wody Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 It's just basic economics, supply vs. demand. Think about it this way, if you owned a company, would you want people limiting how much money you can make and what you could charge for your product/service? Yes the oil companies make billions of dollars each year, but in comparison, Starbucks actually reports a higher percentage profit than the oil companies do. The oil companies just sell more oil than Starbucks sells coffee, hence the larger $ figure. The other thing is no one is forced to buy gas. People have the option to choose to take other means of transportation, commute with others, or get a job closer to their house. Like everyone mentioned already, stopping for one day wont make any difference. If we were able to build a few refineries in this country, gas prices would be back down to $1.8X/gallon or less and the oil companies would still make as much money as they do now. Everyone would be happy except the environmentalists i know all about supply and demand but, im not an idiot, but if one company offered fuel for 1.50 a gallon and another for 3.00 a gallon which one do you think people would buy? if i owned a fuel company i would charge 1.50 a gallon for my fuels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perk03z06 Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 i don't understand how a company who makes billions of dollars NEEDS to charge that much money just because of "summer travel" or because a barrel of oil goes up .03 cents. 2 Simple Answers ... 1. We have an Oil Tycoon as a President 2. GREED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonm Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 i know all about supply and demand but, im not an idiot, but if one company offered fuel for 1.50 a gallon and another for 3.00 a gallon which one do you think people would buy? if i owned a fuel company i would charge 1.50 a gallon for my fuels. Funny you should mention that. I just decided today to go and tell the boss that I'm gonna request a paycut for me -- I want to make exactly half of what I do right now. No reason, other than, I can work twice as hard, to make the money that I'm making right now. Let's say @ 1.50, they're making 10% on margins ($.15). Why would you take $.15 on a gallon, when you can take away $1.65 per gallon??? I agree, you'd have a lot of friends.... But realistically, don't you like money? When you sell on E-bay, do you end your auction at the first bid? I can see what you're saying, essentially, doing 'the right thing'. I wish the world worked the way that you are saying. But, it's not 1950's Pleasantville anymore. People look out for #1. Companies do the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordsareslow Posted May 1, 2007 Report Share Posted May 1, 2007 i know all about supply and demand but, im not an idiot, but if one company offered fuel for 1.50 a gallon and another for 3.00 a gallon which one do you think people would buy? if i owned a fuel company i would charge 1.50 a gallon for my fuels. Not calling you an idiot at all. Sorry if it came accross that way Your right in that if one gas company is selling gas for half the price of another, people would buy from that company. The thing is if you were charging a $1.50/gallon right now, you would be out of business fast because you wouldn't be making any money. You can't sell a product for less than what it costs. Only Walmart can do that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wody Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 well since 1.50 is half of 3.00 just take all the fuel companies profits, add em all together, and then divide that by 2 and you should get a rough estimate of what your profit would be. i bet its still in the billions. i don't think i would go out of business with a profit like that. and everyone would be happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixxerrider Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Lets make it a dont go to work day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomp62301 Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcairns Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Lets make it a dont go to work day Would not work for me. I work from home The only gas involved in my commute is "passed". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigIke Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 I'm in, they won't get my 75$ on May 15th! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diggerdan11 Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 Its not going to work, not buying gas for one day will not lower the price of gas nor will it take money out of the pockets of the oil companies, even if everyone in America did that. You’re talking to someone with a bachelor’s degree in economics I know what I am talking about. Plus what about the ma and pa owned gas stations that are barely scraping by, a single person not buying gas for one day could potentially put a small ma and pa gas station out of business Also the oil companies have already sold there oil to oil refiners so they have already made there money and your not taking money out of there pockets. Plus there is not way you could get everyone in America to not buy gas for one day I hate the high gas prices just like the next guy but really there is not much we can do about it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wody Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 You’re talking to someone with a bachelor’s degree in economics I know what I am talking about. what is your fav cookie? i could get you one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perk03z06 Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 You’re talking to someone with a bachelor’s degree in economics I know what I am talking about. what is your fav cookie? i could get you one. :crackup: The only way to get away from the high price of gas is to park our SS's and buy an electric vehicle, or take a serious look at public transportation for most of our daily driving. Like many others on here, I'm seriously looking at getting a daily driver. This $75 every other day for gas is killing me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[email protected] Posted May 2, 2007 Report Share Posted May 2, 2007 I filled up with WTF the other day as I normally do, and I spent $67. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman31 Posted May 3, 2007 Report Share Posted May 3, 2007 You’re talking to someone with a bachelor’s degree in economics I know what I am talking about. I guess your an oil analyst too........... It comes down to this.....its a f*cking game, thats all. The oil companies keep getting richer and the government will not help us at all. Why?? Because the country is run by an oil tycoon, end of story. All this lobbying to congress is a waste of time. Face it, the oil companies have us right where they want us. Nobody controls them, people have to drive, so we keep buying gas. They can charge whatever they want per gallon because they know that people have to go to work everyday. We'll complain about the prices, but well fork over the cash anyway to get to our destination. Whether it hurts the oil companies or not, you won't see me at a gas station on May 15th. Lets step up and send those pr*cks a message!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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