Well, my title says it all really. This morning, I had to necessarily go out early, 6am’ish to drop some stuff off at a relative’s place. My local Esso garage was rammed with motorists who clearly ordinarily wouldn’t be out on the road at 6am, but they were queuing 20 cars long up a road which is normally a no stopping zone seemingly desperate to fill their tanks to bursting.
It’s just not funny. It was the same yesterday. This whole thing appears to be fuelled by the media, with sensationalist headlines stoking people up. Quite frankly, it’s ludicrous, but then so are the people who obviously know that what they are doing is just plain selfish. And I cannot believe that garage staff are actually allowing people who have turned up with several jerry cans, to fill up. I know some garages are introducing a £30 fill limit, but then I guess some people will fill to £30, pay for it and do the same again.
My disappointment in Joe Public is beyond measure.
Well, what did anyone expect? When the government said yesterday “don’t worry, don’t panic buy”, of course people are gonna panic buy because everyone knows that this government always lies, and you must always expect the polar opposite of what the government says to be true.
Just for objectivity, the same could be said for any Government in power, not just the present lot we have at the moment. Having lived mainly under the same two political parties my entire life, they are both as economical with the truth as each other when in power.
I filled up yesterday at Tesco, just south of Pontins Southport, as I literally had about 20 miles worth of fuel left in the tank, which was never gonna get me home from my holiday.
Just a normal Friday morning, I’m glad to say. Rolled up and had three pumps to choose from!
I wonder what state that same station is in this morning, just over 24 hours later
For some, £30 of fuel may not get you home, so would have the joys of the same queueing hysteria further along the journey.
Though I read somewhere that the fuel companies are making sure that the motorway services pumps are full. At +26p/l on most non-motorway services, I’m not surprised, but, more practically, if you are running out of fuel on a motorway, you don’t want to have to suddenly try and find one by turning off at next junction, do you?
I drove between Cromer and Norwich yesterday and there were parts of the road blocked by queuing cars. It was positively dangerous going past petrol stations. Some forecourts had staff out at the front directing traffic, but it was a mess. I’m almost out now and planning to try our 24h station late tonight, but there may be nothing left. I really have to drive on Wednesday, so it will be fun if I can’t get fuel soon
Well in my town, good 'ole Joe Public has managed to successfully empty just about every forecourt that isn’t charging motorway service station prices. So all that has happened now, is that the tradesmen/women, private delivery drivers, food delivery drivers, including supermarket delivery drivers, now can’t get fuel to do their jobs. I actually overheard someone talking to someone else earlier today and admitted that they didn’t actually need any fuel, they were just filling up because everyone else was. That is the mentality that we have to put up with.
Every forecourt in town is empty. Had to drive visit relatives and their forecourts are also completely empty. I’m now in the red. Neighbour’s car absolutely reeks of petrol so I wonder what they were up to today…
Yep, found out my old work tonight was severely behind because a driver was sat in traffic for 20 minutes to get petrol, for them to run out of it at the end of that waiting time.
Luckily our ASDA has had plenty of it (3 refills today, about the only place not on the motorway nearby that has any petrol)
I am interested to see if any of the service stations (possibly more so the franchises/independents) see an opportunity to raise prices for the rest of their stock.
Old-fashioned Supply and Demand economics.
Would they risk upsetting their regular clientele though with unnecessary price hikes for a week?
Not seen any yet, but then I have not been out in my car since Friday morning
I’m socked that the ones near me haven’t yet. Petrol has become so scarce in my city (because of all the morons panic buying) that they could frankly charge what they want and people would still be forced to pay it.
I had little choice but to put £15 of Esso’s super duper we’ll take you to the moon and your engine will be cleaner than a bio lab, diesel yesterday. At £1.55 a litre, even the taxi drivers were pulling up and then driving straight off again even though they needed to fill up. This is the chaos that the drivers who wouldn’t normally run their tanks full have caused. I still blame the media for the majority of the issue, they stoke the fear mentality in people because they clearly get some sort of kick out of it.
On the flipside, our local garage just a mile away from us did actually have some unleaded, so I was able to completely fill my Wife’s car which was almost on empty. My Wife although working from home most of the time, is a key worker who is required to travel anywhere throughout the South West if required, so it’s essential she has the fuel to do this.
Crucially they get clicks out of it, which generates ad revenue. This is the problem with a news model that is rewarded solely through impressions rather than how balanced the coverage is.
I went to Tesco today to pick up some shopping but it was difficult to get out due to a line of cars that stretched all the way around the massive car park. It turns out the Tesco petrol station was having to use the entire perimeter as one giant queue for the pumps. I’ve never seen anything like it!
So, who’s going to start panic buying turkeys for Chrimbo then? To be honest, it wouldn’t surprise me if the same people who have been sticking 5 quids worth of fuel in the car just to keep it on the full line, end up stripping the shelves of Aunt Bessies and sprouts just in case there aren’t enough HGV drivers to deliver the stuff. Honestly, people need to get a grip.
And on Christmas, even my local Coop have got Xmas pudds on the shelf and it’s still 3 full months to go to Chrimbo Day. I’m surprised Easter eggs aren’t sat alongside them.
To be honest, it wouldn’t surprise me if the same people who have been sticking 5 quids worth of fuel in the car just to keep it on the full line, end up stripping the shelves of Aunt Bessies and sprouts just in case there aren’t enough HGV drivers to deliver the stuff. Honestly, people need to get a grip.