What would buying exactly 4 gallons accomplish other than not giving me time to wash my windows while filling and making me go to the gas station every week instead of every 2 1/2 to 3? It might tell them we’ve banded together, but it would also tell them we’ve banded together for the simple point of banding together not to actually do anything.
Actually if a lot of folks, I am referring to 20 - 30 % of the purchases, do this it will significantly increase the total cost of the transactions to the various companies that is screwed into their overhead and they will have a difficult time getting it out of there (computerized accounting programs would have to be rewritten) so that increase will (initially) come out of their pockets, not the consumers.
Second, the 20 - 30% of fuel purchases will represent a LOT of v-o-t-e-r-s that have the potential to give the nod to their congress critters that "something" must be done. It probably will not matter what that something may turn out to be, it is highly unlikely that it will be anything beneficial to the production companies. It could also take the form of choking off the tax revenue to those very same congress critters. Heck, they MIGHT even make a few noises to the speculators and Hedge fund managers that they need to invest is something other than oil, food commodities and metals.
Third, it is not a boycott, which for the most part would be useless, you are going to need to buy the gas sooner or later and they know it. NO, it shows that the consumers are thinking and that is NOT what the production companies want. A smart, thinking consumer base that is actually working together. Initially this will not have any kind of drastic effect other than the production companies will see real organization going on that telegraphs that they have gone too far and a large majority of those consumers are no longer believing the "reasons" for the huge price increases. They will know that we see them as excuses, not reasons. And we will hunt for ways to actually lower the costs of their products.
Example… what if that 20 – 30% suddenly would not purchase gas from only one producer for three weeks. Not a boycott but a alteration in the consumer pattern. Buy all you like, just do not buy from a particular company. Three weeks later, pick a different company. Such a drastic unexpected change would rock their delivery boat which will cost them money. They will not like that. Not at all.
They will especially not like the fact that the sheep are getting organized… And organization can create forces that did not previously exist Organized forces that can make things happen overnight. Forces they will have to deal with.
Start with only buying exactly four gallons at a time.