A sale is a sale, it wouldn’t increase their transaction cost. There’s a significant chunk of people out there that never get full tanks, they can’t afford it no matter what the gas price is, or they own a scooter or motorcycle and a full tank is a small purchase anyway.
Irritating gas station owners isn’t going to send a message to congress. E-mails, phone calls and letters send messages to congress, irritating gas station owners just irritates gas station owners.
Boycotts are a lot more effective than shaped purchases. If over the course of 2 months you’re still purchasing the same amount of gas they don’t care if you did it in 2 fill ups or 8. Actually they might like 8 better, that gives you more opportunities to go into the convenience store which is where they actually make money.
The rotating company thing is another silly idea that’s gone the rounds. Again pointless. You’re still buying the same amount of gas. Sure one company has a rough couple of weeks but everybody else’s numbers will be up, and then when you rotate the company that had the rough patch will have up numbers and they’ll make up for it.
None of these ideas accomplish anything. If you want to impact gas prices there is only one way to do it: use less. Shaped purchasing is a hollow gesture that can’t effect their bottom line and therefore gives them no reason to change anything.
Each transaction cost them between .30 and about one dollar depending on if you pay at the pump or go inside. So, you are talking about an increase in overhead cost from one dollar to 4 dollars to sell the same 16 gallons of gas. Big difference their.
I don't buy the garbage in the store out by the pumps. I am only pulling in to buy the gas. I shop in the grocery store once a week, same as always.
Creating an organized voting structure can have a huge impact on reactions from industry. That organized structure can influence other areas which I stated in the post...
" 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. "
You are not necessarily irritating gas station owners, you are interfering with the pattern of delivery. And yea, canceling loads and changing consumption patterns will increase the producers overhead cause them to pay down time and overtime to the delivery drivers. Station owners only pay for the fuel and a "drop fee" that usually goes to the State for abandon gas station Leaking Underground Storage Tank remediation. The station owner just picks up the phone and orders 2,500 premium, 2,500 mid, 5,000 reg. When ever they need it.
But the producers will know they are being messed with. Using less gas might eventually lower some cost but right now consumption is down 3% nationwide. Do you see the price of gas going down? Is crude oil going down? Nope.
It would probably do more good to push the speculators and Hedge Fund managers to put money is something besides oil, food commodities and metals as that is a big factor in the price skyrocketing.