Gas Station Workers Face Angry Customers

[Deep N RedLand]

DALLAS - It's a scene gas station workers say is becoming increasingly common and frightening: Customers angry over gas prices nearing $3 a gallon storm in and decide to take it out on the employees.

"They just yell and scream," said Selam Berhe, assistant manager at a Dallas Tetco station. "They think it's only us that are high-priced."

Incidents of consumer anger and gas-station crime have made headlines across the country, including the killing of a gas station owner in Alabama last week by a driver attempting to steal $52 worth of gas.

Alvin Benefield, 42, surrendered Thursday and was being held on theft and manslaughter charges in the death of Husain "Tony" Caddi, police said.

Berhe recalled the particularly belligerent behavior of a man who ranted about the prices to everyone in the station.

"He walked in the store and said, 'Do you work here? This is ridiculous,'" Berhe said. "He was telling each and every customer. I was like, I don't make the prices."

http://start.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20050826/430e93c0_3ca6_15526200508261523120231

(And they'll keep voting for the Rethugs and exercising their god-given right to drive SUVs.*sigh*)

[wakeme2008]

1. If they are upset now wait till it hits $3.50 per gallon

:popcorn:

[slor]

3. We will see $5.00 per gallon...

before spring, and will look back fondly on $3.50.

[Stuckinthebush]

27. That would be one hell of a jump

In 6 months. But it could happen depending on what happens with the producers, not to mention Venezuela.

[reprobate]

51. $5? Yes, but I think by next summer. Certainly by next fall.

[Missy M]

2. They should be venting their anger at the bush administration....

and the oil companies and realize the employees have nothing to do with the gas prices. On the other hand, hopefully, most are just venting their anger and not getting violent.

[Ian David]

4. You could stand outside with a sign that says, "3 Miles to cheaper gas"

Make them actually compete on price.

[northzax]

43. the problem is,

the producers sell gas to all the stations, and the stations actually don't have a lot of wiggle room, their markup may be 10 or 15 cents a gallon, that's not a lot of flexibility for the owner/operator.

additionally, many states have laws forbidding the sale of gasoline under a certain markup (in MD, it's 8 cents/gallon) this was designed to stop people like WalMart from entering the market and selling gas as a loss leader.

ExxonMobil, for instance, doesn't particularly care if you buy gas from an Exxon dealer or a Chevron dealer, (it's the same gas, after all) their profit, for the most part, is in selling the gas to the wholesalers.

[Toots]

47. Buy Citgo

Prices are cheaper and money is not used to fund GOP but to actually help some poor people throughout the world.

[niallmac]

5. Are the gas station owners usually

of some middle eastern descent?....is that why these people are freaking out or am I just
jumping to a conclusion based on the name in this article 'Selam Berhe'. It would be sad to think racism is the first instinct in a price crunch.

[sendero]

14. Here in Dallas...

... a huge proportion of convenience stores/gas stations are in fact owned and run by middle Easterners. The used car business as well.

These rubes bitching at the owner/operators is just indicative of the stupidity and infantile behavior of so many Americans.

The stations aren't the source of this problem, and the dude manning the cash register almost certainly has nothing to do with it.

People who want to rant and rave about it should call the White House.

[zalinda]

31. A lot of stations are now being owned

by darker skinned people. The station near us is owned by east Indians, although he very proudly wears a Christian button on his shirt.

zalinda

[pitohui]

32. many are actually south asian not middle eastern

doesn't mean average peeved-off customer realizes the difference tho

racism is very much a first impulse when people see those of a different race coming into neighborhoods & selling items at what seems exorbitant in price

think of the issues in black neighborhoods w. korean store-owners

there is a feeling of people being robbed & ripped off by outsiders

i understand gas station owners don't set the prices

not everyone does understand

[MADem]

39. BINGO!!!!!

My very first thought--I have a good friend who is Afghan who owns a couple of gas stations...no one is more bullshit that he over the prices. Every time they go up, he loses a little on margin. He's tired of the bullshit/bushit too; and thinks they poured their cash into the wrong damn country. Of course, Afghanistan isn't really in the Middle East (it is in SW Asia) and they have no oil....

[niallmac]

54. I guess this is what happens when bubba feels squeezed!

Lashes out at an easy target. Bush: Campaigned on the phrase 'a uniter not a divider' and yet his entire political life has depended on fostering hatred and violence.

[mark11727]

6. I remember 'way back in the late Seventies...

... it must've ben when gas first hit a dollar. I was working from some people from England, and I wasn't getting any sympathy from them. They kept telling me that in Europe, gas was the equivalent of about three or four dollars a gallon, and that our own prices were artificially low.

I may be a little fuzzy on the dates and prices, but you get the general idea.

[Oggy]

8. Petrol ( gas ) price in the UK

works out at $6.13 a gallon, and that is the lower end of prices here.

[WePurrsevere]

11. Any idea how that compares to the average wage there versus here?

It would be interesting to see a break down to get a better comparison.

TIA:)

[BiggJawn]

21. Hard to tell. The Europeans aren't too forthcoming with that kind of info.

They're quick to chastise us ("What are you Yanks snivelling about? We've been paying $6 a gallon for YEARS!") but they disappear when you ask for more numbers so you have some kind of context.
Makes me wonder what they're hiding. Probably that they consider $50,000 a year poverty....

I did talk to a fellow in the UK who admitted that he made coinsiderably more money than I did, but he had the sword of "Redundancy" hanging over him (I didn't bother to explain how our "Employment at Will" laws worked) but then again, he DID have the NHS, and the bus service/trains weren't TOO bad, if somewhat slow.

Remember, too, they don't have to travel 10 miles one way to get to the grocery store that someone decided would be better to put WAY out in the hinterlands than within walking/biking distance.

Also, I think it's important to remember that UK petrol didn't go from cheap to $6 in less than a year

[Orrin_73]

26. I dont know how much they make in UK

but here in Holland, we dont make as much as in the good old USA. We pay about 5.32 euro or $6.6 a gallon (1.4 p/liter). We have more feul efficient cars over here we dont drive in SUV's or hummers.

[truth2power]

42. Thanks, Jawn, for raising this issue.

I'm sick of hearing that gas is XX $ a gallon in Europe. That's a fallacious argument, IMO and I don't know why any progressive who can get a 5 second sound bite on TV isn't refuting it.

As you said, it's the context. No matter what the price per gallon, what matters is that that price is built into the economy. The telling statement above is that, for Europeans, it's been that way "FOR YEARS", and no doubt, their economy reflects that.

Years ago, when the average yearly wage was maybe $4000, you could buy a new car for $2000. Now you'd be lucky to find a new car for much under $26,000, but wages have compensated for that, mostly.

How long ago was gas $1.40 per gallon? Couple years ago, I guess. Well, where I live it's now about $2.70. By my calculations that's a 93% increase. But wages haven't increased. We're being strangled while Cheney makes more money than he could spend in 5 lifetimes.

[booksenkatz]

28. Yeah, my hubby is a Brit

It's apples and oranges. It's a waste of time to compare an average American household budget with that of an average household in Britain. Brits don't have to figure health care and prescription costs into their monthly budgets like we do. But they do pay certain taxes and fees which we do not -- television comes to mind. It's all so different there, and to boil it down merely to what they're paying for petrol vs. what we're paying, it's not a fair comparison.

[MindPilot]

40. I understand about the telly license in England, but

I'll bet my cable bill is more.

[magellan]

44. Sky satellite was about £42/month when we left the UK

Add another 10 quid per month for the telly license, totals the equivalent of around $94. How much do you pay for cable?

[northzax]

45. ah yes, but you don't have to have cable

I don't, for instance, so I watch TV for free (in exchange for commercials of course and a limited number of stations.)

to the previous point: it wouldn't matter if gasoline was $200/gallon in England. It's irrelevant, as someone else mentioned the price has been built into the structure of the economy. A lot of people bought less efficient cars when gas was $1.50 a gallon, not $2.50. And the entire social and economic structure is built around artificially high fuel prices.

take an example: you take a new job in, say, Omaha. You are assigned a parking spot in the building that costs $50/month. At that price, you live 25 miles away and commute, since you have a nice house, and good schools for the kiddies. Two months later, the company announces that parking is going up to $300/month. When you complain, they say "hey, at headquarters in New York City, parking's $1,000/month, this is a bargain." true, but it's irrelevant to your life. Your lifestyle is based on the expectation that you could park at the office, your kids are in schools out there, your wife has a job near home, your mother-in-law lives over the garage. Compared to New York, parking is cheap, but if you'd known it was going to be $300/month, like the guys in New York knew it would be $1,000/month, you'd have changed your lifestyle to accomodate it in the first place. But now it is much harder to change.

[MindPilot]

52. There are a lot of things I don't HAVE to have

I *could* live without a house--a lot of people do it, but I don't want to be one of them. I definitely agree with the main point though; it's not the actual amount that gas costs, but how fast it is going up relative to wages and other expenses.

On the subject of cable, my bill is $133. Forty of that is for broadband so it is in the same range as the previous poster mentioned. I could put up a big honking antenna with a rotator and get "free" TV on three or four stations with iffy reception, but again, I don't want to, especially since I very rarely find anything to watch on network TV.

At 10 quid a month, the BBC delivers some pretty darn good quality programming, so it's still an apples to dishwashers comparison. :D

[BiggJawn]

49. Does the annual BBC "tax" cost more than DirectTV?

I have read that the license fee is around US$190.
Now, you CAN get DirectTV for about $40 a month, but most subscribers want MORE, so figure the "De-Lux" package for maybe $55 a month (how should *I* know? I don't even have Basic Cable!)
So that comes out to $660 a year.
And consider what Cable TV costs. $47 a month here(basic). That's $564 a year. You could license 3 colour tellies in the UK for that price...

And I know people who have digital cable and buy everything the cable company offers: hundreds of channels, pay-per-view movies, DSL internet, VOIP telephone, and they pay around $170 a month, or 2 kilobux a year (crazy!)

So I agree, it *IS* a waste of time to compare US v. UK costs of housekeeping...

BTW, my out-of pocket "employee contribution" for health insurance runs me $53 a month, and my non-covered share of the maintenance medications is over $70 a MONTH.
and it cost me $20 for a 15-minute visit wiht my doctor, who's under the gun from my HMO to crank out 4 patients an hour.

And people in the UK think the NHS is SO bad.....:)

[pitohui]

36. forget wages, i suggest folks just look at a map

england is a tiny country

the united states a large one

if we want to have a strong business climate, we must support more affordable gas prices than can be tolerated in europe

being completely anti-business & anti-working-person-who-has-to-drive-to-work is not going to work for the democrats or any usa political party

yr point is well taken, since the british have nat'l health care & other benefits we don't enjoy in the usa, their standard of living seems noticeably higher & they have longer life expectancies

but even if they didn't have higher wages/benefits from their jobs, the reality is that usa is one of the larger of the world's nations & if we wish to remain unified, we need to be able to travel

[CottonBear]

17. : Do UK gas taxes subsidize programs such as NHS, schools & transit?

I'm curious. Here in GA, we have had the lowest gas prices in the USA until recently. Gas taxes only go to build and repair roads and bridges (with a teeny, tiny bit ocassionally thrown in for associated sidewalks and bike lanes)

I could see paying more for gas if gas taxes were used for social programs and public transit. As it is, the oil and gas companies are pocketing record profits.

I don't want to hear anyone who voted for Bu$h complain about gas prices, especially if they drive a giant SUV.

[magellan]

48. No

Around 70% of UK petrol prices is tax -- Fuel Duty and VAT. VAT is the "flat tax" of 17.5% Brits pay on all purchases. Fuel Duty was introduced by the Tories in 1993 to both raise government revenue and discourage car use. But it's only succeeded in lining the government's pockets.

[Lorien]

34. Of course, you Brits and most of the EU have an excellent

public transportation system; something America could have developed years ago but chose the highway system (and oil industry profits) instead.

[NoPasaran]

7. Before they complain, they should peel the Wastikas off their SUVs

Fuck 'em!

[Nihil]

9. The petrol stations should put up their own signs:

"If you think the price you're paying is expensive,
guess how the guys in Arlington feel about it."

[SammyWinstonJack]

33. Ouch!

Good reply! Do you think they would get it?

[Nihil]

41. Probably not

Guess you'd need a picture as well as the words for some people ...
and even then you'd have to be lucky ...

[Gregorian]

46. Oh, that's a good one.

Now more blood in every gallon!

Would you rather walk?




Without gas this whole house of cards tumbles. Therefore, gas is actually the most valuable thing we have. Twenty bucks a gallon?

[WePurrsevere]

10. Drive aways are up too.... Gas Station Employees end up paying OOP

About a week ago we stopped to get gas and my husband ended uo in a conversation with the very upset gas station employee and a fellow customer because there had just been a drive away and the attendant was very upset since it woudl come out of his pocket even though it wasn't his fault that the gas station owners refused to have a decent out servalience system and often only have one employee on at a time. Apparently the gas station owners will absorb the first $20. per month but after that it comes out of his pocket and his family's mouths. This is something that I personally feel may be illegal (or should be) as did my husband who suggested the employee contact NYS Dept of Labor about it.

Anyway, the employee said he's seen a dramatic increase in drive aways and when I talked with my daughters finance who also works at gas stations on the local NA Res said the same thing except most stations there are full service, there are at least two employees on and cameras all over so those drive aways are usually caught (I haven't asked him whether the cost is taken from employees paycheck if they're not caught yet.).

[Starbucks Anarchist]

12. I really wish just one politician would come down hard on SUVs.

And no, I'm not talking about people who have legitimate uses for them. I'm talking about the self-centered insecure jerks who insist it's their God-given right to destroy the Earth's ecosystem while funding corrupt Mideast regimes.

But no, we wouldn't want to upset the "security moms" and "NASCAR dads."

:eyes:

[Streetdoc270]

16. How about we lay the blame where it belongs...

We have an excessive 'Evil SUV' culturehere and I wish that all of you would look at what the real problem is. The fuel economy standard is the real evil, and that is the engine makers doing not the vehicle that the engine is put in. I have an SUV that gets better MPG than a Mustang, but I never hear any calls to 'come down hard' on those vehicles! Fix the problem where it lies, don't blame people fo expressing their choice of what type of vehicle to drive.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

18. I have no problem with those who have a legitimate use for SUVs.

I assume you are one of them. And, yes, we should demand better fuel economy. But I specifically mentioned SUVs because of the increasing presence of them in the last decade and the fact that the majority of them get worse mileage than most cars.

[SammyWinstonJack]

37. "We have an excessive 'Evil SUV' culturehere." No kidding!

It gets tiresome! "Fix the problem where it lies, don't blame people fo expressing their choice of what type of vehicle to drive." Why, when it's so much fun to pile on SUV drivers? :eyes: It one of the more fun pastimes on DU.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

13. Same nitwits that are pro-war and have voted for the idiot repeatedly.

World instability brought to you by the neo-cons, or to get biblical: "you reap what you sow." Too bad everyone has to pay for their continuing stupidity.

[ConcernedCanuk]

15. It's that sort of mentality that allows the carnage in Iraq to continue

.
.
.

Anyone that thought about it for even a few nanoseconds would realize that the guy taking your cash at the pumps has squat to do with the price of the gas

Even if he OWNS the gas station, most distributors have to charge what the gas company tells them to

Is the United States Population really that DUMB????????

I'm beginning to think so

(SIGH)

[LostinVA]

22. And, part of it is the "SUV is cooler than a car or mini-van"

I KNOW people like this -- they got there huge gas guzzler for "more space." But, many minivans, wagons, and even sedans have more interior and cargo room, let alone gas mileage. And you can rack kayaks, etc. on a wagon easier than a SUV.. well, we short people can, anyway! It's some kind of weird mind block or something.

I FINALLY has a friend tell me she didn't want to drive something else because her SUV looked "cooler." You know, if you're over a certain age or don't have a small penis, why does your main car have to be cool? I just don't understand it, I guess. It's just a means of transportation. Heck, I drive a Golf TDI. It's a hatchback, square and boxy, absolutely not cool. But it gets well over 40 mpg and can run on biodiesel.

[ConcernedCanuk]

24. The SUV is today's "poor" man's Corvette

.
.
.

With the ability today to own a $50,000 vehicle with a signature and a monthly payment

anyone that really wants to can own one of these behemoths

Even up here in Canukistan I see mothers doing their shopping in huge 4x4's -

MUCH too shiny and purty to go 4 wheel driving - you'll never see them in the bush up here

Strictly a status/phallic symbol if'n u ask me

But I have to admit,

My main vehicle for the last 15 years is a 4x4

But this baby is USED for da bush, around 2000 cliks a year, dat's it



You'll find 100's of pix where this guy goes by clikkin' on me eyes below . . .

[LostinVA]

29. If you go 4 wheeling in it

Then you're using it for good, not evil! I see LANDROVERS driving around town with some Yuppie chick in it. Not too much veldt around these parts...

[MindPilot]

23. Yes they are. And when they get in a car, they are even more stupid

As a 20-year veteran of the car business, beginning as a gas jockey in the early '70s and retiring as a dealership technician in the 90s, I can tell you there is nothing more ignorant, more belligerent, or more intolerant than someone who has to spend money to keep driving.

I've been pushed, shoved, hit, screamed at, threated with arrest, had a gun pointed at me, had cars driven at me, you name it.

People stop checks, charge back credit cards, and sometimes will literally steal their cars from the dealer.

Somehow they got the idea that driving should cost them nothing beyond the original cost of the vehicle.

[borlis]

38. My brother in law owns a Unocal station in So. California.

Believe me, he is not getting rich off of the high prices at the pump. Your info is correct. :hi:

[seemunkee]

19. I worked for a local gas company in summer of 74

First day on the job I had to go out and help raise the prices.Everything was mechanical so we had to go to each pump and do it. All of this companies stations were in the poorer of DC. We would roll a barrel in front of the next car in line and jack up the price. People were getting out of their cars yelling at us, I thought I was going to get shot. At least now there aren't lines of people waiting to pump while they raise the prices.

[CGrantt57]

20. Say it like Dr. Evil...

25 BILlion Dollars!

That's how much profit Exxon/Mobil made last year.

Seems I also read they're making 1 billion a day right now.

4 words from the cynic: "Get used to it."

[booksenkatz]

25. Manslaughter charges?

I think the charges should be more serious than manslaughter. Oh, but wait, I bet that Husain Caddi has brown skin, right? And after all, oil is more important than brown-skinned people. So manslaughter should be enough.
:sarcasm:

[Lorien]

30. How idiotic

I wonder how many of these hotheads voted for *? they should be pissed at themselves for allowing OILMEN to rule over the Nation.

[Gregorian]

35. Is this what is important to Americans?

Where's the yelling about the elections, or the screaming about dead Iraqi's and American military employees. Or the concern for melting ice caps?

Whatever did we do before gas. It's not a mystery. This is a very recent phenomenon, this having gasoline shit.

It's still cheap when one includes the value, AND the consequences. Yes, it could be 12 cents per gallon. But that is not the issue. We cannot keep using gas ON THIS SCALE. There are now 6.49 billion.

Can you tell how concerned everyone is about the melting ice caps? Yeah, big deal, give me my gas. Waaaaa. Folks, it's going to get a hell of a lot rougher than just expensive gas.

Edit- I'll even go a step further and say that I fully believe that it's the power we have gotten through the use of gasoline that has enabled us to become complacent and ignorant to the degree that half the country is pro-war (of all ungodly things), and careless about their own constitutional foundation which is being destroyed. Has been destroyed.

[Javaman]

50. This is why, in NY it's now standard to have bullet proof glass..

to protect the attendant. A hold over from the 70's.

[brentspeak]

53. As usual, customers take frustrations out on employees

And those customers are invariably Republicans.