Gas Prices

Business By Janette Updated 25 May 2007 , 11:25pm by paolacaracas

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Janette Posted 10 May 2007 , 7:17pm
post #1 of 79

Have any of you raised your prices because of the cost of gas going up?

Just wondered.

78 replies
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indydebi Posted 10 May 2007 , 8:28pm
post #2 of 79

I'm contemplating doing my annual price increase in July instead of in Sept because of it. I'm also adding more delivery charges, where I didn't use to add it at all, because of it. When I explain it to the clients, they totally understand.

Remember, the price of gas does not affect just your deliveries. It affects the cost of strawberries that have to be delivered from California and the cost of lettuce that has to be delivered from Mexico. EVERYTHING will be affected by this.

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Housemouse Posted 10 May 2007 , 8:49pm
post #3 of 79

Our gas costs us 92p a litre (which includes a swingeing tax element), which I think equates to approx $8 a gallon. To visit my parents costs me £40 in petrol alone (not including all the road taxes, etc)

We've just been reminiscing about the good old times and remembering the oil crisis in the 1970s, DH and I. Also remembering the sugar, coffee and bread crises we also experienced, as well as the dark days of the 3 day week in the UK... oh happy days. Heavens, we feel old tonight!!

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MichelleM77 Posted 10 May 2007 , 9:45pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glorioustwelfth

Our gas costs us 92p a litre (which includes a swingeing tax element), which I think equates to approx $8 a gallon. To visit my parents costs me £40 in petrol alone (not including all the road taxes, etc)




icon_eek.gif Holy cow! I hope we never get up that high. I'm glad I work at home. I am getting busy with cookie orders and may have to add a delivery fee if I get any busier.

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Janette Posted 10 May 2007 , 10:26pm
post #5 of 79

Glorious,

I'm having flashbacks.

Back then they all went crazy. Toilet paper, choclate there didn't seem to be an end to it. Everyone jumped on the band wagon.

But, one thing I do remember people didn't just sit back and let it happen then. There was an outcry and protest until it finally stopped. But, damage was done. Prices stayed up there.

I know the money is different. I don't shop that much, for what we need my husband gets on his way home. The other day I went to get a loaf of bread and it was $2.39 I thought I was going to pass out. The last time I remembered it wasn't even a $1.

We're retired and live comforable but how on earth do new families survive.

It was just on the news tonight that the airlines are going to raise their prices. We knew that was coming.

I have to tell you I do most my decorating shopping on line. I have to ask myself how much would it cost in gas to drive to the cake shop.

We all know that shipping is going to go up.

That's why I wondered what others were doing. I don't charge a delivery charge but the way the gas prices are I think I may have to come up some on my prices.

Indy,
you are so right it is a trickle effect. Everything we need to decorate is going to cost more. I am just afraid we will lose more business to the bulk stores.

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LaSombra Posted 10 May 2007 , 11:26pm
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I have raised my prices recently but it wasn't necessarily because of the gas hike. I just wasn't charging enough for some of my things.

I think those of us who live out in the country might actually get more business if gas keeps going up because people won't have to drive all the way to town to get a cake. It's at least a 15 minute drive to the nearest grocery with a bakery and that one charges the same as I do and isn't nearly as good. I probably should be charging more but I'm just trying to get my foot in the door here.

Those gas prices are crazy right now. I wish they weren't going up so fast!

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indydebi Posted 11 May 2007 , 12:37am
post #7 of 79
Quote:
Originally Posted by Janette

... I don't shop that much, for what we need my husband gets on his way home. The other day I went to get a loaf of bread and it was $2.39 I thought I was going to pass out. The last time I remembered it wasn't even a $1.




icon_lol.gif Oh I can so relate! THe only shopping I did was aisle 8 at walmart, Sam's Club, GFS and Sysco. Hubby did all the regular shopping on his way home (he actually LIKES going to the grocery!). I stepped out of aisle 8 one day to pick up a lb of bacon. Like you, I remember it being $1.39. Holy cow, when did this stuff go up to three bucks!!!? icon_lol.gif

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mkolmar Posted 11 May 2007 , 12:58am
post #8 of 79

Bacon is anywhere from $4 - $7 a lb. here.

The gas prices are really affecting my family. My DH drives a lot for work and puts in over $100 worth of gas a week in his lil' cost effecent car.
It makes me want to scream that we are struggling now because of how much prices for everything has raised.

Raising a family with 4 kids (2 of which are in diapers) is too expensive. I can't imagine what prices will be when my kids are raising there kids.

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Janette Posted 11 May 2007 , 1:09am
post #9 of 79

Where's here?

When we were out this weekend we filled our Envoy and it came to $64.00. I thought I would have a stroke right there at the gas station.

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cocakedecorator Posted 11 May 2007 , 1:13am
post #10 of 79

the gas prices are killing me. I live 40 miles from the nearest town and don't have any stores closer than that. Plus I just went back to work and have to commute an hour 1 way to get there. Ughh! Milk is crazy expensive these days too.

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mkolmar Posted 11 May 2007 , 1:58am
post #11 of 79

Sorry Janette, here is Lambertville, MI (just about 10 minutes away from the Ohio state line)

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jen1977 Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:08am
post #12 of 79

I know it has been hard on us! I'm a stay at home mom, and we have two little boys. Driving them back and forth to school and just regular errands are killing us! Bacon was $4.79lb last week when I went t obuy some! Gas is about $3.19 a gallon right now. The school levy here didn't pass this week, and the district that we live in ALWAYS passes the levies. I really think that high gas prices, and the news saying it will probably go up to $4 a gallon this summer had a huge part in the levy failing. People are scared to vote yes for somehting that will raise their taxes when they don't know how much it will cost them to go to the grocery this summer! I keep joking and saying that I'm going to buy a 3 person bike for the summer for the boys and I to go to the pool and stuff...it may end up being not so funny if it ends up happening! I've been hearing about a gas boycott on May 15th. I know we won't be buying any that day!

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paolacaracas Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:12am
post #13 of 79

Venezuela is the country with the cheapest gas in the world, I fill my whole tank with $1.5 I know it sounds great... You can't imagine the traffic In Caracas...

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nefgaby Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:26am
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Hi Paola.... you are telling us that you fill your whole tank with $1.50 ????? icon_surprised.gificon_eek.gificon_surprised.gificon_eek.gificon_surprised.gif Wow!

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pjleh Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:27am
post #15 of 79

I just heard about the gas boycott on the 15th the other day. I didn't know if it was something people are actually doing... but, we won't be buying gas that day. Maybe it will make a difference??? Raising prices isn't really an issue for me since most of my "work" is given as a gift. If I did start to sell, I would take gas prices into consideration when setting prices.

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nefgaby Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:28am
post #16 of 79

Oh yeah, and filled up my Mom´s navigator yesterday, a 25 gallon tank and it was over $90!!!! And it still had about 1/8 of a tank, it was not empty all the way!

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Kitagrl Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:29am
post #17 of 79

I just do this out of my home but I recently raised prices...combination of everything else going up (eggs, butter, etc), and gas prices, and then just my time is getting more "valuable" I guess, what with three little boys and boy number four on the way...I don't have time to decorate unless I'm actually making it worth giving up my weekend for.

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Aunksunamun13 Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:29am
post #18 of 79

I live in So Cal....2hrs from the AZ border...and we are paying upwards of $3.79 a gallon. The closest cake decorating place is 30 miles away....so I think im going to have to start raising the prices.

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baker4life Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:40am
post #19 of 79

Here in Illinois we've gotten up to $3.26 a gallon.
It seems like everything is going up, electric, phone, gas, cable.
It ridiculous how bad things have become!! And I don't even have any kids yet, I can't even imagine how bad it will be then!

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indydebi Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:46am
post #20 of 79
Quote:
Originally Posted by pjleh

I just heard about the gas boycott on the 15th the other day. I didn't know if it was something people are actually doing... but, we won't be buying gas that day. Maybe it will make a difference??? Raising prices isn't really an issue for me since most of my "work" is given as a gift. If I did start to sell, I would take gas prices into consideration when setting prices.




No, it won't make a difference because you'll fill up on the 14th or the 16th. They will get their money. These things never work. Besides, it's not like most of us are in New York where you can walk to work or take a subway .... we HAVE to drive our cars every single day to get to work so we can feed our family. They have us by the you-know-what and they know it.

What DOES make an impact is the non-gas sales inside the store. Don't go inside and buy cigarettes, cokes, candy bars, milk, bread, lottery tickets, ice, etc. We read that these items are a BIG part of their income. THe price of gas comes with so many taxes that the station really doesn't make a big profit on the gas....they make their money on the inside sales.

According to an article we read not too long ago, do you know who makes the most profit on gas sales? The U.S. Government!!!! They make more in taxes on the gas sales than the oil companies make in profit!!

So if you're wondering why the govt isn't investigating the gouging of the American gas consumer....? Because it might cut into their share of the pie.

Not a conspiratist.... I just calls 'em like I see's 'em. icon_rolleyes.gif

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Kitagrl Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:48am
post #21 of 79

What I don't like is that gas stations are not allowed to lower their prices past a certain price. I read recently somewhere up north a gas station got fined for giving seniors and people who supported a certain ball club discounts, and they got in trouble.

I don't get howcome you cant sell gas for what you very well please if you own the station. icon_confused.gif

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indydebi Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:54am
post #22 of 79
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kitagrl

What I don't like is that gas stations are not allowed to lower their prices past a certain price. I read recently somewhere up north a gas station got fined for giving seniors and people who supported a certain ball club discounts, and they got in trouble.

I don't get howcome you cant sell gas for what you very well please if you own the station. icon_confused.gif




Sorry to pop in here so much. I have direct experience with this with a job I had with a mfg'r. We can't "force" someone to sell a product at a certain price (Robinson-Patman Act of 1936 anti-trust lawy that, among other things, prohibits price fixing), however, we can "strongly converse" with them on an unreasonably low price that lowers the value of our product. There was one distributor who wanted to sell our product and we refused to sign him up. He was known for (bluntly) prostituting pricing on products and we didn't want him bringing down the value of our item. It would hurt us and it would hurt our other distributors. If our distributors didn't make money, then we didnt' either.

Just because you own it, doesn't mean you can do anything you want. Especially if it's a national name gas station (as opposed to Billy Bob's Gas Station) ..... you've not only bought the station, but the name, the co-op advertising, and the rules they set for running a station under their business name.

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Kitagrl Posted 11 May 2007 , 2:56am
post #23 of 79

I understand if its a chain....but not an independent. I don't remember which kind the station I read about was.

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Ladyofcake Posted 11 May 2007 , 3:30am
post #24 of 79

Oh boy, don't even get me started on the gas prices. I am walking a LOT more these days. Saving some money, but the downside is I am stillnot losing any of my fat a--, so what gives?

Glorioustwelfth, what is the 3-day week you are referring to? This is the first time I have heard this and was curious.
"as well as the dark days of the 3 day week in the UK... "

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itsloops Posted 11 May 2007 , 3:34am
post #25 of 79

My husband owns his own messenger service and he tells his customers there is a fuel surcharge per delivery.

Large corporations such as UPS do it too. We all have to do what we can to survive. icon_sad.gif

I hope customers understand that.

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itsajeepthing0196 Posted 11 May 2007 , 3:43am
post #26 of 79

Man! I hear you ! It costs about 200$ to fill up our Chevy truck. And we get like 10 miles to the gallon when we are hauling our HUGE trailer that carries our racing jeep. That doesnt include the extra 400$ worth of specialty racing fuel that has to go into that damn racing jeep! icon_cry.gif

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nglez09 Posted 11 May 2007 , 3:45am
post #27 of 79
Quote:
Originally Posted by indydebi


No, it won't make a difference because you'll fill up on the 14th or the 16th. They will get their money. These things never work. Besides, it's not like most of us are in New York where you can walk to work or take a subway .... we HAVE to drive our cars every single day to get to work so we can feed our family. They have us by the you-know-what and they know it.




"Darn" right Debi.

The way to beat the system is for the to shop at only one station. For example, for a month, everyone ONLY buys Chevron.

Why?

Because all major gas companies (Texaco, Arco, Chevron, Shell, etc.) are together in a union. So that there won't be huge competition among them, they set a standard for each day of the year at which each company must set their price for such-and-such. They are all on a team and they are going against us- and they're winning. icon_mad.gif

Anyhow, by solely buying at one place, the others will literally be forced to bring down their prices (in their union) so that people will buy theirs. Then you move on to Shell, and then everyone else has to bring their prices lower, and then Arco, etc., etc.

Even if they decided to bring down one company's prices outrageously (or all the other ones that are not being bought from during that certain month) in order to get people to buy at any place other than Chevron, they will be losing profit, forcing everyone to down to a low price.

How's that for a conspiracy theory Debi? icon_wink.gificon_lol.gif The government's going to bring this site down! icon_lol.gif

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Janette Posted 11 May 2007 , 3:46am
post #28 of 79

Ah, back in the day, gas was 29 cents a gallon. We would spend the whole evening on a Summer night just driving around. No where to go, nothing to do. Stop at Jack in the Box and get a hamburger. Those were the days.

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indydebi Posted 11 May 2007 , 3:46am
post #29 of 79

Do I see Mulder lurking in the corner? icon_lol.gif

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nicksmom Posted 11 May 2007 , 3:52am
post #30 of 79

well I charged a little extra due to gas,to get a cake about 20 mins away,because I just can't afford the gas prices.I am however greatful that I seem to live in one of the cheapest gas areas(actually in the paper),I pay $2.78 per G

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