Fuel Prices ...

[DaleP]

13 minutes ago, Tinfoil Hat said:

I couldn't get to work & back without a car. I have a mobility scooter but the journey is too far to make in that.

That's why there is remote working.

Back in 1997 I was already asking business emails and wanted to work from home but the world wasn't ready for it. I was much ahead of the time.

[Tinfoil Hat]

18 minutes ago, DaleP said:

That's why there is remote working.

Back in 1997 I was already asking business emails and wanted to work from home but the world wasn't ready for it. I was much ahead of the time.

Yes, except I tried to persuade my employer to let me work from home last year (my ulterior motive secretly being that I desperately want a dog) and the answer was 'No'. 

 

He might have to be further persuaded - and then in winter, when I can't afford the gas & electric, I'll be working from a bed with hot water bottles in it, by candle light.

[DaleP]

3 minutes ago, Tinfoil Hat said:

Yes, except I tried to persuade my employer to let me work from home last year (my ulterior motive secretly being that I desperately want a dog) and the answer was 'No'. 

 

He might have to be further persuaded - and then in winter, when I can't afford the gas & electric, I'll be working from a bed with hot water bottles in it, by candle light.

 

Trust me, it's so much better than having to deal with the office politics.

[k_j_evans]

3 hours ago, Tinfoil Hat said:

I couldn't get to work & back without a car. I have a mobility scooter but the journey is too far to make in that.

Quite. Public transport is also useless for those who have to travel to multiple sites in a day for work. Bus routes are being removed all the time, so often you can't get where you want to go anyway.

[k_j_evans]

3 hours ago, DaleP said:

That's why there is remote working.

Back in 1997 I was already asking business emails and wanted to work from home but the world wasn't ready for it. I was much ahead of the time.

Remote working is no good if your job involves something "hands-on" at a site, or fixing the things that make remote working possible. If you can work remotely, your employer might as well outsource your job to a cheaper country and increase profits.

[DaleP]

2 hours ago, k_j_evans said:

Remote working is no good if your job involves something "hands-on" at a site, or fixing the things that make remote working possible. If you can work remotely, your employer might as well outsource your job to a cheaper country and increase profits.

 

Not really. People have complained and some banks brought their call centre back to the UK base due to poor English spoken in places like India.

They often speaks English but it's weird and they are just speaking 'Ma'm, Sir' etc etc.... but not really understanding your problems. It's bloody strange.

I hate it when a paypal call centre gets routed to the US, they speak strange over there as well.

 

I suggest, if you are a hairdresser, teach people how to cut their hair via zoom.

[Grumpy Owl]

9 hours ago, 4444444444 said:

I lost my car back in 2009 and was devastated. For the first few weeks I couldn't fathom how I could possibly function without a car. Once I got a bike, I realised how illusory was my dependence on my car. In short: just ditch your car and get yourself a good bicycle.

 

You only think you need a car, but there's nowhere a bike and public transport won't get you, at a fraction of the cost, and not the financial and emotional burden that being a car owner is.

 

I've never personally owned a car, but then again when I was younger I failed the driving test twice, so decided that it wasn't for me. So for me, I don't know any better, as I don't know what I'm missing out on.

 

But I've never seen this as any kind of impediment or hindrance, I've always been able to commute by bus to and from work, and I've been lucky enough to live in areas with regular bus services.

 

Last year my monthly bus pass was reduced from £60 to £50, and there is no sign of this increasing it seems. This works out to a cost of £1.65 a day, for unlimited travel on all National Express buses in the West Midlands, so I can travel all the way from Wolverhampton to Leamington Spa, for less than the price of a single litre of petrol.

 

And yet people still say bus travel is expensive here!

[CeeCee]

I was wondering whether this is one of the key tactics to keep people at home. I went past my local garage at 10.30 am and it was 183.9 a liter, at 17.30 it was 189.9 and there are no deliveries on Sunday! This is just bullshit.

[k_j_evans]

2 hours ago, DaleP said:

 

Not really. People have complained and some banks brought their call centre back to the UK base due to poor English spoken in places like India.

They often speaks English but it's weird and they are just speaking 'Ma'm, Sir' etc etc.... but not really understanding your problems. It's bloody strange.

I hate it when a paypal call centre gets routed to the US, they speak strange over there as well.

 

I suggest, if you are a hairdresser, teach people how to cut their hair via zoom.

Many jobs involve no speaking to the general public at all, just "paperwork"

 

I suggest that if you are a brickie, you use Zoom to teach people to build their own houses. And you can teach them to rewire their own electricity towers and substations, too. So what if they don't understand impressed voltages and so on. But if their network goes down, you need someone like me to come out and fix it, or Zoom is useless.

[Tinfoil Hat]

And the last thing anyone needs if they're looking at using public transport as an alternative is this tish!

https://youtu.be/LD19zVKSJM0

 

 

 

 

[Grumpy Owl]

Nothing like a bit of corporate-funded social engineering to get you going...

 

Drivers urged to do two easy things which saves hundreds on petrol

Quote

Drivers have been urged to do two simple things that will help you save hundreds on fuel as prices SOAR again. Motorists have been urged to fill up at supermarkets, which are often cheaper to buy fuel from.

Drivers could save as much as £75 over a year by buying their fuel at a supermarket, according to research. And motorists are urged to opt for standard grade fuels rather than premium petrol and diesel, because the upgrade simply isn't worth it for the majority.

The average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts on Tuesday was 186.6p, according to data firm Experian. The average price of diesel hit a new high of 192.5p per litre.

From: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/drivers-urged-two-easy-things-24272797

 

And of course by "supermarkets", yes they mean your big retail corporates like Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, ASDA etc.

 

Hmm, I wonder why fuel from these big supermarkets is cheaper than from independent filling stations?

 

And I wonder who funded this 'research'?

 

What could be the reasoning behind this?

 

"Oh we're here at Morrisons, may as well pop in and do a shop while we're here"

 

Filling station retailers have faced a bit of a backlash in recent weeks, and are bearing the brunt of consumer 'anger', which is being fuelled (excuse the pun) by the media.

 

The following is from an email I received from UKIP today:

 

The UK fuel duty is 20% higher than 35 other major economies and steadily crippling domestic customers.
 
Retailer profit is below the recent 5p government discount but with prices rising almost every day the retailer has to keep paying more for supplies, which uses all the profit and more and creating a cash flow problem.
 
The government blaming the retailer for not passing on the fuel duty reduction is a blatant attempt to avoid the focus of greed on itself.
 
Fuel wholesale cost 52%
 
Government tax 45%
 
Retail profit 2%
 
Delivery cost 1%

 

 

So this makes me wonder "who benefits" if supermarkets can afford to sell fuel at a loss, but claw back some profit if motorists then end up shopping in-store?

 

More importantly, who ends up 'losing out'? That's right, your small local independent filling stations, as well as other small local independent shops and supermarkets who lose out because their potential customers are driving out to 'big supermarkets' and then shopping there instead.

 

 

So here comes my response to the headline of:

Drivers urged to do two easy things which saves hundreds on petrol

 

1. Put your car keys away and make less journeys, try walking to a local shop or supermarket for groceries instead. Buy what you need at the time, rather than doing a huge 'big shop'. (Your local convenience store is probably not that much more expensive than Tesco or Sainsburys to be honest, but at least you're supporting a local independent business)

2. Stop using your car for short journeys. Could you walk instead? Perhaps you could travel by bus?

 

Now of course I'm not advocating that people should give up their cars, and switch to cycling or public transport instead, as is the current agenda. But there are simple little changes that mean that by using your car less, you can actually save hundreds on fuel.

 

By all means, carry on driving 30 miles to get to work if that's easier for you. But when you get home in the evening, is it worth driving for two minutes to get to the chippy round the corner, or wouldn't a nice 10 minute walk be better for you?

 

 

 

[oddsnsods]

 

[Nefaria]

On 6/20/2022 at 8:12 PM, Grumpy Owl said:

But when you get home in the evening, is it worth driving for two minutes to get to the chippy round the corner, or wouldn't a nice 10 minute walk be better for you?

There are people by me who literally get in their car to drive to the corner shop, they only live in the next street (even with fuel prices increasing)!  By the time they've faffed about getting their keys then driving off then parking up (only to do the reverse again after) i have already walked it there and back!  Some people are that lazy and/or that stupid.  They are always buying other items that are heavily taxed too: cigarettes and alcohol!

Edited July 4, 2022 by Nefaria

[Grumpy Owl]

On 6/20/2022 at 8:12 PM, Grumpy Owl said:

Nothing like a bit of corporate-funded social engineering to get you going...

 

Drivers urged to do two easy things which saves hundreds on petrol

From: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/drivers-urged-two-easy-things-24272797

 

And of course by "supermarkets", yes they mean your big retail corporates like Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, ASDA etc.

 

Hmm, I wonder why fuel from these big supermarkets is cheaper than from independent filling stations?

 

And I wonder who funded this 'research'?

 

What could be the reasoning behind this?

 

"Oh we're here at Morrisons, may as well pop in and do a shop while we're here"

 

Filling station retailers have faced a bit of a backlash in recent weeks, and are bearing the brunt of consumer 'anger', which is being fuelled (excuse the pun) by the media.

 

So this makes me wonder "who benefits" if supermarkets can afford to sell fuel at a loss, but claw back some profit if motorists then end up shopping in-store?

 

More importantly, who ends up 'losing out'? That's right, your small local independent filling stations, as well as other small local independent shops and supermarkets who lose out because their potential customers are driving out to 'big supermarkets' and then shopping there instead.

 

So just a few weeks ago, motorists were being enthusiastically 'encouraged' to buy fuel from 'big supermarkets'.

 

Now the same supermarkets are being criticised for not reducing their prices in line with wholesale price decreases.

 

‘Big Four’ supermarket fuel prices questioned as independents cut costs

Quote

As prices at the pump continue to rocket, a disparity between big-hitting supermarket chains and independent stations has emerged.

Prices in Wolverhampton reflect this, with Sainsbury's in Wednesfield currently charging 190.9p per litre for unleaded, and 199.9p for diesel.

This can also be seen at other supermarket forecourts, with Tesco in Wolverhampton also sitting at 190.9p per litre for unleaded, while Morrisons in Bilston is charging 189.7p.

Compare this with independent prices in the area, and it paints a different story.

The cheapest fuel station in Wolverhampton, Blakenhall Service Station (Total Energies) is currently selling unleaded for just 179.6p, more than 10p per litre cheaper than supermarket competitors.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: "Major retailers really need to cut their prices now, and going forwards they need to reduce them as soon as wholesale prices drop to give drivers confidence they’re not being taken for a ride every time they fill up.

 

"The ‘Big Four’ supermarkets, which dominate fuel sales, are standing firm with a litre of petrol at their stores costing an average of 190.19p.

 

"We would love to hear their reasoning for keeping their prices so high in this instance, but we’ve never known them publicly defend themselves.

"Far too often it’s the smallest retailers, who sell far less fuel combined despite having more forecourts, that stand up for the industry."

From: https://www.expressandstar.com/news/business/2022/07/05/big-four-supermarket-fuel-prices-questioned-as-independents-cut-costs/

 

 

[Anti Facts Sir]

Yeah I've noticed some odd price changes...the Shell garage nearby which was the most expensive before (189p when others were about 179p), has stayed the same while Tesco, Sainsburys and M&S/BP have shot up into the 191-192p range.

[Fluke]

On 7/4/2022 at 11:02 PM, Nefaria said:

There are people by me who literally get in their car to drive to the corner shop, they only live in the next street (even with fuel prices increasing)!  By the time they've faffed about getting their keys then driving off then parking up (only to do the reverse again after) i have already walked it there and back!  Some people are that lazy and/or that stupid.  They are always buying other items that are heavily taxed too: cigarettes and alcohol!

I agree I've only had my license 2 months but I still enjoy a walk even if fuel prices were low.