'Out of Gas': College town gas station stops sales to protest high prices
A small-town gas station and service shop near three college campuses in Amherst, Massachusetts, announced it will no longer sell gas since the price has become too high to charge.
Currently, the average cost per gallon in The Bay State is $5.05.
A small-town gas station and service shop near three college campuses in Amherst, Massachusetts, announced it will no longer sell gas since the price has become too high to charge.
”I don’t want to be part of it anymore,” Ren Gladu, owner of Ren’s Mobile, told Daily Hampshire Gazette. “This is the biggest ripoff that ever has happened to people in my lifetime.”
The college town station is around the block from Amherst College and is within driving distance from the University of Massachusetts- Amherst (1.2 miles) and Hampshire College (4.7 miles).
When the cost of gas spiked above $4.75 earlier this month, Gradu decided he would not charge customers any higher.
After ExxonMobil increased the price per gallon by 20 cents for two consecutive days, Gradu froze operations and put up signs that read “Out of Gas.”
”Dealing with Mobil, they don’t think through their pricing policies anymore,” he stated. “I’ve served their product, but I refuse to do it anymore, because they’re only getting richer.”
Operations Media Manager Julie King told Campus Reform that ExxonMobil “does not set gasoline prices.”
”Prices at the pump are influenced by the price of crude, and wholesale price of products which fluctuate according to demand and supply factors- such as economic conditions and seasonal factors, fuel production, inventory levels, storage and transportation cost,” she said.
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King also specified that “ExxonMobil does not own or operate any retail fuels stations in the United States.”
Currently, the average cost per gallon in The Bay State is $5.05.
Amherst is in Hampshire County, where the average price of gas is $5.01 as of Wednesday.
Nationally, the average cost of gas is officially over the $5 marker at $5.02. Almost half of the states in the nation are recording prices above the national average.
”Enough is enough,” Gradu reportedly claimed. “People shouldn’t have to pay these prices to go to work, to go to church, or to do whatever they have to do. It seems like the oil industry is in this together.”
Ren’s Mobile has operated in the college-town for 48 years. By closing up the pump, Gradu noted that he might be ended a near half a century business prospect. While the business also offers auto services and repairs, a majority of the income stemmed from gas sales.
According to Auto Blog, there are four other stations available in Amherst. The cheapest recorded gas is $4.98.
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Campus Reform has reported on the impact record-high gas prices have had on college students and communities.
Isabella County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan announced that it would not dispatch police officers for non-emergency calls after it recently exhausted its fuel budget. Isabella County envelops Central Michigan University, although CMU does operate its own safety department.
At Southwest Tennessee Community Colleges, students and faculty will work remotely for “Virtual Fridays” in order to prevent excess driving and save money at the pump.
Campus Reform has contacted Ren’s Mobile, ExxonMobile, and the three colleges for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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