Reply #20: There was a time [View All]

[Broderick]

when you could make a necessary profit in fuel. Really, in the context of things, not that long ago. Taxes, regulations, insurance, etc kind of changed that along with many other factors. It has really changed as box stores come in and strive to do 500K in inside sales and prices be damned. I know that goes against the observation of the original poster, but in essence, you could run competing stations all owned by private owners and have the little gas wars, etc. in a neighborhood. Now, like I said, 2-5 cents profit is the norm and more importantly on much less volume. But one must consider that in 30 years the fuel economy has gotten extremely better so volume was gonna drop anyway. I hate to see folks that have been in business for decades unable to stay in business as the big boxes pop up. It is sad. Many were fixtures in their community, lived in the community, and did their best to give reasonable wages to employees. Like I said, it is what it is, and times have changed. Folks visit a Wal-mart for the same reason - convenience and choice. It drives the small folks under. Buying American is a farce as most neglect to even care when it comes to personal spending. Whatever is the best deal and whatever is the cheapest, yet they still expect the small business owners to partake in the community they live in and work in. How many car washes, softball teams, youth programs, and charities we are requested to be a part of, yet the big box does zero locally. Times have changed. Not whining, just stating the realities.