Ok, so oil prices have dropped to zero to negative. Wholesalers (Chevron, BP, Shell, etc) pay us to audit franchisees or distributors right? Ok, so who thinks that they will have to cut costs for a while and we may now be out of business for a while?
Definitely short term. My guess is they will return somewhat to normal in September, with maybe some starting around July. This is just a guess and based on nothing, lol. I suppose it really boils down to the ability of franchisees to make their payments.
Real oil prices are not zero, although they're cheap. That was the futures price and was related to contract expiration. As to what happens with the shops, I would guess they are on hold for the same reason everything else is and will resume somewhere down the line.