Will You Still Shop If Gas Goes Up?

I heard on the business news a few days ago that gas is expected to rise $.60 a gallon by Memorial Day. Refineries are slowing production, and the summer blend will cost more. Will you still shop? How much per gallon is it where you are? Here is 3.65-3.75.

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In a word yes. Gas prices hurt, but it will hurt worse if I don't pay my bills and buy groceries. I don't make money sitting around the house.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

Pasadena California area last week 3.73 this week 3.99 + (Yes, I will continue shopping but very select on where I go)

I'm guessing it will help weed out some of the "hobbyists" who just do it for fun and/or reimbursements. I see that possibility as a good thing since more shops will be open for me to accept and make a route more feasible.

Very good point! I hadn't thought of that. I'm just waiting for all these dilettantes to stop taking anything and everything in order to pay off their Christmas bills. They are driving down fees

Reporter Wrote:
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> I heard on the business news a few days ago that
> gas is expected to rise $.60 a gallon by Memorial
> Day. Refineries are slowing production, and the
> summer blend will cost more. Will you still shop?
> How much per gallon is it where you are? Here is
> 3.65-3.75.

i will ride my motor scooter that gets 100 miles per gallon, riding farther than other shoppers will be willing to go. in the summertime anyway.

I guess the full timers will benefit in at least a few ways. I just hope clients will not stop their programs due to shipping costing more and cutting into their costs. I agree I think the hobbyists will be less competition.

In June and July 2008 gas prices went to around $4 per gallon. What it did was basically shut down the economy. Far from making more shops available, it made fewer shops. Far from making fewer shoppers it made more shoppers. Be very very careful of what you wish for. We are only now crawling out of the hole of massive layoffs and double digit unemployment and corporate closures. Remember when we used to shop Circuit City and the Starbucks on every corner?

Your points are well taken, but I just can't imagine more people shopping if they get less than 20 miles to the gallon. That's $4 out of their pay to go 20 miles round trip.

Desperation makes people do what they can, when they can. What is even more curious is that back in July 2008 oil was at $144 per barrel leading to $4 gas and these days it is only around $100 leading to $4 gas. What is wrong with this picture???

Less refineries on line.

I stopped shopping about five years ago or so when the prices went up. I severely limited what I would do then. If gas prices go up more, it won't affect me much because now I take only what I have an interest in. Sometimes I do it because the fee alone is enough but not often.

AlwaysAngie Wrote:
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> I stopped shopping about five years ago or so when
> the prices went up. I severely limited what I
> would do then. If gas prices go up more, it won't
> affect me much because now I take only what I have
> an interest in. Sometimes I do it because the fee
> alone is enough but not often.

I did the same thing about five years ago. I found other work from home opportunities staying home and not driving around as much. I only shopped part time after that. But the other work got old and boring after awhile, so I went back to shopping full time. I don't think I'll stop this time though. I have a very fuel efficient car now.

Holy cow! You guys pay less than $4 per gallon??? I'm not only jealous, I'm really envious! I just gassed up and paid $1.39/L which is $5.56/G for those who don't want to do the math... in Canadian dollars no less, which are currently trading at $0.96 US. So, really, I paid US$5.78/G. Insane right? Oh, and I drive a crappy 1999 Dodge Caravan that's on it's last legs - and guzzling gas like it's going outta style. The news here said that we can expect gas to go up to at least $1.50/L by summer. Yikes!

And yet, I still shop - it's my job and the only one I have. Gotta pay the bills

I'll still be shopping, just more contentious of my routes. Also, to the post above. I sure do miss those circuit city shops!!!

I will not shop where the pay for the shop does not cover at least half of the gas it takes to get there. Which means I will need to group more shops or don't shop. Problem is I live on a barrier island off the east coast and to get to most shops it requires a trip across the intercoastal and then some - about 10 miles one way. With a gas guzzling 18mpg, it hurts! Not long ago I had a limit of 40 miles (one way), if the gas prices go any higher I'll need to make that circle much smaller!

They have more excuses than Carter has little pills. Remember the oil companies are still posting record profits. Katrina disrupted production and the prices skyrocketed. The spill in the Gulf also shut down production and yet the price didn't go up. Maybe because it would have exacerbated the PR nightmare they were already facing?

Reporter Wrote:
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> Less refineries on line.

I accept that gas always goes up over the long term, with sharp ups and downs in real time. Of course I'll still shop if I can find work. I drive a car smaller than I prefer because it gets great gas mileage and allows me to reach out with longer routes. My small car is a necessary part of my shopping equipment.

Mary Davis Nowell. Based close to Fort Worth. Shopping Interstate 20 east and west, Interstate 35 north and south.

I've cut down hugely. My car is going to be an antique in two years. I have 293,000 miles on it. I get 20-22mpg. It's not worth doing a lot of shops unless the fees are well-bonused or perhaps I am already traveling to a certain area. I think carefully now about every shop I take. I always check it on Mapquest and see what gas will cost for the trip. 9/10 times it's not worth it.

Price of gas is why I love my gas shops...I usually get about a half to quarter tank more than I left the house with, making my route of 10-12 shops gas free.

Yup, that's about $.60 more per gallon. That must be the same thing that I heard. At least you are about parity with the dollar. It could be worse. The Canadian has caught up to the dollar now.

MtlShopper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Holy cow! You guys pay less than $4 per gallon???
> I'm not only jealous, I'm really envious! I just
> gassed up and paid $1.39/L which is $5.56/G for
> those who don't want to do the math... in Canadian
> dollars no less, which are currently trading at
> $0.96 US. So, really, I paid US$5.78/G. Insane
> right? Oh, and I drive a crappy 1999 Dodge
> Caravan that's on it's last legs - and guzzling
> gas like it's going outta style. The news here
> said that we can expect gas to go up to at least
> $1.50/L by summer. Yikes!
>
> And yet, I still shop - it's my job and the only
> one I have. Gotta pay the bills

I'll probably continue. I like to do shops that aren't far from my normal driving routes, so the cast of gas shouldn't affect profitability too much.

SecretAgentMom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Price of gas is why I love my gas shops...I
> usually get about a half to quarter tank more than
> I left the house with, making my route of 10-12
> shops gas free.

I have noticed that the gas shops are harder to come by lately.

For the 2nd half of 2011, and the first half of 2012, the IRS allows $0.555 per mile deduction. That's up a whole 5 cents from the first half of 2011. While that might not seem like a lot at first glance, it more than covers the 15-18 miles per gallon my Dodge Dakota gets.

If gas prices in the US are rising, I'm sure the IRS will adjust their allowances accordingly.

As to the Canadian shopper: I live in NW Washington State. I have to make sure to get to Costco at 7am when they open, if I want to fill up. Else I'll be the only one with a WA license plate in line for hours, among all the BC plates. Recently, I did a slew of gas station audits, where one of the criteria was to check if the clerks offer brand credit apps. This station in the USA had Canada apps on hand, and hardly any US customers.

But I feel your pain about the prices. When I last visited my folks in Germany, their prices were even higher, around EU1.40. Checking on the German smart gas websites, looks like it's EU1,568 per liter right now, or US$2.063 - WOW

Reporter Wrote:
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> At least you are about parity with the dollar. It could be worse.
> The Canadian has caught up to the dollar now.
>

It's the US dollar that needs to catch up. Right off RBC website from 3:00 pm today:

United States Dollar (USD) (buy) 0.9681 (sell) 1.0200

So I lose $0.0319 for every US dollar I'm paid. It's been like this for over 1 year now. It's not very much but it does add up. On US $500 pay, I only get back CDN $484. That's like doing a shop for free and who wants to work for free?

I look forward to the US economy picking up and going back to the good old days where the US dollar was worth more than the Canadian one. Then, I make a bit with every exchange

Yes the dollar doesn't buy what it use to. The current Fed chairman has seen to that.

MtlShopper Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------
> Reporter Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > At least you are about parity with the dollar.
> It could be worse.
> > The Canadian has caught up to the dollar now.
> >
>
> It's the US dollar that needs to catch up. Right
> off RBC website from 3:00 pm today:
>
> United States Dollar (USD) (buy) 0.9681 (sell)
> 1.0200
>
> So I lose $0.0319 for every US dollar I'm paid.
> It's been like this for over 1 year now. It's not
> very much but it does add up. On US $500 pay, I
> only get back CDN $484. That's like doing a shop
> for free and who wants to work for free?
>
> I look forward to the US economy picking up and
> going back to the good old days where the US
> dollar was worth more than the Canadian one.
> Then, I make a bit with every exchange

Capecodannie - you didn't tell us what kind of car! Would love to know!

I work full time and MS part-time. I tend to only do shops close to home or work, or in route to work, because of gas prices and time constraints. The car I bought in December gets better MPG (25-26) than the minivan I had (19-20) (or as my son called it... the loser cruiser) so that has helped. Gas around here is $3.40- $3.50 range.

dinapal:

I have a 1994 Lincoln Town Car with 293,000 miles on it. Incredibly I get 20-22 mpg. However, it burns oil like it's going out of style. It will be an antique in two more years.

It has been the best car I have ever owned. Virtually no problems with it, except for regular maintenance.

It's actually aging better than I am!

Going over $4.00 per gallon in Northern California although Costco is still at 3.71 today but was 3.60 last Monday. Will continue to shop and will put routes together, as usual, and be more selective in choosing low cost "filler" shops.

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