the con-job on gasoline [View all]

here is a mis-informed answer to a gouging problem!

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Joined: 03/11/2009
pmrmsm ..... at $3.75 per gallon for regular in Bridgton I can tell you that your math is off .... the current margin is less than $.16 per gallon. if you multiply that time say 3000 gallons a day that's $480
Then if you take a trip way out in the weeds about all of the associated costs of running , maintaining , insuring, meeting regulations, meeting PCI compliance upgrades,not to mention that the cost of a new installation for a simple one island two pump and canopy setup is in the $300,000 range. Those spiffy MPD pumps run about $23,000 apiece.....and if you are branded the majors have a tendency to require image up grades and that's not free...
Small mom and pop stores will eventually become a thing of the past in most towns.... but even large operations close stores that cannot do the volume to meet overhead and make a return on investment......... BUT the bottom ,line is not the retailers...... it's what you pay in taxes and what the product costs at the terminal.....Oh yeah I forgot at 1.8% to process a credit card ,that's $.0675 per gallon plus a transaction fee....... that really cuts into that $.16....
NOW THE TRUTH: If you follow the money from the well to the consumer you will find that the same investor has a piece of most of the trans-actions. you see each entity (the transporters(several)the refiner,the pipeline,the storage facility,the dealer and the outlet are often owned or partially owned by the extractor(diff companies same investor)
I worked in an irving sta. several years ago that had a sub-way and a dunking doughnut shop (3 diff businesses in one bldg) these 3 companies grossed over 2 mil. a year.
their is big big money in the oil industry! And they are sharp investors!

you need to realize the profit for these large companies have been record breaking for over 5 years! and it is no accident!!