OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

mevans_dot_net
Community Member
I saw on the news tonight it was $.89+/L in Toronto so I filled up while I still had a chance at $.78/L.

I just saw a clip on the news that it hit $1.01 in BC. I suspect we're not far from seeing that here.
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

deltone
Community Member
Just north of Toronto.........near Lindsay......$84.9 but I hear it's going higher tomorrow.

My husband and I own a gas station but lease it out to someone. It is a brutal business and very hard to make money unless you have a location where you get a lot of volume. You only make around $.03 a litre and that's before expenses. It's like playing the stock market. If you buy high and the price drops, you're up the creek without a paddle. I wouldn't recommend the biz to my worst enemy. Then everyone whines and b*tches about the price when you the owner had no control over it.
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

mevans_dot_net
Community Member
Yes, now that's something they were saying on the news. They said the gas station owners are fielding a lot of aggression from the customers and to tell the truth, before the newscast, I put $5 in my tank, as had the last person at the pump from what I saw on it. I went in to pay by Interac (figured that would cost THEM the extra 3% or whatever it is) and the cashier was very pleasant saying "Thanks Michelle, price is high isn't it?". I told him I hoped the government would do something about it now that it was way out of control. But the news had reported later, they only run the stations on behalf of Esso, Shell, PetroCan and others. They actually only make money on the convenience store sales. So our aggression is misplaced.

What sort of profit are the gas companies making then? Deb, if you're only making $1.50 every time I fill up I know there's a problem because I'm slapping 40 bucks on the table. This is crazy. People are heading over the border in Niagara for gas which works out to $.65/L (as per the newscast). I know our taxes really increase prices and I realize that results in our roads being much better maintained than the US and cleaner too.

I remember doing that years ago when I had friends that lived in Niagara Falls. We'd drive down there and just hop over "the river" and fill up. Then we'd stop at Tops for some groceries and that whole trip was free from Etobicoke to Niagara, due to the savings.
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

auctiondropnship
Community Member
compared to the rest of the world Our prices are low for Gas:-(
.
Auction Drop N Ship
Drop It, Sell It, Ship It

Canada's Ebay Drop Off Store
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shooger
Community Member
Almost a buck here now in Vancouver.
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

deltone
Community Member
Mevans, the profits are even lower. That $.03 a litre is gross (in both meanings of the word). From that there is the cost of the interac (around $.17 I think) or the credit card fee (a percentage). Also, there is the salaries, hydro, etc etc. It's one of the most ridiculous business's to be in.

Oh, and in the store.........you can forget about it. Cigarettes........which cost an arm and a leg for a lousy $.25 or so gross profit. You tie up a load of money buying stock of cigs and fuel. And pop......you don't make much on a bottle of pop....you make more on a can but if you notice, the soda companies are pushing the bottles more than the cans. If you sell Lottery tickets........your gross on them is low too.

It's a nickle and penny business and if you don't have the volume, you can forget about it. That's why we got out of it. We lease the gas bar part out to a poor guy who is not a happy camper. He's a poor business man though and is not stocking the store end properly. He's figuring he should make his money on the fuel and it's not about to happen.

That being said, some of the gas bars in high volume areas probably make a tidy sum but if you're not in one of those spots, it's terrible. We do much better just collecting the rent and we don't have the headaches.

It is a stupid business to be in and I would NEVER get involved in it again. We only got stuck with it because we bought the building as my husband runs the back end (garage) and it came with an existing gas bar. We ran it (well, he ran it) for a year until I talked him into leasing it out as it wasn't worth the hassle.

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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

amberwoodottawa
Community Member
We just hit 93.9 at one station this morning in Ottawa and expcet the rest to follow suit. Ottawa is higher than all the neighbouring communities due to price fixing which the Federal Government has investigated and found not to be the situation (even though they charged one independant gas company for setting their prices too low, go figure).

What a joke, getting the government to investigate price fixing in the gas market. That's like having Coke investigate market prices for soda.

If you have a vested interest, you shouldnt be charged with the responsibility to investigating yourself (PetroCan and per gallon tax revenues).

We are looking at a $1+ per litre price throughout the summer from what I hear.

Malcolm
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

deltone
Community Member
Wow, 93.9!! That IS high. My mom lives in Ottawa and usually when I visit her I have found the gas prices lower than here, but that is higher. YIEKS

I'm actually going to Ottawa Sunday to see my mom for Mother's Day. I best make sure we fill up before we go!!!
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

mevans_dot_net
Community Member
I just got back from driving my son to school and the prices out here in the suburbs of Toronto have caught up with the core, 89.5.

And Harmac was in there re-fueling the stations after yesterday's line-ups for 78.7.

I heard the same thing, the prices are going to be around $1 at least until Labour Day. Apparently they're $1.02 on Salt Spring Island in BC already. That must be the highest right now since they keep mentioning it on the news.

Malcom, how did they justify charging the independent with low pricing? What was the charge?
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

muminlaw
Community Member
I haven't checked this morning, but yesterday in Victoria it was 95.9 for self-serve which will mean over $1 for full-serve at the stations that still offer it. We heard that many Salt Spring Islanders are timing their fill-ups for whan they come to the "big island" and they expect that sales of motor-scooters will soar! I want one of them myself! I wanna be a "biker granny"!!!

Glenda

Glenda

Click here to go to my Store
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

gloriaguides
Community Member
It's been 93.9 for regular in Halifax since Tuesday. And, I heard it's going higher still. Apparently too little supply, great demand. I guess we won't go as far this summer (NOT!). I've got an Echo that goes a long way on a little gas (and a guzzling van for when the whole family goes, but then you can divide the cost by the 5 people going, right?). Gloria
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

aabros
Community Member
94.9 in Metro Montreal.
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ospreylinks
Community Member
Gee and I was thinking what a great job my local gas station was doing by speeding up the pumps.... like it takes next to no time to put $40.00 worth in the tank..

Jeff
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

shooger
Community Member
It's about $1.20 here for the good stuff (Vancouver BC). More if you want full serve.
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

phoenix_top_drawer
Community Member
Last I looked it was 93.9
I'm just on my way to work and have to fill up.. near Moncton, New Brunswick

Joanne
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

amberwoodottawa
Community Member
Joanne
I bet you could drive your car right through those pumps everytime you think of all the money the Ervings are making right?

Malcolm
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Re: OT: So what are the gas prices where you are?

aabros
Community Member
98.9 in Metro Montreal yesterday.
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