Just Venting @#!@ Diesel Fuel Price - Page 5 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

pawoSD · #61 10-26-2005, 11:59 PM

I drove an extra 6 miles out of my way today to go to the brand new shell station (well....less than a year old) south of my house. www.grandrapidsgasprices.com said they have diesel for $3.24, vs. 3.49 up the street from me....I needed over 17 gallons....so I went there and saved almost $5, sounds good to me.

The pump was way way nicer too! Clean and high tech. + they have shop towels and cleaner things all over the place too. Why is it $3.24 at shell and $3.49 at meijer and speedway($3.59) less than 6 and 4 miles away? I don't get that, except if its because of different supplier chains....(probably). The pump I used had one of those nifty counters up on the side of it that counts the grand total of gallons dispensed from that pump. My side was at 11,932 gallons when I was done!

I didn't check the other side but its probably similar. Thats over 20,000 gallons from a pump not even a year old. Wshew....and thats one pump, and a diesel one. Scary to think about those quanities!

dannym · #62 10-27-2005, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meltedpanda

I have created a monster, lets all kiss

and make up,

agree to disagree, get back to what we are good at - fixing things

You started it you can end it. Delete the first post here and it will all go away.

Again I apologies if I offended anyone. I get a little overzealous at times.

Danny

#63 10-27-2005, 09:15 AM

I am responding to aklims post. I agree with everything he said except I think he skipped over explaining morales in business in order to make a very good point.

I would like to expand on the morality and ethics in business. Generally speaking, as aklim described it relating to legal profit, I agree. There are such things as morality and ethics in business, but they have nothing to do with the point that dannym has been attempting to make. Just as Aklim says, there is legal profit and illegal profit. Businesses compete and price their goods as high as they can and still get people to buy them from them rather than their competitor. That's business and there is nothing immorale or unethical about that.

If competitors get together and fix the prices they charge, that is illegal. Since breaking the law is immorale and unethical, then fixing prices is such by definition.

Where there IS lack of morality and ethics in business is in areas like sexual harrassment, unfair labor practices and the lieing and cheating that people in business do with each other, and having spent plenty of years in business, believe me that happens in spades.

But, as aklim pointed out, making a profit while supplying goods or services that are wanted by their customers is BUSINESS.

In this country, if a particular company cheats you or even if you THINK that they cheated you, go down the street and do business with their competitor, but calling them immoral because they are out to make LEGAL profit is just whining.

So, there are those who will whine and argue that "I have to have gas, I have no choice, they have a monopoly, YAa, Yaa, yaa....." Well we have to have food too. We have to have electricity. We have to have water..................... Does this mean that the people selling those goods are gouging us as well? They all sell their goods for about the same price.

Prices are set to get as much money per unit of product as people will pay without going to the competitor or not buying them at all, period. That's the way most anyone sets their prices. There is nothing immoral about that.

Thanks aklim for the great posts,

#64 10-27-2005, 09:23 AM

dannym,

I can only speak for myself, but I have certainly not been offended by anything you have said. This is only discussion, not karate.

I would suggest that you learn more about making your point by proper quoting of facts and the way you deal with facts. When you debate on emotion versus well and properly presented facts, you are at an extreme disadvantage. Also, many times in the course of putting together facts you are able to see past the emotion and analyze your position.

Unfortunately the fuel price issue raises a lot of emotion with a lot of people and you are obviously caught up in that. I expect that you are young enough that this is the first time you've seen this movie as an adult. I've seen it and lived it before in the seventies. When I saw the movie the first time, I had MUCH less experience in business as well as being young and nieve. So, that time around I had a viewpoint similar to yours. I was caught up in the emotion of high fuel prices rather than looking at the practical facts of the matter.

Best of luck to you and have a great day,

Tiredofagasser · #65 10-27-2005, 10:29 AM

I work for a state entity that had a fixed rate or schedule for the last 17 years. In May this year we restructured and raised the rate between 25% and 65%. I know it sounds like a lot but given the amount of time the old rates were in effect, it was a tremendous discount for todays dollar. I, and can be sure others in my position have been called commies and wallet rapists along with other vulgarities that would surely ban me if repeated! Now my point- Stop pointing fingers at the wrong people!!!!!! I cannot offer the right(?) way point them but I think the past is catching up with us. Inflation vs. caps have only prolonged the inevitable- Higher prices! Folks, we have enjoyed the days of "cheap" oil (and tolls

) it is now time to pay the piper!

I am sure that someone will want a bibliography or "proof" and I don't have any. SO THERE!

boneheaddoctor · #66 10-27-2005, 10:36 AM

Basic point is that why diesel is $1 a gallon more when the same barrel of oil produces more diesel than gasolene...yet gasolene is cheaper...

and if its a demand issue then why are they not shifting production to meed the demand.

I feel they are doing this to maximise profits in an area that will creat the minimum public outrage. By purposely restricting supply to raise prices...

Otherwise they would balance production to meet needs.

Tiredofagasser · #67 10-27-2005, 10:48 AM

Mabe the reason is because diesel has a higher energy content. You get what you pay for!!

boneheaddoctor · #68 10-27-2005, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiredofagasser

Mabe the reason is because diesel has a higher energy content. You get what you pay for!!

A barrel of crude costs "X" with that you can produce "Y" gallons of diesel or "Y/2" gallons of gasolene....

Diesel should cost less as one Barrel produces far more than it will of gasolene...assuming no artificial restrictions of supply.

#69 10-27-2005, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiredofagasser

I work for a state entity that had a fixed rate or schedule for the last 17 years. In May this year we restructured and raised the rate between 25% and 65%. I know it sounds like a lot but given the amount of time the old rates were in effect, it was a tremendous discount for todays dollar. I, and can be sure others in my position have been called commies and wallet rapists along with other vulgarities that would surely ban me if repeated! Now my point- Stop pointing fingers at the wrong people!!!!!! I cannot offer the right(?) way point them but I think the past is catching up with us. Inflation vs. caps have only prolonged the inevitable- Higher prices! Folks, we have enjoyed the days of "cheap" oil (and tolls

) it is now time to pay the piper!

I am sure that someone will want a bibliography or "proof" and I don't have any. SO THERE!

Very well put. Although I am in TOTAL disagreement with government price caps, you are right on the money with the fact that we have enjoyed the same oil price for about 25 years. Are we better off that way or if it had been going up with the rate of inflation all those years?

Have a great day,

#70 10-27-2005, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boneheaddoctor

A barrel of crude costs "X" with that you can produce "Y" gallons of diesel or "Y/2" gallons of gasolene....

Diesel should cost less as one Barrel produces far more than it will of gasolene...assuming no artificial restrictions of supply.

BHD,

"I luv ya' man," but why should a company not charge for their product what it's worth? There obviously is more demand for heating oil/diesel fuel, so they can charge more. It's just business.

If I had a product that was seeing increasingly higher demand and people will pay more for it I would charge however much I can get for it. It's just good business. They are not picking on you personally.

Have a great day,

boneheaddoctor · #71 10-27-2005, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryBible

BHD,

"I luv ya' man," but why should a company not charge for their product what it's worth? There obviously is more demand for heating oil/diesel fuel, so they can charge more. It's just business.

If I had a product that was seeing increasingly higher demand and people will pay more for it I would charge however much I can get for it. It's just good business. They are not picking on you personally.

Have a great day,

I don't patently disagree with you there Larry...but where I diverge is when they do not shift production to meet needs, therefor causing an artifical shortage.

I.E. if they did this al fuel prices would rise or fall in relation to each other. And not have the large pronounce gap in price we see now on a product that should be lower becasue one barrel of crude will produce more Deisel than gasolene...yet our gasolene consumption is far in excess of deisel consumption (including #2 heating oil)

Therefor the shortage is a manufactured one to prop prices on a certain product via a artificial shortage.

If it was due to crude prices and purely on demand Gasolene prices would be exceding deisel prices at this time...

I don't fault them earning a buck...thats what buisinesses do, but my gripe is with the fact there is no reasonible explaination as to why they do not shift more production to where they claim a shortage exists.

meltedpanda · #72 10-27-2005, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannym

You started it you can end it. Delete the first post here and it will all go away.

Again I apologies if I offended anyone. I get a little overzealous at times.

Danny

No No, I certainly would not want to spoil everyones "fun"
I am noticing words like "luv" and "don't mean to offend" so I think its OK

dannym · #73 10-27-2005, 12:33 PM

Your a sick dude.

Quote:

IRVING, Texas - Exxon Mobil Corp. had a quarter for the record books. The world's largest publicly traded oil company said Thursday high oil and natural-gas prices helped its third-quarter profit surge almost 75 percent to $9.92 billion, the largest quarterly profit for a U.S. company ever, and it was the first to ring up more than $100 billion in quarterly sales. Net income ballooned to $9.92 billion, or $1.58 per share, from $5.68 billion, or 88 cents per share, a year ago.

Yeah sure it's OK to make a profit but this is just downright greedy and ridiculous.

I guess 9.92 billion in profits alone is better than 9 billion. Or even 8 billion. Where does the greed end?
Where does the money go? It's distributed to the shareholders. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Quote:

Two days ago, the House of Representatives was poised to dramatically increase proposed cuts to crucial health care, nutritional and educational services. Hours before the vote was scheduled to occur, top Republicans were forced to call it off—citing a sudden drop in support even among their own party.

While we celebrate this victory, the fight must go on. Congressional Republicans are vowing to redouble their efforts next week to push deep cuts in vital services for the nation's poor and middle class, while handing out tax breaks to the rich.

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2005-10-20T214215Z_01_N20349158_RTRIDST_0_CONGRESS-HEALTH.XML

Quote:

Democrats argue that many of the programs set for cuts are ones that would help destitute hurricane victims. They say Republicans intend to deny aid to the poor while ignoring more pressing issues, such as soaring gas prices and the looming threat posed by the avian flu.

''They are going to cut programs that help the most vulnerable people in America," said Senate Democratic whip Richard J. Durbin of Illinois. He added that Republican leaders did not cut the budget to pay for the Iraq war or to cover the cost of tax cuts pushed by Bush.

OOPps...did I plagiarize again? someone turn me in!
I refuse to reveal my sources.

#74 10-27-2005, 02:27 PM

Yes, you did plagiarize again, (thanks for the correct spelling) but that's not really a problem with me. The only reason I want to know the source is for the reasons I stated which will drastically improve your credibility in such discussions.

Thank you VERY much for actually posting your first quote, even though I have no idea where it is from, with some factual information in it. Now then, $9.92 Billion Net Income on $100 Billion in revenue. Tell me, does that sound like excessive profit to you? That is less than 10%. Of COURSE their revenue is increasing. What do you expect when their retail prices have taken a huge upswing? Do you wish to deny them a fair profit? I think that a profit less than 10% is VERY fair.

As far as the other of your "quotes" they are over run with editorial comment as well as questionable context. How about straight facts please, with sources specified.

Have a great day,

junqueyardjim · #75 10-27-2005, 02:43 PM

Went to Co - Op this AM and 2% bio was 3.69 a gallon. They must be able to sell it, but I am parking my little Mercedes and am just going to wait for the WVO season to open in April. Close to $1.50 more for diesel then gas, and the Lincoln does almost as well on miles per gallon. So it is the Lincoln for me.