Can someone explain why gas shot up 20 cents?

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by Peanut

The thing is, we do actually have an option. Don't drive.

The cost of gas is just not outweighing the convenience of driving and how the majority of us have set-up our lives to rely on our vehicles. We all bitch and complain but we still drive everywhere. Myself included.

Because it's hard to carry big groceries home or catch the bus to the mountains. New communities are being setup with central shopping in mind but it's only a start.

A solution is to get more fuel efficient vehicles but that will probably never happen.

It's kind of sad, but if we could all drive tanks to work we probably would, even though they get 40 liters/hundred. Gas companies have a lot of influence over the auto industry.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

conspiracy theory time: isn't it odd how the really low crude prices have hurt america's enemies the most - venezuela, russia, iran but haven't affected the u.s. much. A strategic move by the u.s. imo if we're playing the conspiracy theory game.

It's Saudi Arabia pushing low prices for strategic reasons (though possibly miscalculating), USA's contribution to low prices is just business acting in its own self-interest.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by troutman

Two chocolate bars for $2?

Just the gas.

Two bottles of Gatorade for $4?

Just the gas.

Lotto 6/49?

Just the gas.

Car wash?

Just the gas please.

I remember going to a gas station when you could buy a fan belt or other car related parts. They'd even do mechanical work. Now it's just candy and pop. I guess they make more money but it was better before.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

I remember going to a gas station when you could buy a fan belt or other car related parts. They'd even do mechanical work. Now it's just candy and pop. I guess they make more money but it was better before.

[shakes fist at closed drive in theatres and soda shops.]

[Red Ice Player]

It seems that all the Shell stations in the city haven't had premium or mid grade fuel for at least a month. It's a disgrace, yet I have heard nothing in the way of press releases from Shell, who like to boast that they have the most modern refinery in the province. Could this be what led to this increase?
Nevermind, the old "unscheduled maintenance at Scotford refinery. They better get it together, as being without product for half the summer is ridiculous.

[Harry Lime]

A rye farm in kentucky is burned to the ground. Smirnoff, owning the farm, raises it's prices to compensate. Absolute raises it's prices to match, as rye is now a rarer commodity. Coors raises it's prices, because there is speculation wheat can burn. At what point is it in Coors best interest to burn down smirnoff's farm? At what point is it in smirnoff's best interest to let them?

Why is this not just smirnoff's problem?

Do oil companies not own these refineries themselves? Should a company like petro-can be owned by the government to allow for transparency into the industry?

(whistles a tune, walks away)

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

I remember going to a gas station when you could buy a fan belt or other car related parts. They'd even do mechanical work. Now it's just candy and pop. I guess they make more money but it was better before.

Your really gonna hate it when electric cars dominate the road and all that's there is a cord

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by SebC

It's Saudi Arabia pushing low prices for strategic reasons (though possibly miscalculating), USA's contribution to low prices is just business acting in its own self-interest.

Saudi arabia has been hit hard by the slump in oil prices. It's hit their cash reserves hard. Almost all of their national spending is from oil revenue.

Saudi Arabia recently released a 2015 budget showing a $38.6 billion deficit, its largest ever, projecting a significant decrease in oil-generated revenue. But Saudi Arabia has accumulated $750 billion in foreign currency reserves and has signaled it is willing to spend its cash hoard and put it on the line in this global oil battle.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanva...-oil-below-54/

[GaiJin]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Something I was wondering, I heard about the "don't buy gas on Sunday" campaign; and I know there is a bit of a debate on the effectiveness. What if there was a campaign to avoid major gas stations for a longer period of time? Like Shell, Esso, and Petro Canada? Sure- they wholesale to the smaller guys, but if their own stations are hurting, would that not put more pressure back onto them?

I was thinking about that to, boycott one brand and dry up their gas sales as a protest.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Your really gonna hate it when electric cars dominate the road and all that's there is a cord

Than we'll have people starting a thread and bitchin about someone stealing their cord.

[keratosis]

Followed by a thread selling said cord.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Because it's hard to carry big groceries home or catch the bus to the mountains. New communities are being setup with central shopping in mind but it's only a start.

A solution is to get more fuel efficient vehicles but that will probably never happen.

It's kind of sad, but if we could all drive tanks to work we probably would, even though they get 40 liters/hundred. Gas companies have a lot of influence over the auto industry.

I think the other factor is there are really no substitutes or easy changes. It's not like we can move from gas to solar to propane kind of thing easily, and it's basically an oligopoly complete with the game theory issues that come with it.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Because it's hard to carry big groceries home or catch the bus to the mountains.

I do both those things regularly in my car and fill up once a month. If I had a small diesel it would be every 2 months. If I spend $30 vs. $60 a month on fuel it's not that noticeable. The cost to transport goods and airfare are bigger exposures.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

Than we'll have people starting a thread and bitchin about someone stealing their cord.

I wonder if Jolinar of Malkshor ever found his cord and the person who stole it

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=53820

[GGG]

Does a short term increase in price change driving habits?

For me it doesn't. I know when gas was at $1.60 or whatever driving decreased but it was very slow to change people's habits. So assuming in the month long period that these shortages occur that demand is highly inelastic then raises prices does nothing to curb supply.

And if demand is relatively inelastic then it would be in all stations best interest to raise prices until we meet the inelastic point in the demand curve. Since this hasn't happened yet it means that there is some competition occurring.

This 20 cent hike is opportunistic but it's likely driven by one major seeing if the other majors will hold the higher price and the other majors calculating if they will make more money holding at this price or cutting to increase sales volume.

So 20 cent hikes likely are a sign of competition rather than of collusion. And if you want to fight the gas companies buy a co-op membership. They refine a lot of their own gas so any exhorbanent profits are passed back to the members in dividends.

[combustiblefuel]

Makes me happy that my form of transportation is over 95 percent renewable energy powered. Electric bikes and e motorcycles powered by hyrdo generated electricity. Every thing about them can be recycled.

[GGG]

Other than hydro destroying vast tracks of wilderness, destroying fish habitat, and releasing co2 from the decomposition of flooded areas there is no impact to your commute.

[combustiblefuel]

I

Originally Posted by GGG

Other than hydro destroying vast tracks of wilderness, destroying fish habitat, and releasing co2 from the decomposition of flooded areas there is no impact to your commute.

Didnt refute that at all. Just said that its renewable. It still limits the damage that it does to the areas as over 80 percent of B.c Hydro stations were built between the 40s and 80s. It's not continuing to eradicate our earth . The damage is done in those areas and if you destroyed those dams and unflooded those areas life would return at a much faster rate than o&g locations.

There is no means of energy that dose not have an ill effect on the plant in some way or form. Wind and solar renewable sources even have terrible effects n aviary species .

Wind, solar, hydro, O&g, nuclear and coal all have an effect on the environment. The 3 former are much less envasive and much easier to repair the damage almost instantly. While the 3 latter can take millenniums to even start feeling any positive effects from disuse.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Because it's hard to carry big groceries home or catch the bus to the mountains. New communities are being setup with central shopping in mind but it's only a start.

Right. You do have a choice, the choice is just less convenient than buying gas.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

I heard some guy on CBC news complaining about the price of gas, as he was filling up his motorhome. Sorry, you're driving your own personal greyhound bus. No sympathy.

I remember a few years ago Dad was filling up his motorhome, some lady said something to the effect of "sucks having gas prices this high, doesn't it?" He replied "Nope, got oil stock."