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Why are people scrambling for petrol?

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Comments

  • Aretnap
    Aretnap Posts: 5,877 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    elsien said:
    Aretnap said:
    elsien said:
    Because I need to get a couple of hundred miles to get home tomorrow, needed to fill up to get there and I can’t risk the panic buyers getting there first. 
    It's one of those irregular verbs.

    I need to get petrol. 
    You panic buy. 
    They are hoarding idiots. 
    I need to get home. I did not have enough petrol to do so. I had already planned to fill up today anyway. I am not sorry for doing it yesterday instead. 
    That's rather the point. All those other people buying petrol have journeys that they need it for as well. Buying it a day or two before they need it is entirely rational in the circumstances.

    You are not stuck in traffic, you are traffic, and all that. 
  • Aretnap
    Aretnap Posts: 5,877 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    elsien said:
    Aretnap said:
    elsien said:
    Because I need to get a couple of hundred miles to get home tomorrow, needed to fill up to get there and I can’t risk the panic buyers getting there first. 
    It's one of those irregular verbs.

    I need to get petrol. 
    You panic buy. 
    They are hoarding idiots. 
    I need to get home. I did not have enough petrol to do so. I had already planned to fill up today anyway. I am not sorry for doing it yesterday instead. 
    That's rather the point. All those other people buying petrol have journeys that they need it for as well. Buying it a day or two before they need it is entirely rational in the circumstances.

    You are not stuck in traffic, you are traffic, and all that. 
  • fatbelly
    fatbelly Posts: 23,235 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Cashback Cashier
    By good fortune I filled up both cars a few days ago so it will be a couple of weeks before we need fuel and by then the nonsense should be over
  • TripleH
    TripleH Posts: 3,188 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    You missed 'explosion waiting to happen' oldagetraveller1.
    How many of these people who fill all containers they can are storing it correctly and safely. How much will evaporate away?
    May you find your sister soon Helli.
    Sleep well.
  • Sea_Shell
    Sea_Shell Posts: 10,079 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    We're off on a UK holiday today.    We filled up Monday, as we were passing and down to 1/4 tank.

    I cant imagine the stress we'd be under today if we hadn't!!!

    Just hope we don't get caught in any queueing traffic! 


    Anyone already with over half a tank should be turned away IMO

    Hopefully by the time we need to refill,  things will have returned to normal. 

    We're hoping to book another trip for 2 weeks time, but won't until we know we can get the fuel for it!!
    How's it going, AKA, Nutwatch? - 12 month spends to date = 2.60% of current retirement "pot" (as at end May 2025)
  • facade
    facade Posts: 7,728 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 25 September 2021 at 12:07PM
    JIL said:
    I actually think it's all a big ploy.

    The government as per usual are dithering on the lack of HGV drivers, with little or no action. 

    So BP shut a few petrol stations and get the media involved. Mass panic, big queues, people moaning and the government forced to act.

    There are plenty of HGV drivers.

    However, there is a shortage of HGV drivers who will put up with the low pay, long hours and appalling conditions.

    (If you believe the Daily Fail, there are 237,300 HGV drivers who aren't driving- and we are only 100,000 short)

    I suppose the Government could build a few thousand truck stops with decent facilities......

    I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....

    (except air quality and Medical Science ;))
  • Jenni_D said:
    I agree that MSM are (at least partially) the cause of the problem - if they didn't blast exaggerated headlines about fuel shortages then people wouldn't panic buy (so much). 🙄

    I smiled at the name of the BBC reporter live on TV this morning at a BP station with all the pumps disabled ... he was Philip McCann 😁
    Or as he prefers to be known Phil McCann  :D
  • born_again
    born_again Posts: 21,429 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Sixth Anniversary Name Dropper
    It's not the media's fault. They have just reported that BP said that a handful of their stations were closed as they could not get fuel to them.
    And just who pays their inflated prices.. 9p Ltr more than supermarket for base petrol round here..

    The fault is with the lemmings that are now rushing to fill up. Oblivious to the fact that there are 8000+ petrol stations in the UK.
    Some one on the news last night said they had tried two petrol stations to get fuel & been turned away.. Great reporting, but plenty more stations to try....

    Perhaps get a staff  member out and anyone with more than 1/2 tank gets turned away. Or tell them, Yes you can fill up but there is a min charge of £50.
    But given price has gone up anyway in the last two days.. These lemmings are paying too much anyway. So laugh is with the people who are not rushing out to fill up.
    Life in the slow lane
  • Jenni_D
    Jenni_D Posts: 5,469 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Jenni_D said:
    I agree that MSM are (at least partially) the cause of the problem - if they didn't blast exaggerated headlines about fuel shortages then people wouldn't panic buy (so much). 🙄

    I smiled at the name of the BBC reporter live on TV this morning at a BP station with all the pumps disabled ... he was Philip McCann 😁
    Or as he prefers to be known Phil McCann  :D
    Both work ;) (Phil ... Philup) 😁
    Jenni x
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