There are no shortages currently, because the price has gone up!
And the gas station is just the micro that rather represents the macro, does it not? Who sets the price that puts the entire economic juggernaut in motion? The guy who gets the actual oil from its source. He may or may not be gouging, but at the very least he has to consider how much demand there will be.
In that case, you could speak that China and India - huge countries anyway - have reduced the *available* supply (not the earth supply) by getting into the market more. Same basic earth supply, but *less* available to the humans all around the globe because more in the world want it.
You make a good point about the d@mn credit cards/ATMs - I still don't pay that way. I'm old-fashioned, and this is another good reason why! ;-) I believe in real money.
Gold?