Wisconsin gas station owner on $400 BP fine: 'Truth hurts, doesn't it?

Southern Wisconsin Times ^ | April 27,2022 | By Art Benavidez

[Hojczyk]

A Reedsburg gas station owner has been fined $400 by British Petroleum (BP) for not removing stickers depicting President Joe Biden claiming responsibility for the surge in gas prices.

"Oil giant BP has fined a US petrol station owner $400 because a customer attached a sticker to her pump which blamed the country's President Joe Biden for the country's high gas prices," Sky News Australia tweeted.

Frustrated Americans have started an anti-Biden sticker trend on gas pumps across the country. Gas station operator Pam Coy told Sky News Australia that while her staff removes stickers when they see them, she agrees with their sentiment.

“We keep taking them off, not that I want to, and they keep putting them back on. We can’t have someone standing out there 24/7 but yeah it cost me $400 in our money from BP because I have those stickers on there. I don’t care. Truth hurts, doesn’t it?” said Coy.

Coy added that BP will reimburse her the $400 if she takes the stickers off the pumps and sends photos to BP with proof. However, she also said, "I don't know, I might just leave them on there for the point. I don't care. It's what people feel."

On April 25, President Biden tweeted "Let’s be clear about two of the reasons prices, including the price of gas, are so high right now: COVID and Vladimir Putin."

[BipolarBob]

BP owns the equipment. Vandalism.

Or is it Truth in Advertising? An explanation to rising gas prices.

[ifinnegan]

“BP owns the dispensers, pipes, and tanks, and stp’s (subterranean pumps), etc. Its basic vandalism from their perspective.”

Nonsense. It’s not their reason and it’s ludicrous.

You think a landlord can tell a business how they must adorn or design their store etc...

Don’t say stupid things.

[mbird139]

You’re comparing Biden stickers on gas pumps to BLM rioters burning down buildings and looting stores? Cmon man. I have 100 of those stickers and proudly use them. The ones I have used anyone can most likely remove them and use them again for themselves if they wanted . Silly comparison

[from occupied ga]

You’re right. The dumbass Democrat voters are the problem. Garbage like Biden, Pelosi, etc. are the symptoms Something that the previous posters seem to have missed

[ytrebil]

According to city-data.com, the racial makeup of Reedsburg in 2019 was:

White 88.5%

Hispanic 6.6%

2+ Races 2.6%

American Indian 1.7%

Black 0.2%

[Jamestown1630]

You’re still vandalizing property that doesn’t belong to you, and potentially causing problems and cost to the person to whom it does belong, or the one in charge of caring for it. If you’ll recall from the OP, someone got fined because they couldn’t stay on top of removing these stickers.

I don’t believe that everything is always ‘relative’; but you seem to believe in situational ethics - as long as you get to define the ‘situation’.

Don’t you think it would be far more impressive and attract more notice if you put up a big yard sign expressing your concern?

[Charles Martel]

To me, placing stickers on gas pumps is vandalizing private property.
Even though it is to a much lesser degree, I see it as much the same manner as BLM destroying private property over George Floyd.

Vandalism is actually defined by law in the various states; I'm not sure that applying a non-marring piece of paper to a gasoline pump quite fits (certainly less so than spray-paint graffiti or "tagging"). Similarly, I find it a stretch to compare a person with a sheet of self-adhesive stickers bought on Amazon with organized looters, arsonists and other rioters. But that's just me.

The real elephant in the room is freedom of speech and specifically, political discourse. When one side of any issue is subjected to shadow-bans, closure of social media accounts, routine harassment at the hands of "moderators", ad nauseam... well, that expression is going to find an outlet somewhere beyond the reach of the media and the tech lords. Where is it likely to be visible? Why, at public gathering places... like fuel retailers. And yet they have the gall to act all righteously indignant about the unintended consequences that they set in motion.

If we continue on this path, the day may come when BP execs and the rest of the faux outrage crowd will fondly recall the days when we only used paper stickers to communicate our displeasure.

[South Dakota]

Joe came through for them.
More money for less product

[Jamestown1630]

You might feel differently if you were the random gas station owner hit with a 400-dollar fine.

Since you feel so strongly about it, you should volunteer to pay it for them.

[crz]

Meister Log and Lumber Co.

Got some storys about that. They’ve been around for a long time.

They’ve upgraded a tad bit. Got McDonough sawmill equipment in there now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEQOzP-1SCc

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks RACPE.

[healy61]

BP needs thousands pasted and posted.

[Charles Martel]

Doesn't it sound a bit like there may be a division within BP, where some of the retail location managers are *not* removing the stickers to HQ's liking? It seems that way to me, because ten minutes with a plastic putty knife is all it takes to remove the stickers in question. The employees have to go out there to reload receipt paper rolls and empty trash bins anyway, so the "added workload" argument is a bunch of nonsense.

If the franchisees want to spit in corporate's eye, that's on them - let 'em pay. At the current pump prices, that fine won't sting for very long.

[Varsity Flight]

Let’s go Sticker!

[gitmo]

I didn’t know that. Thanks for the heads up.

[gitmo]

And Donald Duck.

[\/\/ayne]

I was thinking it would not be too hard to modify a life-size cardboard cutout of Joe Biden to be pointing along with adding a speech bubble.

Then I was thinking gas station price signs are often right by the street (and the public sidewalk.)

One could take the cutout and put it on the public sidewalk. Stand a little away from it, perhaps holding another sign and you got a great little protest there for a busy street.

[waterhill]

The lady owns the property and she signed a contract with BP. Its their Brand and equipment a$$wipe.

[waterhill]

That’s a great idea.

[ifinnegan]

“The lady owns the property and she signed a contract with BP. Its their Brand and equipment a$$wipe.”

You rent an apartment you can’t put a sticker up? You lease a car and can’t put a bumper sticker on it?

BP is not thinking this is vandalism of their property. That’s moronic.