New way to protest high gas prices

[PJ]

There's a new type of protest. Instead of not buying gas on a particular day, the idea is to boycott permanently one of the main oil companies - in Canada, the target of the boycott is Shell and its affiliate Petro-Canada.

The idea is that if a significant number of people boycott Shell/PC for a long period of time (say 6 months), then that company will have to lower its prices or suffer huge losses. If it lowers its prices, it'll start a price war with other oil companies, and the consumer will benefit.

Not a bad idea. Is it being done in any other countries?

[avanutria]

I haven't heard of anything like that here.

For my own amusement this weekend I worked out the British gas/petrol prices in terms of US dollars per gallon. It came out to $6.57. Makes $3 sound cheap..

I'd love to see a gasoline boycott for six months in the states, but I don't think most Americans would be willing to change their lifestyle enough to accomodate it. I know I wouldn't have been able to. In Utah last year I had a choice of driving 25 minutes to work or getting up two hours early to catch a series of busses.

[The Weekenders]

It just always seems a little weird to give business to somebody else who is part of the problem, too. How do you pick who really deserves it?

[Wormdiet]

I haven't heard of anything like that here.

For my own amusement this weekend I worked out the British gas/petrol prices in terms of US dollars per gallon. It came out to $6.57. Makes $3 sound cheap..

The issue isn't the absolute cost, it's the cost relative to a) what one would normally expect to pay and b) as a proportion of income.

I suspect Europeans have both higher absolute incomes and typically budget more of it for gas. So when a price surge hits, it hits both sides of the atlantic about the same. Of course this is just speculation.

[PJ]

It just always seems a little weird to give business to somebody else who is part of the problem, too. How do you pick who really deserves it?

Pick the biggest. If there's a price war, it makes sense to have the biggest company start it.

Obviously this won't work well in remote areas where there may only be one or two service stations, but in the cities (where these companies make their money), boycotting the biggest company, be it Shell or whoever, six months would put enormous pressure on them.

BTW, just to clarify, this isn't a blanket boycott of all gas stations. People will continue to buy gas, just not in the service stations of a particular company.

[tansy]

i boycotted EXON in 1992 , i guess forever.
moral issues though, not money.

[Tyler]

It just always seems a little weird to give business to somebody else who is part of the problem, too. How do you pick who really deserves it?

That's what I say; in an industry where supply is nearly all one-sided, what sense does it make to starve one company and fatten another, when they're both buying the same crude to refine...
If this tactic were used to drive one company down in price (theoretically speaking) that company might (again, in theory) go under, and thus reduce the number of petrolium companies versus ammount of crude available. The rest of the companies must raise their prices in order to purchase or build more refineries to keep up with the hole in end-user supply demand (because demand will rise with the elimination of a providor, thus creating an opportunity for expansion in the other companies, which expansion will cost money), thus increasing the overal price of gasoline in the US and Canada.
The only way to reduce the overall price of gasoline is to reduce the overall value of crude oil. In plain English, if you want to reduce the price of gasoline, you have to universally reduce demand for gasoline in general.
In planer English, use less gasoline.
In plainer-er English, if you wanna make a difference, sell that big damn pickup truck/SUV/large displacement engined luxury car that you probably dont really need and buy a small, gas efficient vehicle.

Again....the only way for the consumer of any good to manipulate the price of said good in a free market atmosphere is to manipulate the properties of it's supply and demand.

Use less gas.

[s1m0n]

There's a new type of protest. Instead of not buying gas on a particular day, the idea is to boycott permanently one of the main oil companies - in Canada, the target of the boycott is Shell and its affiliate Petro-Canada.

The idea is that if a significant number of people boycott Shell/PC for a long period of time (say 6 months), then that company will have to lower its prices or suffer huge losses. If it lowers its prices, it'll start a price war with other oil companies, and the consumer will benefit.

Not a bad idea. Is it being done in any other countries?

It's a stupid idea. The price of gas is a reflection of demand, not anything that the oil companies have control over.

If you want gas prices to come down, switch your SUV to a compact or take the bus.

Nothing but a permenent change in demand is going budge alter the price of oil.

Silly "we can get something for nothing" schemes are useless.

[GaryKelly]

I suspect Europeans have both higher absolute incomes and typically budget more of it for gas. So when a price surge hits, it hits both sides of the atlantic about the same. Of course this is just speculation.

Speculation indeed. I've never understood where the "Europeans are richer and so make provisions to budget for it" notions come from. The same kind of fallacy popped up in another thread about petrol prices.

[Flyingcursor]

I suspect Europeans have both higher absolute incomes and typically budget more of it for gas. So when a price surge hits, it hits both sides of the atlantic about the same. Of course this is just speculation.

Speculation indeed. I've never understood where the "Europeans are richer and so make provisions to budget for it" notions come from. The same kind of fallacy popped up in another thread about petrol prices.

Oh Oh! I hope you didn't have any off eggs today. I'm heading for the hills.

[Tyler]

Blessus and splashusss my preciousss, what's it got in it's pocketsess? Eh, tell us that! Monies its got in its nasty pocketses from the nasty, filthy lower gas prices, fat 'merican hobbitses!

[GaryKelly]

Oh Oh! I hope you didn't have any off eggs today. I'm heading for the hills.

Hehe. I did have a hardboiled egg today, come to think of it! But nope, my mood is fine. I am pleasantly knackered from a v.splendid weekend in excellent company.

But anyway... here's a jolly good link for anyone interested in comparing the cost of living between major cities around the globe. Ireland does not come off very well, as I'm sure Peter Laban and others have already mentioned:

http://www.finfacts.com/costofliving.htm


Well worth a mooch!

[BigDavy]

Hi Wormdiet

The per capta GDP of the UK is roughly $30k, that of the US is roughly $40k. We get it in the neck both ways, higher prices and lower wages.

David

[jbarter]

One of the best 'cost of living' comparisons I've seen details how long you had to work to buy certain items twenty years ago and how long you have to work for them now. It can throw up a few surprises.

[Tyler]

One of the best 'cost of living' comparisons I've seen details how long you had to work to buy certain items twenty years ago and how long you have to work for them now. It can throw up a few surprises.

I throw up a few surprises after too many pints

No really, though...it is interesting, I can even gauge how the cost of living has increased in just the time since I was able to drive....
back then, gas cost less than seventy cents per gallon...