Friday, September 09, 2005 - 10:17 pm, by: Sam Schreck(Schreck300)
I'm probably not the only one who received this email today. Maybe it could work, maybe not. Figured I'd at least post it here. Anyone who wants to paste it in an email and send it on....
It has been calculated that if everyone in australia did not purchase a drop of petrol for one day and all at the same time, the oil companies would choke on their stockpiles. At the same time it would hit the entire industry with a net loss over 4.6 billion dollars which affects the bottom lines of the oil companies. Therefore thursday september 22nd has been formally declared "stick it to them" day and the people of this nation should not buy a single drop of petrol that day. The only way this can be done is if you forward this message to as many people as you can and as quickly as you can to get the word out. Waiting on the government to step in and control the prices is not going to happen. What happened to the reduction and control in prices that the arab nations promised two weeks ago? Remember one thing, not only is the price of petrol going up but at the same time airlines are forced to raise their prices, trucking companies are forced to raise their prices which effects prices on everything that is shipped. Things like food, clothing, building supplies medical supplies etc. Who pays in the end? We do! we can make a difference. If they don't get the message after one day, we will do it again and again. so do your part and spread the word. Forward this message to everyone you know. Mark your calendars and make september 22nd a day that the citizens of australia "enough is enough"
Friday, September 09, 2005 - 10:36 pm, by: Stephen Hille(9zero)
Sorry to dissapoint, but this will never happen, think about all the businesses that need fuel to run - taxis, couriers, truckies, fleet vehicles, airplanes, busses, emergency services, people that need fuel to get to work the list never ends, it is not possible to not sell any fuel on one day in Australia, and the small amount of people that this e-mail reaches, and the even smaller amount of people that forward it on and THEN the even SMALLER amount of people that actually go through with it - wont put a dent in anything. The oil companies would receive e-mails like this and laff their asses off while rubbing their hands together.
I think someone got a little over zealous coming up with that idea.
Soooo... in answer to your question, no it would work, sorry buddy!!!
Geoffrey Williams Tinkerer Victoria UZZ31 V8 Soarer and LS400 Lexus V8
Friday, September 09, 2005 - 10:55 pm, by: Geoffrey Williams(Geewill)
Many years ago, it was not possible to buy petrol on a Sunday and numerous public holidays right around Australia. So this "plan" operated on probably more than 55 days every year without causing the oil companies any problems.
Even if everyone in Australia did not buy any fuel at all in that one day, it still wouldn't make any difference. We are dependant on oil, that's it. They know it, we know it, the only person that doesn't realise it is the one who came up with this stupid idea.
Think about it, if noone refuels on that day, it will only mean one thing, they will have to refuel either the day before, or after. Sure the oil companies might get no sales that day, losing money on wages, electricity and other costs related to keeping the servo operational for one day. However they will be more than compensated by ppl buying more fuel then they would have any other day around sept 22nd. Overall it will square off and work out the same as if they actually bought the fuel at sept 22nd. You're just reallocating the sales across different days, the overall yearly picture will still show the same profit won't it.
What the email should say instead is this: 'People, could you all please not drive your cars for a week or a fortnight or a month, whatever (delivery, emergency & public transport vehicles excepted) that way no fuel will be sold at all, and who knows, it might cause the price of fuel to drop, maybe, perhaps, i dunno...' If that was done all across the world, for a month even, you can imagine the effect that would cause. But hey, keep dreaming right, i doubt this could even happen for one day in one city, let alone the whole world oh well
Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 09:28 am, by: David Vaughan(Davidv)
This e-mail has been around in one form or another for several years. It pops up now and again. As others above have said, not buying petrol for a nominal period will only shift demand to before and after that period. In fact, if everyone ran down their tanks and had to buy the day after that, do you think prices would go down for the occasion?
Let us say that rather than shifting consumption to another day, everyone stops driving for one. If businesses do not receive goods because trucks are not running to save petrol, will the consumers be happy? Will buses and ambulances stop? Will your employer smile benignly on the fact that you do not turn up for work? Who is it costing here?
Consumption will drop because prices rise. If alternative energy and transport sources arise then that may control prices.
Incidentally, the companies are unlikely to choke on their oil, and if 4.6 Giga Dollars is an estimate of value of petrol retailed in a day in Oz I think it is probably inflated by a factor of at least ten.
Saturday, September 10, 2005 - 09:34 am, by: David Vaughan(Davidv)
On re-reading my first paragraph, maybe this one was started by some imaginative marketer in the oil companies ... how to make a bigger profit out of the same sales by shifting demand to maximise price! Not only that, they can give staff the day off in their franchises thereby cutting costs in electricity demand and casual labour. Great idea!
Friday, September 30, 2005 - 12:38 pm, by: Robert Davies(Blueone)
the oil companies dont own the individual franchises, and the franchises make only a few small cents a litre, yeah like 2 or 3c mostly they are told what the prices are when to buy, and on and on and on.
nothing we can do about it, hell if you ride a bike you are using oil products... you cannot get away from the big oil until we run out and when we do, holy cheeeeit!!!!! big trouble, oil wars, water wars. do some google searching on the phrase "peak oil" be prepared to read a bit, but also be prepared to look at both sides of the story and so on!! ;)
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