Petrol panic buying

[MattRat]

Well yeah. If as you suggest that there is a massive drinking problem in the country then any real shortages would surely mean people notice the difference?

I more meant the amount of drinking wouldn't really increase, so no demand spike like we see now (the real problem).

 

[chorleyjeff]

Wife queued for an hour at 5am this morning for fuel as she had about 23 miles left in the tank (round trip to work/home = 80 miles). Fortunately, a petrol tanker had arrived and was discharging its load. She was restricted to £30 but she was happy as it normally costs her £35 to fill up.

Had she not been able to obtain fuel, she would not have been able to work and her patients would have had no visits today

Petrol station opposite my hospital shut with no news of when next tanker will arrive.

Had a walk round Chorley around 1-2.00pm. Shell garage no fuel at £137.5 a litre.
Asda and Morrisons all pumps operating with no waiting at £1.32.5 a litre.
Tesco a bit too far for a stroll to see what petrol they are selling.
No excuse for anyone not to drive to get to work here.

 

[MattRat]

Had a walk round Chorley around 1-2.00pm. Shell garage no fuel at £137.5 a litre.
Asda and Morrisons all pumps operating with no waiting at £1.32.5 a litre.

So basically, go off the beaten track, and you'll probably get a better deal out of it too.

 

[Ediswan]

The BBC are not helping. According to them:

There has been no sign of improvement in petrol supplies at independent petrol stations, industry body the Petrol Retailers Association says.

However, according to the Petrol Retailers Association latest press release:

There are early signs that the crisis at pumps is ending, with more of our members reporting that they are now taking further deliveries of fuel.

 

[DarloRich]

Been out to get my tyre fixed. Tesco petrol station closed. No fuel. Asda very busy with a queue.

 

[brad465]

Individuals choose how they respond to media reporting, so I would collectively blame the panic buyers for the situation we find ourselves in now, especially as we went through something similar with food and essential goods in spring 2020 and I would have thought lessons would have been learnt, but no. It really doesn't take that much effort to do a bit of research on a claim or report, the problem is people are cognitively lazy and can't be bothered to use a bit of time and mental effort to fact find, so they lap up buzzwords and phrases that are taken out of context because that requires no effort.

I'll assume you mixed up threads with quoting me before, so I've brought it back here.

When people are born, they don't know what is right or wrong on any subject in life. They learn things through the actions of their parents, our education system, what the media report and the behaviour of high profile celebrates/politicians in the public eye (there maybe other learning channels). Therefore, people panic buying have likely decided they think that's what they have to do because of something they've seen or learned through one of those channels. I'm not suggesting their actions are correct, but if we don't fix faults in the learning channels that have led to panic buying, the problem won't go away.

 

[MattRat]

I'll assume you mixed up threads with quoting me before, so I've brought it back here.

When people are born, they don't know what is right or wrong on any subject in life. They learn things through the actions of their parents, our education system, what the media report and the behaviour of high profile celebrates/politicians in the public eye (there maybe other learning channels). Therefore, people panic buying have likely decided they think that's what they have to do because of something they've seen or learned through one of those channels. I'm not suggesting their actions are correct, but if we don't fix faults in the learning channels that have led to panic buying, the problem won't go away.

And whose going to fix it?

 

[the sniper]

Now I wonder if that BP exec got a big bonus for increasing sales & profit this month?

While I don't know who they're selling to wholesale, where they no doubt could be doing great business, it seem like BP's stations have been suffering the worst of the distribution problems. Can't sell what you can't distribute.

Whoever's had the most resilient distribution system should hopefully have been the most rewarded, at least...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Sep 2021 ==

Had a walk round Chorley around 1-2.00pm. Shell garage no fuel at £137.5 a litre.
Asda and Morrisons all pumps operating with no waiting at £1.32.5 a litre.
Tesco a bit too far for a stroll to see what petrol they are selling.
No excuse for anyone not to drive to get to work here.

I've never really understood why so many buy fuel from Shell/BP stations in the first place, with their always higher prices. Their loyalty schemes don't seem to off set the higher costs. Like you say, as I said on Tuesday, I had little problem filling up at £1.32 (Diesel) at an Asda, yet passed a couple of Shell stations that were empty of fuel.

 

[brad465]

And whose going to fix it?

Politicians primarily, if anyone sensible enough to tackle these issues a) comes forward and b) is able to break through the media and corporate lobbying that works against positive change to bring about that positive change. As that's unlikely I'd suggest it'll get worse before it's fixed, and that getting worse would probably have to involve a critical mass waking up and starting a revolution.

 

[Bald Rick]

I've never really understood why so many buy fuel from Shell/BP stations in the first place, with their always higher prices.

Round here Shell / BP are as cheap as the supermarkets, sometimes cheaper.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

I've never really understood why so many buy fuel from Shell/BP stations in the first place, with their always higher prices. Their loyalty schemes don't seem to off set the higher costs. Like you say, as I said on Tuesday, I had little problem filling up at £1.32 (Diesel) at an Asda, yet passed a couple of Shell stations that were empty of fuel.

Probably because people will buy from their local, or most convenient petrol station... I have a choice of BP/Esso/texaco near home, or Shell opposite work

 

[the sniper]

Round here Shell / BP are as cheap as the supermarkets, sometimes cheaper.

Interesting. By 'cheap', presumably all are at the higher end of pricing, which won't be noticeably locally if they're all at it? Unless the big fuel companies are selling a lot of Mars Bars around your way to make up the profit.

Even this site principally selling fuel cards for the likes of non Supermarket garages (Shell, Esso, BP ect) highlights that Supermarkets are often notably cheaper. I find it's usually around 5p, though I don't really drive to/around the South East admittedly, if that's where you are.

Why is supermarket fuel cheaper than branded petrol? | Motia

Is the supermarket fuel warning real? Is supermarket fuel bad for your car, and is supermarket fuel different from branded fuel? Find out here.

www.fuelcardservices.com

Drive around any town or city in the UK and you’ll quickly notice fuel costs can vary widely. In particular, supermarket fuel is often notably cheaper than what’s offered by the big brands such as BP or Shell.

But why is this the case? And will buying supermarket fuel make a difference to how your car performs? Read on to find out.

Why are supermarkets selling fuel?
Supermarkets have been selling fuel since the 1970s, and have steadily grown their market share. Indeed, almost four in five UK homes now lie within three miles of a petrol station run by Tesco, Asda, Morrison’s or Sainsbury’s. This is according to the RAC Foundation.

However, most supermarkets’ main competitors aren’t the big fuel retailers, but each other. These brands aggressively cut their fuel prices to undercut their rivals and get customers through the doors and into the aisles.

After all, most people will drive to a supermarket to do their big weekly shop anyway, so it makes sense to offer a convenient extra incentive to opt for a certain brand over another. If price per litre is your main deciding factor in where to buy fuel, this can affect your decision on where to shop for groceries too.

How much cheaper is supermarket fuel?
There are a lot of factors that go into determining the price of fuel. Global oil prices, how far the petrol station is from the refinery and the level of competition in the area all contribute. Yet overall, supermarket service stations consistently offer cheaper fuel than the big oil brands.

On average, petrol prices on the supermarket forecourt are usually around 3p to 5p cheaper per litre than for branded fuel. Sometimes, however you could find petrol as much as 8p or even 10p cheaper than from the big oil companies.

This may be especially true when supermarkets are engaging in price wars with each other, or are offering extra discounts for customers who spend a certain amount in store.

 

[Bald Rick]

Interesting. By 'cheap', presumably all are at the higher end of pricing, which won't be noticeably locally if they're all at it?

This week is a bit of an exception with prices all over the place, but typically fuel here is cheaper than other places I travel to (W Mids, North West, Scotland). Last week I paid £1.31.

 

[chorleyjeff]

So basically, go off the beaten track, and you'll probably get a better deal out of it too.

Outside the M25 but a normal sort of market town with pretty much full employment with the M6, M61 and M65, which are all well beaten tracks, passing through or very close to the borough. I'm sure Mr Speaker would agree.
The folk who work at the nearby District General Hospital park their cars in my road and around here are today noteable by their absence.
The binmen turned up today as usual as they have done without fail for the last couple of years. Perhaps they walk to the depot.

 

[Mojo]

I've never really understood why so many buy fuel from Shell/BP stations in the first place, with their always higher prices.

An ex-colleague of mine whenever she saw someone eating fast food would always say “you wouldn’t put cheap in your car so why would you put cheap food in your body?” It always used to confuse me as I always used to go to the cheapest place to get my petrol.

The street I mentioned earlier with 3 petrol stations in about 1.5km has an Esso with attached Londis which is normally about 5p more than the supermarkets, a Shell with Little Waitrose which is about 8p more, and a Gulf with nondescript shop which is the same price or 1p more. Always confused me why people went to the Shell or Esso.

 

[MattRat]

Probably because people will buy from their local, or most convenient petrol station... I have a choice of BP/Esso/texaco near home, or Shell opposite work

Which is also likely causing the problem. If they went looking elsewhere, they may find plenty of fuel still available.

 

[Butts]

I'm surprised there is a shortage of Tanker Drivers as when I was a Service Station Manager (40 years ago) they were the crème de la crème of HGV Drivers and extremely highly paid due to the training and risk involved conveying 6,000 Gallons around.

In those days I believe they were directly employed by the Oil Company - Total in my case.

Perhaps this has changed and they have been farmed out to third parties with a consequential reduction in pay and conditions.

In Falkirk and Edinburgh today I saw no queues at any Petrol Stations.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Which is also likely causing the problem. If they went looking elsewhere, they may find plenty of fuel still available.

And how far 'elsewhere' would you consider driving without wasting precious fuel?

 

[the sniper]

In those days I believe they were directly employed by the Oil Company - Total in my case.

Perhaps this has changed and they have been farmed out to third parties with a consequential reduction in pay and conditions.

I know a couple of now train drivers who have come off them a few years ago. I believe this is what happened and things have got progressively worse over the years. One of them had really come to hate it, they were delighted to get out. I believe the pay is still good, but the conditions, workload and treatment of the Drivers had got worse over the years. I imagine a problem for those doing it is that, if you're at the highest paid level in truck driving, you either go driving elsewhere and take a pay cut or leave the industry in search of better, like the two guys I know did.

 

[dakta]

I caved in and went to the fuel station today, it was empty, chucked £20 in paid up and left as the only fuel customer.

Not to jinx it but could it be blowing over :/

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Not to jinx it but could it be blowing over :/

Yep. Hopefully the crisis has possibly run out of gas!

 

[MattRat]

And how far 'elsewhere' would you consider driving without wasting precious fuel?

It's a demand problem, not a supply problem, and if you are that low on fuel you can't go further afield, thats on you. Always have an emergency amount of fuel in your tank when filling up, just in case.

 

[Darandio]

It's a demand problem, not a supply problem, and if you are that low on fuel you can't go further afield, thats on you. Always have an emergency amount of fuel in your tank when filling up, just in case.

But there was and still is a supply problem, some forecourts were running low before BP made their mouth go. Obviously panic buying just exacerbated the issue.

 

[dakta]

Yep. Hopefully the crisis has possibly run out of gas!

Ha-haaaaaaa! *chortles*

 

[Peter Sarf]

It's a demand problem, not a supply problem, and if you are that low on fuel you can't go further afield, thats on you. Always have an emergency amount of fuel in your tank when filling up, just in case.

As I said before. The drivers who NORMALLY wait until nearly empty and then only put a bit of fuel in are part of the Just In Time supply chain. When those drivers panic and visit a petrol station prematurely and/or fill right up they put a strain on the rest of the Just In Time supply chain.

The good news is those panicking drivers cannot keep on taking extra fuel unless they are going to drive more. So as long as the Just In Time system can get a bit more fuel out to the petrol stations than is NORMAL then the problem will eventually go away. More likely the JIT drivers will relax and the rest of the supply chain will catch up even sooner. How soon depends on these factors but it is impossible for the problem to go on forever.

I do not actually think there is a long term problem with the supply chain. I am not really seeing evidence of a problem there. Also I feel it is likely that the petrol stations are selling many times more fuel per day than is usual.

 

[gswindale]

It's a demand problem, not a supply problem, and if you are that low on fuel you can't go further afield, thats on you. Always have an emergency amount of fuel in your tank when filling up, just in case.

So, what should I have done? Last Thursday, on holiday in Dorset. Visited Swanage for the day. Had 200 miles, or just under half a tank left. Plenty to get us home and then fill up the next time I needed to go out.

Didn't fill up on the Thursday as no need. Saw the news Thursday night, so thought ok, I'll get some on Friday morning. Saw the queue at Blandford Forum Tesco so with 2yr old in tow decided to head off. Now light is on and I need to wait until all the "panic" buyers are done and my local garages have fuel available.

I normally fill up when guage is down to 1/4 left (or approx 100 miles), but due to the idiocy of others, I'm now well below that and need to fill up before the end of next week as heading to Longleat.

 

[Gloster]

...I'm now well below that and need to fill up before the end of next week as heading to Longleat.

When you get there you could always Put a Tiger in your Tank. (One for the oldies.)

 

[MattRat]

So, what should I have done? Last Thursday, on holiday in Dorset. Visited Swanage for the day. Had 200 miles, or just under half a tank left. Plenty to get us home and then fill up the next time I needed to go out.

Didn't fill up on the Thursday as no need. Saw the news Thursday night, so thought ok, I'll get some on Friday morning. Saw the queue at Blandford Forum Tesco so with 2yr old in tow decided to head off. Now light is on and I need to wait until all the "panic" buyers are done and my local garages have fuel available.

I normally fill up when guage is down to 1/4 left (or approx 100 miles), but due to the idiocy of others, I'm now well below that and need to fill up before the end of next week as heading to Longleat.

So there was only one fuel station you could go to on Friday?

 

[Starmill]

So there was only one fuel station you could go to on Friday?

What a strange thing to interrogate someone about. Ah well, I guess we all have to get our kicks somehow.

 

[brad465]

Nigel Farage had the misfortune of the following happen as a result of the petrol shortages:

https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1443487482209882112

The government tell us that the fuel crisis is easing… I went to 7 petrol stations this morning and there was no fuel at any of them. Was then hit by a van whilst stationary at a roundabout. Great start to the day!