STOP buying food/drinks/ciggies etc. at gas stations and tell them.....

[msongs]

you can no longer afford to spend your money on soda, beer, chips,and smokes because of their record gas profits.

then STOP buying that stuff at gas stations. Buy ONLY gas at gas stations. Make sure you tell them why.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[lonestarnot]

1. OK am trying to quit smoking anyway!

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SW FL Dem]

5. Sorry but I believe in paying for what I get

I will reduce my driving, keep my car in shape to maximize gas mileage, but I won't steal.

[foreigncorrespondent]

9. Sorry!

No can do.

I worked bloody hard to get the job I have. I also work bloody hard to earn my wage. I intend to pay for everything I need, without risking jail time and my job.

[Katarina]

12. Are you serious?

Please tell me you are joking?

[BuyingThyme]

3. How 'bout if

I only buy the stuff, and not the gas?

[Javaman]

4. How about...

Instead of that, tell them this is the last time you will be buying gas and will start taking local mass transit or you are going to ride your bike.

As long as you continue to buy gas there, the oil companies dont care, they still get their money. However, the shop owner will hurt.
Just buy your bad food crap and cancer sticks, but not gas. That's how you send a message.

Unless we stop feeding into it, it will just continue.

[foreigncorrespondent]

11. I would love...

..to be able to ride a bike to work. Or catch public transport even, but no buses or trains head to where I work. Plus work is over an hour away by bike, and because I usually don't knock off until late into the night, I feel it isn't safe for a woman to be out riding a bike at that time.

[magellan]

6. I'm sure I read here last week

...that gas stations do not make huge profits on the gas they sell (barring the gougers out there). That's why many have opened convenience stores.

It's the oil companies we should be angry with, not the gas stations.

[DoYouEverWonder]

31. The price of gas is totally regulated

and the owners of the stations only make a few pennies per gallon. The real money is in the convince store.

I think we just need to start cutting back on our wasteful habits and we could save a lot of gas.

If people start using less gas the oil companies will notice.

[nankerphelge]

7. get a hybrid

the people who own and run the individual gas stations aren't the ones profiting. It's the oil companies.

[Katarina]

8. Sorry but no

I live 30 miles from the neaest grocery store. If I run out of milk during the week I'm gonna go to the store 2 miles away from me. I don't have mass transit where I live, and I can't ride 30 miles on my bicycle to do groceries for a family of 6. I've cut my driving down...way down...I can't do anymore than I already do.

[LosinIt]

14. Thanks for saying that...

I sometimes get the feeling that urban people just don't get the fact that people who live in rural areas must use their vehicles. I drive about 45 miles to work, work the graveyard shift, and live in a tiny village. The drive just to get groceries at a full service grocery story is about 10 miles. We try to make our trips count, but these high gas prices will be more of a hardship on us than on our urban counterparts, simply because we don't have a choice.

Oh, we could move to an urban area, but should we have to give up our home? Change our way of life? I know that there is no way to prevent these prices and that they will probably go higher and stay there. When we can afford it we will get a hybrid. Right now our little Mazdas will have to do.

[politicat]

19. I'm not trying to be difficult or be offensive here.

I do understand your plight - we're in the same boat. We live 24 miles from work, and 20 miles from a grocery that I trust.

We are moving to an urban area. We're moving to within 3 miles of our offices, downsizing our house, changing our way of life and giving up our house for a different way of life. We're doing it because if we don't, we will not be able to survive when inflation goes higher. Gas is going to go up, and with it, every other price. Home is where you make it. A house is just a building.

So no, I'm not saying you should HAVE to give up your home and way of life, but it's something you should heavily consider for your own well-being and enjoyment of life. I don't know about you, but we're losing 2 hours a day, five days a week to a commute. Our new house will give us those hours back, make it more possible to have a garden and community work beyond what we're doing now. Yes, we'll lose the quiet of being out in the middle of nowhere (though that's not going to last, as the suburbs are creeping around us) but there are compensations.

I know it's a tough decision, but you can make the decision for yourself or have it made for you. The only certainty is that commuting is not sustainable. I wish you the best of luck with whatever your decision is.

[LosinIt]

20. It may come to that eventually

but we plan to hang on here for as long as we can. Let me give you a link to help explain:

www.greatsodusbay.com


Our house is three houses in from the beach. It's absolutely beautiful here. The sailboat is over on the other finger of the peninsula. After Labor Day the tourists clear out and then us die-hards have the village to ourselves.

If my husband ever gets his full disability payments from the VA (god, what a horrific process that is) we will be OK and will probably use some of that money for a hybrid.

[oneighty]

32. Horrific process

I have been thru that. Hold out for a personal appearance before the review board live and in color.

180

[politicat]

37. I see....

I'd be really reluctant to leave, too. You're very, very lucky.

Just out of curiosity, could you convince your employer to let you either telecommute or train for a job that would let you telecommute? That was our first option, since we do like where we live (mostly). Getting closer to work will be wonderful in terms of the community improving - we'll be able to live in one of the most liberal towns in the nation - but less so in terms of the closeness of the neighbors and such. Unfortunately, the employer that allowed him to telecommute came close to folding and he deserted before it got bad. I telecommute three days a week, which helps.

My sympathies with the VA. They can be horrifically difficult, which is one of the reasons that my husband has not even tried, although he most definitely qualifies. He figures since he can still do a desk job, he's not going to bother. I wish you tons of luck.

[LosinIt]

44. I could easily telecommute and have done that

especially on those winter nights when the Lake Effect snow is way too bad to even consider driving in. The problem is the politics of allowing me to do that, the boss is worried that everyone will want to if he allows me to do it.

We do global customer support (why I work nights, we handle the end of the Asian and the beginning of the European day). There is another question about coverage for the phones, but realistically we only get an average of two calls per night, the majority of our calls come via email.

If (more realistically, when) prices hit $3/gal I will revisit the whole telecommuting question.

As for the VA, thanks for the encouragement. He was declared 30% disabled for PTSD and we are in the process of trying to get him re-evaluated. He is going inpatient to a VA hospital next month for a week and then after that he goes for a month for PTSD treatment. I hope if they take him apart, they will be able to put him back together.

[Boomer]

10. And your point is what?

Gas stations aren't the profit makers, they're just the middle men in this racket. Closing down a filling station that is barely making ends meet isn't going to produce more gas.

The price of gas is going up because production can't keep up with demand. That isn't going to change.

[Warren DeMontague]

22. You're WRONG. Oil is an infinite resource, and it was put here by God

to last at least long enough for Jesus to get back and cart the righteous off to the big rock candy mountain-- where gas pumps and assault weapons grow on the trees.

Anyway, anyone who argues that we should consume less oil is a dirt-worshipping environmentalist, and probably a secular humanist commie to boot.

Now excuse me, but I have to go whine incessantly about how much it hurts my wallet every time I fill up my big, fat H2 penis substitute..

[Cuban_Liberal]

13. Gas stations make a flat 4-6 cents/gal. profit, period.

No matter how high gas goes, they still make the same amount.

Dumb idea.

:eyes:

[Stinky The Clown]

15. The gas station owner, if not the refiner is a small business man.

Why hurt him? He's not making any huge profit. In many cases, he's between a rock and a hard place, taking shit from disgruntled customers and hard ass refiners.

My quarrel is not with the station owner. Its with the motherfuckers who rig oil prices and reap the windfalls ..... and that is *not* the station owner ... a "little guy" like you and me.

[WillowTree]

16. This would only hurt the small businessman/woman.

He or she is not the enemy.

If it's Big Oil that you're after, bring your use of petroleum products and everything derived from petroleum to an absolute bare minimum and purchase as much of the other things from the service station owner as possible so as not to cut to far into his or her profits.

[notadmblnd]

17. I never go into a gas station.

I use my debit card at the pump. This way, I resist the temptation to buy things I don't need.

[sleipnir]

18. Yeah, this will do a lot of good. Make me laugh some more.

I'm sorry to be in this mood, but WTF will this accomplish? Nothing.

So I'm supposed to go into my local gas station that is run by people making minimum wage and tell them I'm no longer buying sodas and candy?

Guess what, I'm pretty sure they'd be happy to hear that news. If everyone follows, they won't have to clean out the ice dispenser, unclog the soda drain, restock and arrange candy everyday along with all the other shit jobs that come with working a cash register at a gas station.

Save your breath and don't even bother telling the employees this, instead just do it, stop buying. For starters, stop buying gas. Take the bus, carpool, or if you're at all serious, take even more drastic measures and move to a town with decent mass transit and sell your car.

I don't mean to be rude, but Minimum Wage Wally could give two shits if you stop buying impulse items.

[Warren DeMontague]

21. How about driving a smaller car, walking, or riding a bike?

I know, I should stop with the crazy talk.

[Warren DeMontague]

23. What about if we boycott those christmas tree air fresheners?

Find one in every car... you'll see.

[KG]

24. that'll show 'em!

oy.

[Warren DeMontague]

26. As someone who drives a fuel efficient car as little as possible

I don't really give a shit about showin' em.

I'm upset you didn't get my "Repo Man" reference, however.

[Bridget Burke]

28. We're dealing with hard core radicals here....

Their next adventure: Let's order sushi & not pay!

[bunkerbuster1]

33. Only an asshole dies for a car.

Ok, it's irrelevant, but I felt like saying that.

[Warren DeMontague]

35. It happens sometimes. People just explode.

Natural causes.

[NoPasaran]

41. Heh heh

Did you eat a lot of acid back in the Sixties?

[Warren DeMontague]

25. Addicts are always at the mercy of their dealers. What a shocker. nt

[Bridget Burke]

27. I'm sure the minimum-wage clerks will be impressed.

Or--if you can find an owner-operated gas station--listen to HIS tale of woe...

[Melynn]

29. I've been doing this for quite awhile

As of matter of fact, I pay for my gas at the pump with my ATM card. I don't even go inside the station to pay for gas. I just make sure I get a receipt for my gas purchase so I can't be accused of stealing gas. And I have been driving a lot less since gas prices have zoomed up.

[0007]

30. .....and stay away from the Wall-Mart gas

[gollygee]

34. I'm afraid you've missed the point

gas prices won't go down. They're up to stay and will keep going up.

read this: http://www.energybulletin.net/primer.php

[sbj405]

36. Better solution - walk to your local gas station to buy your chips & soda

Margin of profit for station owners does not go up when gas goes up. In most cases, they lower their overhead. Not to mention they are dealing with more cases of theft (gas and go). Awhile back Andy Rooney did a piece, I believe the station get 1-2 cents per gallon. Not a lot.

[Maru Kitteh]

38. Usually the crap people buy at gas stations is bad for them anyway

So it's a good idea no matter what the prices are to never buy anything but gas at a gas station.

[Hardrada]

40. Anyway we can get good donuts at Wal-Mart

or Krispy Kreme.

[donheld]

39. Sure let's blame the gas station

It's not the oil giants fault now is it. :crazy:

[clem_c_rock]

42. That's not going to help anything - it's obvious we're hitting

Peak oil. Your plan might work for a short while but soon the oil companies are truly not going to be able to control the oil prices.

[MrSandman]

43. That will not reall have an effect on demand for gasoline...

My guess is the retailers make about the same per gallon despite the price.

I buy only gas and coffe at gas stations anyway. Since I have to buy so much locally, I know which ones give complimentary refills with gasoline purchase.:donut: