|
Social Articles
|
|
Gas Stations Prosecuted For Price Gouging After Hurricane Katrina
By Mike Makler
Eco Bags I fully support the notion of reusing the same shopping bags for groceries. Week in and week out people fill up their supermarket trolleys and then proceed to pack the items they have bought into plastic bags at the checkout, once they have been paid for. The majority of these plastic bags only make two trips in their lifetime. One is to the supermarket from the suppliers and the other is to the customer`s home where they tend to end their life prematurely in the bin. If Eco Bags were used instead they could make hundreds of trips in their lifetime. The bags could be left ion the boot of the car after they have been unpacked ready to be used at the next grocery shop. All it takes is a little thought and a slight change of routine and the Eco Bags could become regular features down at the supermarket. Concerns about the effect that plastic bags have on the planet should be enough to prick the conscious of people`s minds. If more and more people started to use the Eco Bags when they went shopping, at least this would be one way that the planet could be looked after.
Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon has charged a handful of gas stations mainly in Southern Missouri with price gouging claiming they inflated their profit margins over 400 percent right after the Hurricane Katrina Disaster, That`s right 400 Percent like those no good Gougers up and throw away the key! Not so fast, let`s first examine the facts. The Funny thing is the gas stations that were charged with price gouging were charging no more then other local stations who were not charged gouging. What does a 400 Percent Profit margine really mean? At first glance one would think if you are making 2 cents a gallon and you now increase your profit margin 400 Percent you would be making 8 cents a gallon. But if the gas currently in your underground tank cost`t you $2.97 a gallon and any new gas you buy will cost you $3.17 a gallon should that 8 Cents per gallon profit be addded to your current price cost or future price cost. Even if you raise your gas price to $3.16 a gallon it could be argued that you are loosing money because any new gas you purchase will cost you $3.17 a gallon. That is precisely the arguments being made by the Gas Stations accused of Gouging by Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon that he is not taking into account the replacement cost of the gasoline. 
|
