Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:15 am Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
Yeah, I feel sorry for a guy who makes $5 million a year selling boats...hah...and he has earned that or more for how many years/. ??
Look, there are ups and downs for every kind of business. Some make it and some dont. If this guy didnt see this coming he is stupid. I was going to buy a new boat but didnt due to the cost of fuel and getting to the lake too. Just priced me out of the market.
Even a ski boat or bass boat can use up to 27 gallons per hour so that is REAL money.
Branson Missouri is way off, state parks are down down down, and ppl are just not going. Boats are stacked up at the marina with for sale signs on them. I would sell mine if i could but no one wants a boat now.
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 1338 Location: Stalag 13
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:21 am Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
High fuel prices hit delivery firms
Quote:
Delivery Express is a business that picks up orders from restaurants in Greater Springfield and delivers the meals to customers - and rocketing gasoline prices have resulted in rising delivery fees.
At present, the fee for a delivery from Antonio's Restaurant on Longhill Street, Springfield, to a customer in the city's North End is $3.99, up from $3.91 about a month ago.
"It just keeps going up, little by little," said manager Jose Mercado yesterday.
Delivery Express is hardly alone. FedEx Corp. is boosting its fuel surcharge next month, and Pioneer Valley businesses whose work ranges from delivering flowers to ferrying people to airports have increased fees in response to the rising price of gasoline, which has topped $4 a gallon.
"It's taken its toll, but we're trying our best," said Brad Parker, the owner of Longmeadow Flowers, Gifts & Home, which last week added between $1 and $25 to its fee, depending on the distance of a delivery.
"Our bill in gas alone last month ... was over $6,000," he said.
Brenda E. "Bonnie" Kostanski, the owner of Elm Street Flowers in West Springfield, said that while the delivery charge for customers in West Springfield and Agawam has not been raised, the business recently added $2 to $3 to the fee for deliveries in other area communities, bringing the delivery charge to $10.
"We had to raise it, like everyone else," she said. "We're not happy about it, believe me."
Gennaro Moccia, the owner of Bella Napoli Pizzeria & Ristorante, also in West Springfield, said he was forced last month to raise his delivery fee from $1 to $1.50 an order.
"People aren't happy, but you're in a no-win situation," he said.
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 1338 Location: Stalag 13
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:24 am Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
joelcolorado wrote:
Yeah, I feel sorry for a guy who makes $5 million a year selling boats...hah...and he has earned that or more for how many years/. ??
Look, there are ups and downs for every kind of business. Some make it and some dont. If this guy didnt see this coming he is stupid. I was going to buy a new boat but didnt due to the cost of fuel and getting to the lake too. Just priced me out of the market.
Even a ski boat or bass boat can use up to 27 gallons per hour so that is REAL money.
Branson Missouri is way off, state parks are down down down, and ppl are just not going. Boats are stacked up at the marina with for sale signs on them. I would sell mine if i could but no one wants a boat now.
Yeah, I think he just milked it for as long as he could.
I didn't know a ski boat or bass boat can use up to 27 gallons per hour. Wow! _________________ Now why didn't I think of that?
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 1338 Location: Stalag 13
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:30 am Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
Plastics get pricier, forcing companies to revamp
Quote:
America's economy has been like a boxing ring of late. Main Street is reeling from the one-two punch of soaring petroleum and natural gas prices in the form of higher gasoline and housing-related energy bills.
Wall Street has been bobbing and weaving, too. But higher petroleum and natural gas costs have pummeled businesses with a one-two-three combination punch: Not only are they paying more for energy and fuel to keep the manufacturing plants running and to deliver finished goods, but their costs also are going up because many of the goods they make either include or are encased in plastic, which is a byproduct of petroleum and natural gas.
Bread maker Flowers Foods reduced its packaging size, saving more than 110,000 pounds of plastic a year – the equivalent of 1,445 barrels of oil.
Newell Rubbermaid, the consumer products conglomerate, reduced the plastic content of several products such as these 18-gallon storage containers. The company also 'thin-walled' some products, which essentially slims down the item: The containers on the right take up about as much space as the on the left.
Just like the average consumer, the rising costs of petroleum and natural gas are hitting businesses, too, by way of higher transportation and energy costs. But some businesses are being squeezed a third way because they use a lot of plastic in their operations — a byproduct of natural gas and petroleum — as the chief component of the products they sell or to encase what they make. Here are some examples of how they are responding.
Consumer products conglomerate Newell Rubbermaid, cleaning products maker Zep and baker Flowers Foods are among the heavy plastics users in Georgia being hit hard. These companies have employed a mix of strategies including raising prices, replacing the plastic they use with alternatives or reducing the amount of plastic content altogether.
Natural gas has the biggest impact on such companies because 70 percent of plastics produced in the United States are made from natural gas.
In the 12-month period ended in May, natural gas prices have risen 47 percent, and the derivatives made from it such as polyethylene and ethylene have gone up in tandem, said Thomas K. Smith, chief economist and managing director of the American Chemistry Council, the industry's chief trade group.
Put another way: As a commodity, natural gas is traded in terms of British thermal units. And every $1 increase per million of natural gas BTUs equals $2 billion in new costs, Smith said.
Comparatively, every $1 increase in the per-barrel price of oil costs the industry $660 million.
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 1338 Location: Stalag 13
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:40 am Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
Local car dealerships feel Detroit's pain
Quote:
In the glory days of Detroit carmakers in the 1960s, Leonard Immke Jr. used to sell 200 new Buicks a month from his vast downtown showroom here filled with gleaming Electras, Rivieras and Skylarks.
Now, it takes Len Immke Buick at least a year to sell 200 new cars from its smaller location on the city's blue-collar east side. In May, it sold 10.
Most days, only a handful of customers wander in; in rain or snow, there might be none. The pace slows even more at dusk, when the salesmen turn their attention to emptying wastebaskets and vacuuming the carpet. They assumed the nightly chores two years ago when the store had to lay off the janitors and other workers to stay in business.
"It's not easy as a salesman to be coming in at night and running the floor sweeper," said Frank Baldwin, a former marine who started at Len Immke Buick as a mechanic 38 years ago and is now its general manager. "Our options are to sell and get out of the business or to stay here and fight."
As Detroit automakers have undertaken painful overhauls in recent years, the impact has fallen most directly on the tens of thousands of factory workers who lost middle-class jobs.
But the ranks are also thinning in the dealer networks built up during a time when General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler ruled the road, and companies like Toyota, Nissan and Honda were mere upstarts.
More than 10,000 dealerships, nearly all of which sold American brands, have closed since 1970, according to the National Automotive Dealers Association. Last year, 430 called it quits, and the organization expects at least that many, but probably far more, to close in 2008, leaving about 20,000 of them nationwide.
Fishing? There's a catch
Rising fuel costs hurting all marine interests
POINT PLEASANT — On the fuel dock at Clark's Landing Marina, the pump numbers whirled as the crew of the Lady Jane took on 250 gallons of diesel at $4.57 a gallon, preparing to chase sharks offshore in the annual Mako Mania tournament.
"A lot of people aren't even putting their boats in the water this year," said fisherman Bill Tallman of Waretown. To make the most of their fuel bill, the Lady Jane anglers said they had entered in not one but two shark tournaments this weekend.
"It's expensive," said boat owner Mark Grek of Blackwood, "but you've got to have fun."
Fuel costs are hitting marine interests hard, magnifying the effects of tightened fishing regulations.
"Fuel was never a significant part of our business until the last couple of years. It was just a cost that went up and down, like bait, and you dealt with it. Now it's the most significant cost of our business," said John Williams of Brielle, a 25-year charter captain on the Manasquan River.
"It's been devastating, up and down the river," said Peter Grimbilas of the Greater Point Pleasant Charter Boat Association. "They are way down in the number of charters."
This is going to devastate several key industries from Maine to Florida to Texas and from Washington to California. Tens of millions of people depend on the ocean industries, and they're starting to dry up. This might have more of an economic impact than the auto industry.
But at least it's good news for the fish, I guess. _________________ Joe P. United Political Debate
"Only when the last tree is cut; only when the last river is polluted; only when the last fish is caught; only then will they realize that you cannot eat money." - Cree Indian Proverb
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 1338 Location: Stalag 13
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 12:49 am Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
High fuel prices put brakes on indie band tours
Quote:
Steven Garcia pulled into a Houston gas station recently to fill up the old Dodge van his punk band uses on summer tours.
For months, the 23-year-old singer-guitarist had been budgeting money and booking show dates for Something Fierce's third tour — but skyrocketing gas prices have put the brakes on those plans.
"Once I ran the numbers it was a 'There's no (expletive) way' kind of moment," Garcia said. After much hand-wringing and grumbling from bookers who'd scheduled the band to play, Garcia canceled the tour.
Cramming into a rusty, creaky van and playing dive bars and house parties is a summer ritual for many young musicians and ambitious independent bands trying to get exposure, make a living and maybe build a solid future in music.
But like everything else that requires lengthy time on the road, filling up at $4 a gallon or more is taking a toll.
On the grass-roots level, cost has always been a concern for touring bands. But the nearly $2,500 in gas Garcia and his two bandmates would have had to pay just to make it to Vancouver, Canada, and back was too much to overcome.
"There's no way we can sustain a blow that big," he said, adding that the band is lucky to break even on a tour even when gas prices are more moderate.
Fishing? There's a catch
Rising fuel costs hurting all marine interests
POINT PLEASANT — On the fuel dock at Clark's Landing Marina, the pump numbers whirled as the crew of the Lady Jane took on 250 gallons of diesel at $4.57 a gallon, preparing to chase sharks offshore in the annual Mako Mania tournament.
"A lot of people aren't even putting their boats in the water this year," said fisherman Bill Tallman of Waretown. To make the most of their fuel bill, the Lady Jane anglers said they had entered in not one but two shark tournaments this weekend.
"It's expensive," said boat owner Mark Grek of Blackwood, "but you've got to have fun."
Fuel costs are hitting marine interests hard, magnifying the effects of tightened fishing regulations.
"Fuel was never a significant part of our business until the last couple of years. It was just a cost that went up and down, like bait, and you dealt with it. Now it's the most significant cost of our business," said John Williams of Brielle, a 25-year charter captain on the Manasquan River.
"It's been devastating, up and down the river," said Peter Grimbilas of the Greater Point Pleasant Charter Boat Association. "They are way down in the number of charters."
This is going to devastate several key industries from Maine to Florida to Texas and from Washington to California. Tens of millions of people depend on the ocean industries, and they're starting to dry up. This might have more of an economic impact than the auto industry.
But at least it's good news for the fish, I guess.
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 1338 Location: Stalag 13
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 5:21 am Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
Courage at $4 a gallon
Quote:
Two months ago, the price of gasoline started to scare Jeannine Leary even more than riding her scooter did.
The 47-year-old mother of three bought a Yamaha Majesty in April 2007 when she realized a scooter payment cost less than filling up her Chrysler Sebring at $3 a gallon.
But almost immediately, a coworker on a motorcycle was hit by a bus, banging him up and parking Leary's new ride for much of the rest of the year. Then $4 a gallon happened, and Leary reassessed again.
"It's not nearly as frightening as I thought it would be," she said of her scooter, which can exceed 100 mph.
And so Leary is now part of a two-wheeled twist on a familiar story - the American search for smaller, more gas-efficient vehicles such as hybrids, compacts and motorcycles in the new era of soaring gas prices. In the first quarter of 2008, sales of scooters nationwide jumped 24 percent from the same period last year, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council, a trade association.
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 1338 Location: Stalag 13
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 5:24 am Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
As gasoline prices soar, more people stand on the edge
Quote:
Dan and Daniela Ayers are a typical middle-class couple with a home and a budget, a spending plan under siege by the fuel pump.
Today, gas siphons off money they used to spend dining out, on camping trips to the north end of Carolina Beach and on visiting relatives in Raleigh and Charlotte, among other things, said Daniela Ayers, who works at a Wilmington architecture firm.
The couple shortened their grocery list, now buying steaks only when on sale. That helps a little, but food costs are rising, too. They keep the thermostat at 76 degrees, 3 degrees higher than before, and don't water the yard as much, Ayers said.
"We try to save in things we can control, like utilities," she said.
Across Southeastern North Carolina, residents and businesses are changing habits and lifestyles as they cope with higher fuel costs.
As of Friday, the average price of regular unleaded gas in the Wilmington area was $3.993 a gallon, up 39 percent from $2.879 a year ago. Diesel fuel is increasing at a faster rate. As of Friday, a gallon of diesel cost $4.742, up 68 percent from $2.828 in 2007.
Gas prices are causing a ripple effect through the economy, pushing up the prices of food, utilities, air travel and many other goods and services, further straining households and businesses. Recently, for example, US Airways, the main airline serving Wilmington-area travelers, announced a $15 fee for a first checked bag and a $2 charge for soft drinks and coffee to help offset fast-rising jet fuel bills.
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 1338 Location: Stalag 13
Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 5:26 am Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
U.S. cities cut services, raid reserves on fuel cost
Quote:
Surging fuel prices are forcing cities across the United States to cut back on services and dip into cash reserves to keep their fleets on the road, according to a survey released on Friday.
Ninety percent of the 132 mayors surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors reported that climbing fuel prices have had a significant impact on city budgets and operations.
The average retail price of diesel used in city buses and garbage trucks has shot up 65 percent over the past year. Gasoline prices jumped about 35 percent over the same period, as many local governments are feeling the pinch of the wider nationwide economic slowdown.
"It's just a snowball. It all hits at once. So, governments, mayors are having to make tough choices," said Mayor Douglas Palmer of Trenton, New Jersey.
"Everything is on the table except for a reduction in public safety."
Just under a quarter of the mayors surveyed -- 23 percent -- said they have been forced to slash spending for other programs in order to pay mounting fuel costs.
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said his city has raised its fuel budget by about 50 percent at the expense of other services including the police department.
"We could have added more police officers to the budget. We're having to look real closely at our parks program," Nickels said, adding Seattle might be forced to cut back on community centers and library hours if prices continue to rise.
Joined: Oct 25, 2004 Posts: 1338 Location: Stalag 13
Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:01 pm Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
Gasoline Fees Added in Several Industries
Quote:
Two dollars for pizza delivery.
An extra $1.70 to ship a $20 package.
And a $10 surcharge for lawn-mowing service.
The rising cost of fuel is rippling far beyond what consumers pay at the pump. Companies across an array of industries are instituting fuel surcharges that are nibbling away at consumers' pocketbooks. Like the airline industry with its baggage fees, businesses say they are being squeezed by higher gas prices and must pass on the costs to survive.
"We're going to be paying higher costs across the board whether you pay it in the form of a surcharge or you pay it in the form of higher prices," said Noreen Perrotta, finance editor at Consumer Reports, who recently paid an extra $10 to have her lawn mowed. "We'd better get used to it, and we better start budgeting for it."
Soaring gas prices are pushing Americans to shop for bargains, change their driving patterns and vacation at home. But less attention has been paid to the impact of the many small and often indirect ways that consumers are paying for gas, and generally, there are no regulations governing how fuel surcharges are calculated or implemented.
Quote:
Grocery delivery service Peapod normally charges $6.95 to $9.95 for delivery, depending on the size of the order. About seven months ago, it added a fuel surcharge tied to the average price of gas in certain states. An online chart outlines costs up to $1.48 for a fuel price of $4.05 per gallon. But with gas averaging $4.079 yesterday, the current surcharge of $1.58 is literally off the charts.
"We did everything we could to save the customers," spokeswoman Elana Margolis said. "There was no way around. We waited for a really long time."
UPS and FedEx calculate their fuel surcharges for ground shipping monthly based on the Energy Department's average highway diesel price. Both are adding 8.5 percent of the cost of shipping the package to the final price through July 6, when the fee increases to 9.5 percent. And the U.S. Postal Service raised the price of letter stamps by a penny to, 42 cents, last month, along with other rates, as rising fuel costs contribute to the agency's money drain.
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:43 am Post subject: Re: Everyday Effects of High Energy Prices Thread
Drifter, this is becoming an outstanding body of work. _________________ If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face--for ever."
-George Orwell, 1984
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Thanks for the article, joewp.
