Godwin's law of petrol

[edible_hat]

Last night, as usually happens on Wednesday, the price of petrol went up. (It follows a cycle, goes up on Wednesday night and slowly comes down over the following week. On Wednesday night we make maybe 5 cents per liter, on Wednesday morning we lose about the same amount).

Anyway, I was changing the price board when this car pulls up next to me.

SC: "What are you doing? How can the price suddenly go up? That's profiteering!" etc. etc.
Me: "All I know about pricing is that I change it when I get told to."
SC: "Just following orders, huh? You know most Nazis used that as their defence." *drives off*

So now we have proof that the customer is always wrong! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law


ETA: I want to make a forum that automatically adds "Anyone who disagrees with me is Hitler" to the end of every post.

[Imogene]

Hey, it really DID end that discussion.

[Automan Empire]

Haha, good post.

My first automotive job was as a pump jockey. I only worked there about 2 months, and fortunately not during a period of spiralling gas prices.

That notwithstanding, even working part time, about once a week, some old man would start RANTING to me about how we should have told those [racial slur] to go pound sand so we would still be paying 38c/ gallon... as if!

It wasn't until my next job that a SC invoked Godwin's Law.

[ladydrow]

We have people sort of attempting that at my coffee shop. Even had a guy claim Hitler was the CEO of it.

[Dreamstalker]

...I think my brain just vapor-locked. That was her best argument?

How did Godwin's Law escape from Usenet?

[Broomjockey]

How did Godwin's Law escape from Usenet?

Same way all memes do, by way of 4Chan.

[Nyoibo]

Not that I would compare it to the nazi's, but I was wondering how petrol went up 17 cents a litre over night.

[mariamousie1]

Don't you know that raising gas prices is on the same level as genocide?

[Mr.Customer]

Not that I would compare it to the nazi's, but I was wondering how petrol went up 17 cents a litre over night.

Partially because Gas companies are very competitive, what with posted prices on the street corner. Because of this competition prices aften slowly go down, often below the cost of the product, and very few companies want to be the first to raise their prices (and loss the market share by doing so) as a result when the cost of the product goes up and the companies follow suit, they are not just raising their prices to match the increase product cost, but also to restore their margin to be above their losses.

ie if they are selling gas at 5 cents below cost and the cost goes up 5 cents, then the stations will have to raise their prices 15 cents in order to be making 5 cents profit.

[blas]

Today I was doing my errands before the impending 10 inches of snow would arrive....

At this one intersection, there is a Kwik Trip and a Holiday. Right across the street from one another.

Gas went up today to $1.97. Kwik Trip was at $1.97, but Holiday was still at $1.92. Guess where all the cars were?

Nope. They were at Kwik Trip. At the pumps.

Kwik Trip may be bigger and have slightly cheaper smokes and beer and lots more snacks, but 5 cents a gallon? For me, that's a LOT saved if I fill up completely. Fucking idiots.

If we're thinking of ways to save money in these hard times, picking a gas station that still hasn't raised prices yet is a smart idea. Every bit helps!

[xaenon]

SC: "Just following orders, huh? You know most Nazis used that as their defence." *drives off*

The next time you see him in the store, you could casually mention how he's collaborating with/funding fascists.....

Be sure to give him a crisp Nazi salute and a hearty Sieg Heil, too.

[smileyeagle1021]

Gas went up today to $1.97. Kwik Trip was at $1.97, but Holiday was still at $1.92. Guess where all the cars were?

Nope. They were at Kwik Trip. At the pumps.

I might be able to explain that (and I'll do my best to do so in a non fratching way). It could be a matter of politics. I know quite a few people who will pay whatever the price is for Sinclair because they're Utah based, I also know people who refuse to use Chevron because they donate to HRC (or alternatively will pay whatever the price is for Chevron because they donate to HRC... you can guess which group I'm in ). For me I've never had to put more than 10 gallons in, so at most it's costing me an extra 50cents to go somewhere 5 cents more, hell, even 20 gallons, which I doubt many people are going to need more than means an extra dollar to fill.

[blas]

I only have a 10 gallon tank....but I will save money in any way I can.

There are no Sinclairs or Chevrons around here. Maybe in the more civilized and densly populated areas in Wisconsin, but around here it's all Kwik Trips, Holidays BPs and Mobils....one Mobil is an Exxon....that's it.

[Kagato]

I know that over here people will often stay with one company (Namely a petrol company known as BP) over here because it is one of VERY FEW companies where you can claim "reward points" on petrol purchases, and use the reward points towards various things (including fuel vouchers, not surprisingly)

[edible_hat]

Not that I would compare it to the nazi's, but I was wondering how petrol went up 17 cents a litre over night.

Because it was at the low part of the cycle and it was time to go to the high end of the cycle. We went from losing 10 cents per liter to making 7 cents per liter. Over the following week it will come down and by Wednesday morning we'll be losing 10 cents again.