Be careful where you direct your gas price anger

By Staff
Gas price have risen past $3 per gallon in Franklin County for the first time in most of our lives. There doesn't seem to be any relief in sight.
With virtually no alternative to the liquid gold, "they" have got us over a barrel. It's popular to complain about the price of gas. It also very easy.
However, be careful about where you direct that anger. The clerk you hand your cash over to has nothing to do with it. For the most part, neither does her boss.
Gas prices are dictated by state and federal laws and multi-billion dollar companies, many of which are not even based in the United States.
The manager of a Franklin County gas station is taking the same beating that we are.
Gas make only a few pennies per gallon of gas sold. That doesn't account for evaporation and what some customers try to steal by driving off without paying.
For the most part, local gas stations sustain themselves by what they sell on the inside.
The chips, beverages and convenience items are all that keep many of the smaller stations afloat.
It certainly seems like gas prices fluctuate with the direction of the wind, but just as the weathermen don't control the wind, local gas stations don't control the prices they charge for fuel.
They feel the pinch, too. It's hurting everyone, including the ones who sell it.