Gas price strike! (more money for your MP and SP pleasures)

[Doctor Zoidburg]

I am sick and tired of hunting around for the best gas prices. I have seen where the gas price can be lower by 6 cents a liter, just on the other side of a bridge. I am suggesting a method to let the oil companies know that we are not going to put up with these gas price games that they play on the consumers to get them to pay as much as gasoline as possible. The gas companies have supplies og gasoline coming down the pipe all the time and they need to clear the existing supply all the time. If we all do nothing, then we are at their mercy.
I suggest that we all buy as little gasoline as possible, (example $5, $10, $15 or if you realy need to $20 at a time) but to let the gasoline companies know that we will not take it anymore we can purchase $5.55, $10.55, $15.55 or 20.55 of gasoline. The .55 cents on each transsction will tell them that we are not happy with their his price of gasoline. (the .55 was chosen from the first oil crisis of the early 80's when the U"S" government slowed the maximum highway speeds from 80 MPH to 55 MPH.
If all the hobbyist at TERB get together, we can make a differece. Spread the word. We are mad as hell, and we won't take it anymore.

 

[TheNiteHwk]

Leave your SUVs at home...

I think we should have a TTC day! Everybody leave your SUVs at home and take the TTC.

At the end of the day... stop by at your fav or local SP or MP.

You'll need it!

 

[Keebler Elf]

Waste of time and effort.

 

[Poonhound]

Waste of time and effort.

Unfortunately I have to agree with this. The only way something could be done would be if everyone would stick togethor. But unfortunately the problem with Canada anymore is all people care about is themselves, not enough people would be willing to take any inconvience to help the cause.

 

[TheNiteHwk]

Unfortunately I have to agree with this. The only way something could be done would be if everyone would stick togethor. But unfortunately the problem with Canada anymore is all people care about is themselves, not enough people would be willing to take any inconvience to help the cause.

I agree and disagree. Sadly I am in that mood sometimes where I think most people only just care about themselves. In this case though... I think let's say we did have a gas strike or a leave your cars at home strike. Most people or too many people live pay cheque to pay cheque and are just making ends meet. They could not afford to take part.

I was just joking with my response above btw... because I thought this thread was just started in jest. Of course I know that a TTC day would never happen. And if it did... I would stay at home... because it is crowded enough already. I can't even imagine if another 5 million people got on all at the same time.

 

[Dewalt]

Best thing you can do for yourself is get a diesel car. while diesel fluxuates between .03 more or less than gasoline, the engine is so much more efficient and you can go almost 3x as far on a tank than gas. Sure you don't get as much pick up as a gas engine, but when I can drive my jetta 1000km on a $36.00 tank, I consider it a better than fair trade that I am a little slower on the on ramp. I hear the Golf diesel will go 1200km on tank.

I would never go back to a gas engine, suburbanites Soccer moms can keep their SUV's with the 350hp engine, It is only gonna take me 2 and a 1/2 tanks to get to Key West next month and the savings mean I will have more $ in my pocket to party with.

Biggest secret that VW have is the diesel engine. why do you think they don't advertise it on tv? They don't have to

Cheers,

Dewalt

 

[RogerRabbit]

Best thing you can do for yourself is get a diesel car.

Do you use BioDiesel?

http://www.greenincubator.com/aboutbiodiesel/buyingbiodiesel.htm

 

[Keebler Elf]

The simple fact of the matter is that gas prices aren't high enough. If they were, people would be buying less or would stop buying SUVs. But b/c the price is still affordable to the middle class, nothing will change.

 

[RogerRabbit]

Double Nickle...

If all the hobbyist at TERB get together, we can make a differece. Spread the word. We are mad as hell, and we won't take it anymore.

Have you visited: http://torontogasprices.com/

Good cause, but Canadians don't seem that angry. They complain but still drive gas guzzlers...Once gas prices go over $1.00 a litre I think people will be mad as hell...

 

[Magic Stick]

I think we should have a TTC day! Everybody leave your SUVs at home and take the TTC.

At the end of the day... stop by at your fav or local SP or MP.

You'll need it!

There was a day like that earlier this week, and everyone ignored it!

 

[CUPID]

If you think about it we pay more for bottled water then we do gas, you don't see websites stating which store has the lowest Evian water though. Also if you factor in inflation you will notice that gas prices have actually lowered in the past few years.

 

[GIMME]

I agree and disagree. Sadly I am in that mood sometimes where I think most people only just care about themselves. In this case though... I think let's say we did have a gas strike or a leave your cars at home strike. Most people or too many people live pay cheque to pay cheque and are just making ends meet. They could not afford to take part.

I was just joking with my response above btw... because I thought this thread was just started in jest. Of course I know that a TTC day would never happen. And if it did... I would stay at home... because it is crowded enough already. I can't even imagine if another 5 million people got on all at the same time.

And the TTC equipment is in such a state of disrepair that its disgusting. While Peel & York transit systems are immaculate.

Gas is a "must have". We are so dependent on our cars that we have no choice sometimes. The oil cartels out there see this and use it to their advantage. Striking against the gas companies here won't do you much good. You can try the .55 cent thing and see if it works. But the one of the best ways is don't buy anything else from gas stations. They are trying to become a 1 stop shop for everything. Just buy your gas and get out. Don't buy drinks, smokes, cofee, snacks and etc.

 

[tboy]

Actually, all the factors listed above do add a bit to the price of gas but a good 30% is due to speculation. If they prohibited speculation on essential commodities then, gas for example, would be about 60 cents a litre instead of 85......For example: gold at $426.00. If everyone wanting to purchase gold bid $50.00, then eventually anyone wanting to mine/sell/trade gold would have to sell it at $50.00. Therefore all the bling bling should drop in price.

Just remember: IRAQ is now exporting oil (which they haven't been for a number of years) and the OPEC nations have upped they export quantities to cover off the increase in demand.

All the big oil companies have announced record profits (just like the banks) so (theoretically) the price could come down...

 

[Keebler Elf]

I'm not an economist by any stretch, but I would imagine removing speculation would increase costs, not decrease it, as prices would be higher since you're effectively locked in to an unknown future price.

 

[Svend]

Try working in the community where you live, or get a home where you can walk to work. Take a cut in pay if you have to, you'll save a fortune and be healthier if you get by without a car on a daily basis.
Thousands of people do this in the Toronto area.

 

[RogerRabbit]

Now, should I spend a billion dollars to watch my profits dip OR should I sit tight and continue to rake in excess profits because the demand is higher than what I am willing to supply and the barriers to entry are pretty damn high.

Good point. It is intersting, they could refine in Asia, where there is excess refining capacity, but they choose not too...

 

[Doctor Zoidburg]

How much effort, and what does it hurt if we all tried.

All I am suggesting is that we buy the minimum amount of gas and make sure we let the gas companies know that we do no like their prices by making sure the amount of gas we purchase ends with a .55 cents no matter how much we buy. (example $5.55, $10.55, $15.55.....ect, ect.) Imagine if the gas comapnies realize that one third of their clients are doing this. If we all take the attitue that it is a waste of time and we can not influence them or make a change then we are doomed to be at their mercy.
Think of it this way, if we all purchased from the gas stations that offered the best prices, your reward could be an extra visit to a MP or an SP. (hows that for incentive?)

 

[WhaWhaWha]

I have seen where the gas price can be lower by 6 cents a liter, just on the other side of a bridge.

Actually this is one thing I am glad to see now. It means that gas station are now charging according to a standard markup over cost at time of purchase. Before the stations simply fluctuated at will according to the proximity of a long weekend. This is why you sometimes see all the independants charginf a nickel more than the chains. They dont move their product as quickly and cannot adjust their prices until the supply runs out. Wasnt this what we were all screaming for a few years back?

 

[mmouse]

All I am suggesting is that we buy the minimum amount of gas and make sure we let the gas companies know that we do no like their prices by making sure the amount of gas we purchase ends with a .55 cents no matter how much we buy. (example $5.55, $10.55, $15.55.....ect, ect.) Imagine if the gas comapnies realize that one third of their clients are doing this.

Yes just imagine it... all the execs will call an emergency meeting in the big office and say, oh no our customers are unhappy, even though they are still buying as much gas as ever, but we just can't sleep knowing they are unhappy, and we would much rather make the customers happy than our shareholers...

The only price you can pay that will possibly make a difference is $0.00.

 

[Keebler Elf]

A couple things about gas pricing.

Having worked at a station before, the prices aren't determined at a local level (so bitching to the cashier is an absolute waste of time). Several times each day someone from the station must phone in to head office to get a price update. If you know the price of other stations (e.g. you can see it across the street), you report that as well. Head office then tells you what to charge thru an automated system. Generally, lower prices at other stations results in your prices also being dropped, although it didn't seem to work the other way around (whatever mechanic head office used to set it's "original" price didn't seem to be affected when other stations were charging more).

Over the past couple years the price fluctuations over long weekends seems to have diminished considerably. I've often found cheaper gas on long weekend Saturdays than on Saturdays throughout the rest of the summer. I don't know if the gasoline companies have made an effort to limit drastic price fluctuations or if its just coincidence.

Finally, gas prices tend to fluctuate by a discernable pattern in regions. If you use Toronto Gas Prices.com you'll know that certain gas stations always have cheaper prices. I think part of the reason for this is how much business particular stations get in particular areas. For instance, the Esso station on Dixie at Dundas usually has some of the best prices in Mississauga. I've seen it at as much as $0.10/litre difference. Always try to fill up at night, on a Mon/Tues. That's what I do as most people fill up Mon/Tue morning when the prices are (predictably) higher.