Subscribe to RSSWhy Don’t The Big Ones Do This?
How come the big petrol companies continue to confuse us all with their sudden price hikes, while little player Gull at least makes an effort?
Gull New Zealand announced today that there will be a 5 cent per litre discount on all grades of fuel starting tomorrow, at 7am until Friday at 10am.
Graham Stirk, Gull Retail Manager, says that the choice to hold tomorrow’s discount day supports the company’s commitment to offering value for money to the Kiwi motorist.
“Although global oil prices and exchange rates continue to be erratic and unpredictable, it’s always fantastic to find an opportunity to offer a discount to Gull customers.
At the majority of Gull outlets where Gull controls retail prices, prices are as follows:
Gull Regular Plus $1.729
Gull Regular 91 $1.749
Gull Force 10 (98 Octane) $1.869
Gull Low Sulphur Diesel $1.099
Prices at the unmanned drive through sites will be lower than this.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Infratil take over Shell.
8 Comments
I’m all for gouging the motorist at the pump. Raise them higher.
Any sort of future economist / accountant working with a real system of fringe benefits and fringe costs will be aghast at the free-loading motorists are doing in our society.
Road construction and maintenance costs, air pollution/health costs, accident/death costs, obesity health effects through land use patterns and enforced immobility, carbon emissions, barrier effects…
Then there’s wealth loss as New Zealand pours its money overseas to buy scarce fuels, and pays repressive regimes that use it to fund their skeihks high life and export their brand of backwater ideology around the world (Saudi Arabia, Venezuela).
I guess a right winger would say this is the market at work, competition has brought the price down and the “big ones” will feel pressure to do the same…
I always get most of my petrol from Gull Kingsland, where it’s always 3 cents cheaper than everyone else. Failing that, from other Gull sites where it’s always 1 cent cheaper.
The big companies don’t give a toss about prices, and BP straight out lies about its record, claiming it lowers them as much as it raises them, when in fact it mostly just raises them.
There is no Gull in Wellington
But id rather ride my bike and catch the train
Interesting that Wellington doesn’t have any, when other lower North island towns and cities do, including Masterton.
BTW, Most Gull stations do not have any staff, which is the #1 reason why their prices are lower. The staff are employed by a different company.
“I’m all for gouging the motorist at the pump. Raise them higher.” - I don’t mind for people whom have the option of PT, but what about the people who don’t have that option? I would love to rely on PT everyday, yes it would cost more but I wouldn’t mind. However that option is not viable or even existant for me. So why should we all suffer? (Parking deterants would be much better)
“Road construction and maintenance costs, air pollution/health costs, accident/death costs, obesity health effects through land use patterns and enforced immobility, carbon emissions, barrier effects…” - PT have simular effects or these effect are not a direct issue with driving and only effect a minority. Just think a stronger argument is needed.
Sorry ingolfson but kind of just sounded like a undirected rant.
“don’t mind for people whom have the option of PT, but what about the people who don’t have that option?”
Are you essentially agreeing with Steve Joyce - because we drive, we should continue to drive more?
There will never be a point where the majority (or any significant minority) of car drivers will say “okay, there is enough PT now, so you can raise my fuel prices”.
That is therefore a false argument in my view. Since the money of the past is gone, and the money of the now is already being spent maintaining what we have (roads, roads, road), any future PT spending needs also need to come from the motorists.
And since we are ages away, technologically and politically, from road pricing that could account for whether you have PT available or not, any such funds are better drawn of all motorists. Or do you have any idea of how to not penalise those who drive in PT poor areas? Bureaucratic and legal nightmare. I do not know anywhere in the world where something like that is done.
And how would that affect mode choice - “Oh, I live in Pakuranga, it’s HELL getting into the CBD by public transport from there! Thank god I am getting a fuel tax rebate. That makes getting into my car every morning so much less of a burden”.
And then you say
“However that option is not viable or even existant for me. So why should we all suffer? (Parking deterants would be much better)”
I just read another of those horrible Aucklander “magazine” so-called “articles” where a local is allowed to whinge about Council (nothing bad about that), and little is done by the “journalist” to put it into perspective (which is cheap and nasty publishing - it is like the reality TV of newspapers).
In this case, the local was whinging about having some of “his” on-street parking, on public land of course, removed for a cycle lane.
Parking deterrents? How? Most of Auckland’s parking is in private hands, and remaining the removing on-street parking is political poison for Council. Any such moves would create a change only decades down the line.
Fuel prices.
I want them to go up - whether via taxes or natural peak oil results. It is the only way we can overcome our addiction, it seems.
here is an idea! raise the prices when we have a proper transportation system!