BP stations close to me are empty compared to stations across the street......

[KansasVoter]

I have been checking, and the prices are the same.

Don't know for sure it is because of the leaks but it is weird.

I am not going to any BP stations, all of them are locally owned around me but so are the competitors. I would just as soon help out the locally owned ones not tied to BP.

[realisticphish]

1. ditto here

again, hard to tell if it's boycotting or just chance

[elocs]

2. The irony is that this boycott of BP stations won't really hurt BP at all,

but it will hurt the regular little people who work there and are just trying to scrape by making a living. The law of unintended consequences strikes again.

[tilsammans]

7. Right. People in our own communities are the ones affected . . .

. . . by a boycott of BP stations. NOT the BP evil-doers.

We don't need more closed-up businesses and laid-off workers.

[elocs]

11. What gets me are the people who are so fucking self righteous about a boycott that doesn't hurt them

but they don't give a shit about the little people their precious boycott hurts, the ones maybe making just minimum wage and struggle to get along. Yes, it's so easy for the self righteous Liberals to call for boycotts for which they have to do no suffering or even inconvenience, but it's worth sacrificing others for their noble cause. It's crap like this that makes me ashamed to be even associated with being a Liberal.

[KansasVoter]

12. Bullshit!

I don't want to help BP at all!
If I buy gas at another station then I help that local owner instead of the BP local owner.

If you tell me to help the BP guy then it hurts the other guy. Stupid!!

Anything to hurt BPs image is fine with me.

[elocs]

13. Bullshit right back at you!!! Those lowly clerks are people too.

They have jobs and are just trying to make a living. It's your self righteous attitude that is stupid because boycotting the BP stations may make you feel good, but it's not hurting BP that much.

[KansasVoter]

15. I am helping the SAME type of GUYS across the street. Are you stupid??

[blondeatlast]

21. Exactly. Besides, gas stations can change who supplies them (and their signs)

in the blink of an eye.

A smart owner will change their supplier--and if they aren't bright enough to figure it out, they aren't bright enough to get my biz.

[Statistical]

27. No they can't.

Franchise agreements are often very long.

In BP case it is 20 year lockup.

You open a BP station you won't be changing it to another brand in less than 20 years.

Independents (raceway, costsco, etc) can change suppliers (often quarterly) however why would they change from BP. I mean if BP will sell Costco gas that is cheaper why would they change.
Win-win. Cheaper gas (maybe only 2-3 cents per gallon but that adds up) combined with no brand risk.

[tilsammans]

16. Indeed. I just heard an item on the news . . .

. . . saying that BP gas station boycotts DON'T really hurt BP, just the regular folks who work there trying to eke out a living.

Let's not screw them any more than they're being screwed already. They don't need to be thrown onto the unemployment rolls along with the rest of us poor saps.

[bobbolink]

30. You are so right, and this extends to so many other "solutions"

Like the ever-constant plea to raise the federal gas tax.... which studies show doesn't result in lower consumption. People who use a lot of gas, like Hummer drivers, just laugh and drive more.

The ones it hurts are people who are marginal, and barely making ends meet at all.

I would like to see some REAL studies on this.... like the correlation between the rise in gas tax, and how many people apply for foodstamps.

Or, the rise in gas tax and how many people lose their jobs because they can no longer afford to get there.

So little thought is given to those of different economic means.

[Uncle Joe]

8. To the contrary, if this dynamic continues it will hurt corporate BP and BP knows it.

The "regular little people" who do the work will be the first hurt, but that's virtually always the case throughout human history in any conflict whether war or economic.

As the "regular little people" get laid off, at some point one of two things will happen.

1. Those stations will close, possibly permanently, but they could reopen under a different brand or as independents.

2. When those stations' franchise agreements' expire, they will look to sign with other brands.

At the very least this will result in a loss of franchise fees paid to corporate BP.

A third way BP will be hurt is through a decrease in new franchises signed up as their brand becomes radioactive.

A final possibility, the station owners sue corporate BP for negligent damages to the brand resulting in harm to the local station owners' businesses.

[connecticut yankee]

3. The ones near me are packed.

Can't understand why -- there are several other stations nearby.

[louis-t]

4. Maybe all the repugs in your area

are rushing to save their beloved BP. :shrug:

BP stations by me are noticeably less busy.

[Captain Hilts]

5. They're lucky they aren't being vandalized as some are with paint. nt

[rzemanfl]

6. I drive past a BP station on my way to and from work. I have not

seen a car at a pump all week.

[corpseratemedia]

9. I live in a steadfastly suv-loving rethug area

and I see bps getting much less business

maybe they're swarming them when im not looking but im not going either

[customerserviceguy]

10. They're noticably less busy around where I live and work, too

And I did go out of my way to avoid one last week when I just had a sawbuck to buy some gas until payday, it cost a few more cents per gallon, but I felt I had to do it.

Still, there's something nagging at me. It's my assumption that all of the other oil companies have the same shoddy practices, it's just that BP drew the short straw in this situation.

[Taitertots]

14. Oil is fungible, a boycott is absolutely meaningless n/t

[Uncle Joe]

18. That's not true, BP will increasingly lose their franchise fees as my post 8 states. n/t

[Statistical]

19. BP franchise agreement term is 20 years

So say the average BP station is 10 years into their current license agreement.
Unlike BP is going to lose any meaningful franchise fees.

Elements of the franchise package include:
• 20 year franchise agreement
• Separate fuel supply agreement
• Up-front franchise fee
• Dealer pays an ongoing royalty fee based on shop and car wash turnover.

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=9009870&contentId=7019344

[Uncle Joe]

20. Then every year this embargo dynamic stays in place, BP could lose anywhere from

5-10% of it's franchise fees.

I believe this will be partially offset by new franchises in areas nowhere near the impact zone, but as the catastrophe spreads, their brand will become radioactive in a good chunk of North America.

[Statistical]

24. Just like Exxon massive loss of franschises?

Also franchise fees provide a negligible source of income. Retail operations (globally) make up only 20% of BP business. US is roughly 1/3 that business so even if there entire retail operation in US went to 0 that would be what 7% of the company earnings? Of course we both know it isn't going to 0. Just like Exxon retail operations didn't go to 0.

As long as Americans keep consuming oil like glutton pigs BP will do just fine. In a decade I expect BP to be just like Exxon. Gulf spill is this "sad thing" that happened a "long time ago" that people don't really think about as they fill the tank on their massive SUV. Want to hurt oil companies? Really hurt them and not just do something to make yourself feel good?
USE LESS OIL. Anywhere and everywhere you can. OF course that requires work, planning, sacrifice.

A BP boycott will hurt BP about as much as Exxon Boycott hurt Exxon (up "only" 396% since spill and that is excluding value of 2 decades of dividends).

[Uncle Joe]

28. There are major differences between Exxon's disaster of 89 and BP's catastrophe of 2010.

Direct population density affected by this calamity is vastly superior in number to that of a remote section of Alaska, this will be visible and damaging to tens if not hundreds of millions of people.

Alaska didn't have to worry about hurricanes bringing this hundreds of miles inland.

As tragic as the Exxon Valdez spill was, this gusher is an open ongoing wound approximately a mile below the surface, not nearly so limited in scope and infinitely more difficult to stop.

Global warming climate change is much deeper ingrained in the public consciousness than it was in 1989 and as a result BP faces additional economic pressures from the switchover to electric or hybrid vehicles.

There is some testimonial evidence BP's rep; overrode or pressured Transocean in regards to this operation and he wasn't a drunk loose cannon, this ill advised risk was taken with sober premeditation.

With all of the above I see BP at both greater legal risk and economic pressure than Exxon was in 1989.

Having said all that I believe even a 5% drop will be damaging to corporate BP.

[Uncle Joe]

23. One other point, some of those BP station owners may have legal recourse

against corporate BP.

Perhaps they can sue them for negligent damaging of the brand resulting in financial hardship for those station owners?

[Statistical]

25. You don't think BP thought to put conditions in franchise license agreement

to negate that.

Even if it hasn't occured to them prior to 1989 you don't think they might have updated franchise agreements after Exxon spill? Really?

How much was Exxon successfully sued by shareholders and/or station owners. Don't bother looking it up.... $0.00.

[Uncle Joe]

29. Criminal premeditated negligence is something Exxon didn't face.

BP's rep is higher up the food chain than the purported drunk captain of a tanker.

[Voluntary1]

17. BP should have been boycotted since 1953

when they used Eisenhower and Churchill to overthrow a democratically elected, freedom loving, secularist Iranian President and replaced him with the Shah and the SAVAK.

However, people forget history as they will forget about this disaster. BP will be posting record profits in a few years

[GumboYaYa]

22. I wonder if bicycle sales have increased or use of public transporation is going up.

I venture to guess that the answer is no. Americans will do some symbolic nonsense like buy their gas at Texaco and not BP, which does ZERO to impact BP's profits. Ask them to give up there gas guzzlers and they will run you out of town.

Stop driving cars if ou want to save our environment. Driving to Texaco instead of BP is just stupid.

[Statistical]

26. That would require sacrifice and work.

Most people don't want to work for change they just simply want to make it happen instantly and without any sacrifice.