!!!!!!.. Gulf petrol pump still at 139.9 per litre

londonTiger

A bit ridiculous. what is their business model? Are they just selling petrol to people who are ignorant of fuel prices and taking advantage?

I drive by this every now and again. https://www.google.com/maps/@51.562277,-0.126061,3a,75y,74.05h,84.38t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s7IrIqEC8CB8nt7oAmRHiNA!2e0?hl=en-US

It's selling petrol for about 139.9p - it's always priced ridiculously high. Never bothered to stop as there is a shell at reasonably priced 118p just up the road.

I'm not sure if their sign has broken and stuck at the price and they're just to run down/underfunded to fix the price or if they're genuinely that price.

Edit: Just rang the branch phone: 020 7272 7855

I asked if their price is really 139.9p, Indian guy said "yes, that is the price, it's company policy, if you like you put, then bye".

LOL

londonTiger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Oil - looks like the service station are largely franchises and franchise owners just pay money to use the brand name. Probably explains the poor price control.

RS2000.

londonTiger wrote: »

A bit ridiculous. what is their business model? Are they just selling petrol to people who are ignorant of fuel prices and taking advantage?

I drive by this every now and again. https://www.google.com/maps/@51.562277,-0.126061,3a,75y,74.05h,84.38t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s7IrIqEC8CB8nt7oAmRHiNA!2e0?hl=en-US

It's selling petrol for about 139.9p - it's always priced ridiculously high. Never bothered to stop as there is a shell at reasonably priced 118p just up the road.

I'm not sure if their sign has broken and stuck at the price and they're just to run down/underfunded to fix the price or if they're genuinely that price.

Edit: Just rang the branch phone: 020 7272 7855

I asked if their price is really 139.9p, Indian guy said "yes, that is the price, it's company policy, if you like you put, then bye".

LOL

Why are you laughing at the Indian guy?

londonTiger

I'm laughing at his attitude and poor english.

Car_54

londonTiger wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Oil - looks like the service station are largely franchises and franchise owners just pay money to use the brand name. Probably explains the poor price control.

If it's a franchise there is no price control. The franchisee sets his own prices.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Maybe the garage concentrates on account or bunkering customers, eg taxis/vans/lorries/coaches, mainly on Diesel, and don't really want the normal petrol customer, but maybe have to officially cater to them to keep the franchise or to conform to local planning laws.

londonTiger

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

Maybe the garage concentrates on account or bunkering customers, eg taxis/vans/lorries/coaches, mainly on Diesel, and don't really want the normal petrol customer, but maybe have to officially cater to them to keep the franchise or to conform to local planning laws.

I very much doubt that, people who drive for a living will be familiar with their area and know the best value petrol pumps. Drivers also tend to keep in touch with each other and will ge tthe word round on bad pumps/areas for fares etc. My brother is a black cab driver and he also on skype conference call with other black cabs.

Diesel was around 10p higher there at 14x.xp (dont exactly recall).

They're being opportunistic and making money from people unawares. They can make as much profit selling to 1 driver as asda makes off 15 drivers.

Assuming wholesale rate is 110p per litre:

ASDA/tesco sell it at 112p per litre (mainly to attract customers to their supermarkets) making 2p per litre.

This branch sells it at 139p per litre making 29p per litre profit. So this branch makes as much profit from 1 full tank as ASDA makes on their fuel sale from 15 full tank customers.

But I still think it's really crappy that they're positioning their business just to make money of unaware motorists/rich people

gilbert_and_sullivan

Bunkering (pre paid often to a third party wholesale operation or the oil company themselves) and account prices are often very different to advertised pump prices.

If they were pure retail then only the very rich or stupid would use them and they'd go out of business, so there's some other business model.

anotheruser

If people will pay, why not?
After all - people are selfish and greedy for money.

maninthestreet

So what people are buying petrol from this petrol station if they can get it for 22p per litre less elsewhere?

harveybobbles

I paid £1.33 last week for unleaded. Which was at Esso as it happens. But that was for their super unleaded.

But I'm not bothered; it's part of owning a car.