On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 12:27:43 -0800, "Harold & Susan Vordos"
wrote:


I agree. I like to support the local guy. I really
do. But what do you do when you consistently get
reamed by him.

Hmmm, I'm asking myself the same question as I look at fuel prices.
Our biggest local dealer, who used to be a mom & pop of long-standing
in the community, was purchased by "city people," a couple of years
ago, (literally, NYC "investors") and now refuses to deliver anything
less than 150 gal. at a pop, and at nearly $1.60/gal this is a bit
much for *many* people in this tiny burg to cough up at a time (myself
included, sometimes). Their excuse is, "With everybody only buying
100 gallons at a time, we can't keep up with the deliveries." Huh??
A competitor will gladly deliver of theirs will gladly deliver less.

A survey of local kerosene prices (at the pump) yields $1.95/gal for
the "local guy" and $1.63/gal for the town 11 miles away (further
south, that is). I've been asking myself for several years now, since
our local grocery chain started charging "screw you" prices year
'round, rather than just in the summer, "When did the local, small
business model become &$#@* the Locals?"

Some folks see every sale as a retirement plan, so I can't get too excited
about supporting them.

Amen! Another local fuel dealer, this one a gas station, (also owned
by a transplanted city dude, oddly enough..hmmm, notice a trend?) was
on the gas roller coaster recently, but keeping prices apace with the
larger community down the road. Then, in the last go-'round, when
prices dropped back down 20-cents or so, his stayed high.
Consequently, I stopped buying my gas there. Then, one day I stopped
and asked, with all due respect, why their price had previously
reflected that of the same brand station in the next town, but this
time had stayed high? His reply? "Go down there and buy your gas."
So, guess who _doesn't_ get my 3-5 fillups a week now?


--
Chuck *#:^)
chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
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September 11, 2001 - Never Forget


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