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PETROL STATIONS 'CAUGHT MISLEADING'
Friday, 11 July, 2008RELATED CONTENT
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Do you think petrol stations are price gouging? There have been claims service stations are holding back petrol on cheaper fuel nights, as fuel prices skyrocket to $A1.75 a litre.
COMMENTS
First [1] LastQuite simply, yes I do believe that they're price gouging, but frankly, can you blame them? When their markup equates to $0.04 on average of the litre given to the purchaser being gained as profit. That's less that 3%. If I worked on a less-than-3% profit margin, I think I'd go crazy... and set up a carwash and convenience store. That said, due to their buying power, the larger petrol suppliers doing this is unconscionable, because their gain is typically about 15%, because of their buying power. I feel for the independant petrol stations out there who have to battle these guys who call all the shots, make all the money, and seek to crush the little guys. I'm thinking of buying a bike.
Not sure, but if you stop driving you won't have to worry about it.
I do believe that your reporter's intent was to use the term "price gouging" which is different to "price gauging" -
I have told many of my suspicions that service stations were holding back petrol on cheaper fuel days and nights. I noticed these signs coming out on cheap days, I noticed their strategic choice of bowsers I feel often chosen to have traffic hanging out onto main roads so drivers drive on past. I believe I've witness faked maintenance work where signs and an unbranded vehicle is placed by bowsers but no workers are seen for an extended time period, I've even gone shopping and returned to find no workers on site.
I would not be to quick to blame service station operators. I think they are forced to do the bidding of fuel wholesalers who are taking advantage of fuel price volatility as they always have to rip off the general public.