassing Up
Editorial by J.B. McKinley
      Soon, here in Lamoille County, we may all have to ante up our
twenties and fifties before we fill our tanks. A trend may have begun.
Of course, if you’ve traveled at all out of state it’s already a
fairly general practice elsewhere. It seems trust is at an all time low
and getting lower as the price of fuel goes up. In fairness, an employee
of one convenience store/gas station recently told me of an
older couple in a motorhome gaily driving off after tanking up –
without paying. They didn’t come back. One has to assume that when
they noticed the gas gauge going down (about in Wolcott at the latest) they must have realized what they’d done.
     No one can blame a gas station owner, chain or individual, for not
wanting to absorb dollars lost by “drive aways.” And, as usual, its
the majority who always pay the price for the relatively few crooks
among us. We will be the ones trudging into the station through
rainbow-colored puddles before pumping – trusting them with our
cash – before we pump and then trudge back in for change.
Then there’s the question if there are enough of us who still pay
with cash to have any impact? Certainly, many gas customers must
already be paying at the pump with their cards. The new pay before
you pump rule won’t bother those folks.
     But here are a few historical and other thoughts on the subject.
When the “self-serve” pump your own gas stations began to spring
up, they were a bit cheaper than full serve. How long has it been
since that was true? At that time, the attendant/s were usually located
out among the pumps, either in a booth or roving among the
customers. Now, you’re more likely to have to plod inside the convenience store and stand in line behind folks buying bread and beer.
     Over time the trend has definitely been that the customer’s time or
effort is not valued by the retailer. Is that right or fair?
Stores have to either absorb the cost of losses or provide security
against shoplifting, why shouldn’t gas stations spend a little to secure
their product? Why not put an attendant outdoors? Why not
get license plates on video? When the twin tanks of a big pickup are
taking $100 to fill, certainly this is a big enough crime that police
will respond, shouldn’t they?
     Then there’s the timing, here we are in Morrisville paying at least
a dime more for gas than in towns 15 miles away; certainly someone’s
profiting from that. We read that oil properties as a group have just
made giant profits. That’s OK , that’s supply and demand, but don’t
tell me we have to do more to make sure those record profits are
secure. I say we should at least point out that maybe they should
look somewhere other than their honest customers to solve the
driveaway problem.
    Personally, my business will always go to the guy who trusts me,
and values my business, time and energy.
Things
Look This
Way to Me