How can gas stations be out of gas?

[southernleftylady]

I dont understand.. how can the storm that is hitting RIGHT NOW make gas stations out of gas an hour ago?? please someone explain this to me

[Dark]

1. People buy all the gas anticipating a price hike?

nt

[texasleo]

2. More people, less gas.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. A run on the stations in anticipation of reduced supply.

Happened a lot in the '70s.

[glowing]

4. People panic and top off their gas tanks when normally they'd drive right

by.. AND reason being is the panic of buying it tomorrow at $6.00 like after Katrina... So, Drill, baby, drill works until a Hurricane invades reality.

[carlyhippy]

17. I topped mine off at 3.72 gal this morning

I always keep my xterra with a full tank, it doesn't sting as badly to put in 18.00 a week vs. 80.00 when it's empty.

[femmocrat]

5. Is it because...

people all rushed to get gas before the price went up?

I heard it went up to 4.50 in some places today.

[southernleftylady]

6. I am too young to remember the gas shortage of the 70s but that makes sense thanks yall :) nt

[DS1]

7. The Large Hedron Collider sucked up all the gas in the world and sent it to Bolivia

[Captain Hilts]

8. You want a full tank to be stuck in traffic when evacuating. And after when power goes out.

[napi21]

9. I suspect it's the same reason all the grocery stores in the south

suddenly have no toilet paper, bread or milk when some weather forcaster mentions the word SNOWFLURRY! With the gas station, many probably didn't get their scheduled tanker delivery, or based on their normal sales, no delivery is due yet.

[ddeclue]

10. Because the oil companies artificially keep the inventory low to drive up price..

There are only a few weeks supply on hand during good times of gasoline and so when the tiniest thing goes wrong, prices go into orbit.

Tne oil business needs to be nationalized or at the very least re-regulated and they need to be forced to over produce to drive down prices.

We do this with food and subsidize farming and force overproduction to avoid the obvious disaster of a famine.

We pay the subsidies to oil companies but fail to force production or force inventory levels so that they are making money hand over fist.

It is obscene, Gordon Gecko would be ashamed...

Doug D.

[2Design]

12. the winner with the right answer - the oil companies manipulate n/t

[aquaman]

11. Easy, people are in a panic....

Numerous gas stations locally are totally out of regular unleaded. And the prices have gone sky high, have seen a gallon of regular go for over 5 bucks. And this is SC where the average price per gallon is usually less than the national average.

[tannybogus]

13. Check your state's laws - stop it now

At least 13 states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia — have laws that specifically address price gouging in the event of a declared emergency. Other states may exercise authority under general deceptive trade practice laws depending on the nature of the state law and the specific circumstances under which price increases occur.

http://www.kipesquire.net/2005/09/which-states-have-pri... /

NC and AL have put laws into effect. Call if someone is gouging. It may not help immediately, but it may stop it some.

Save your receipts. Inform the places where you get gas you are reporting them. Report it now so it won't keep skyrocketing.

[csziggy]

14. Here in Florida the State Attorney's office has been known to close down gouging stations

Just simply lock their doors until the "crisis du jour" is over.

All the gas stations around here had lines out onto the main roads - silly here since we will get no effects from the storm. It was worse than before Fay came in and with Fay we had justification to fill up in case the storm knocked out power for an extended period. Even then, it is not a serious concern since Florida has a law requiring a certain percentage of stations have emergency power to pump gas.

Just simple stupid panic time.

[carlyhippy]

15. everyone is freaking out because of rumored gas price hikes country-wide

so everyone is filling up, like I did...cost 18.00 to fill my xterra, because I always keep it on full, it's much better to fill a little at a time vs. filling the tank for 80.00.

[aikoaiko]

16. Because people like me topped off both cars.

[Subdivisions]

18. Delete. Meant to post on main GD. n/t

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3989397&mesg_id=3989397

[neverforget]

19. Thanks for the info! It's so easy to cry "conspiracy" when the reasons

are geology, supply and demand.