Fuel shortage
Leslie
1,729 Posts
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 08-25-03 AT 11:46AM (CST)[/font][p]So about a week ago, a 46-year-old gas pipeline between Tucson and Phoenix ruptured, leaving the Phoenix metropolitan area - now the fifth largest city in the country - with very little fuel.
The pipeline has been fixed, but will take another two or three weeks to test, repressurize, etc., etc., etc. Today, there is no premium, no mid-grade, just unleaded. As soon as a station gets some, the word gets out and it is GONE. The lines are tremendous, the prices even more so.
Our public transportation is nonexistant, the Valley is so spread out that carpools are tough to coordinate (our sr. hr specialist drives 37 miles one way.) Employees can't afford to drive to work - so now guess whose problem this is! The GM wants me to have department managers try to work around people's schedules so they are on four 10s - 850 employees working 7/24 and we need to reschedule at the drop of a hat. Yeah, that's happening.
It's Monday, I have my son in from out of town, the HR Director took the day off, so my half day is out the window. Yes, yes, I'm whining.
The pipeline has been fixed, but will take another two or three weeks to test, repressurize, etc., etc., etc. Today, there is no premium, no mid-grade, just unleaded. As soon as a station gets some, the word gets out and it is GONE. The lines are tremendous, the prices even more so.
Our public transportation is nonexistant, the Valley is so spread out that carpools are tough to coordinate (our sr. hr specialist drives 37 miles one way.) Employees can't afford to drive to work - so now guess whose problem this is! The GM wants me to have department managers try to work around people's schedules so they are on four 10s - 850 employees working 7/24 and we need to reschedule at the drop of a hat. Yeah, that's happening.
It's Monday, I have my son in from out of town, the HR Director took the day off, so my half day is out the window. Yes, yes, I'm whining.
Comments
I went through the gas crisis in the east in the 70's. Once a lifetime is enough. I have employees who slept in their cars at the pumps so they could get gas to come to work. Some stations are only allowing $10. worth at $2.59 a gallon. The pumps are so slow that the gas dribbles into the tank and takes forever to get even $10. Its hot, 109, 45 minutes to an hour on line, not a pretty picture.
However, we are not exagerating. It is really bad out there. Gas station after gas station with orange cones blocking the driveways or yellow tape keeping you away from the gas pumps. On the way home last night, I saw a line of cars following a tank truck. At a red light, the driver got out and taped a sign on the back of his truck. It read, I'm empty. Believe me, we didn't plan it.
I really feel for you guys out there, having lived in Arizona and dealing with the heat, traffic and gas stations on a good day was bad enough !!!
I hope you all can hang in there for a few more weeks. Maybe they'll get it done quicker than they think.
Zanne
I actually have it easy. The tribe I work for also has a convenience store/gas station on the reservation. They are not selling any gas they get to the public - using it to keep the sand, gravel, and concrete ops going, all the government, entities business and emergency vehicles running. Plus, each employee is getting a coupon to purchase 15 gallons of gas each week this continues - and only at $1.999 a gallon. That's not bad comparatively speaking.
However, my employees at the gas station are verbally getting beat up by the public following the tanker into the station only to be greeted by a sign that says we aren't selling gas to the public.
And they say this is going to go on two or three more weeks. What a joke.
I drive 67 miles a day, round trip. That doesn't include days I visit our 17 locations. I realized the other day that based on current gas prices, it costs me over $8 per day just to go to work.
I live on the other side of the valley from Leslie, and our gas problem (the Gov. clearly stated "it's not a crisis, it's a problem!") isn't quite as bad. My husband found a gas station near us where if he goes there at 4AM, he can get gas and not wait in line for more than a few minutes.
Gotta love a man who is willing to fill your gas tank at 4AM so you don't have to wait in line during hot daytime hours!
When I filled up yesterday, and the guy next to me kept filling up gas containers the whole time I was filling up my car. I said to him "looks like you're from Phoenix". He gave me the sarcastic smile and said "how did you guess".
Rob
P.S. what are you guys doing highjacking our tankers!
Sounds like the pipline will be fixed soon anyway (they are making to much money off of this to fix it to fast).
Rob
The morning paper has an article about remembering the stations that gouged you. You can bet a lot of people will not be filling up there.
One of my employees was so upset about his station raising the prices so much that he went up to the manager and told him , "Shame on you! I have been coming here several years but I will take my business elsewhere." Didn't seem to bother the station manager but the employee felt better.
>else is $2.10 or better. And we're back up to 80 percent capacity.
>The prices jumped 40 - 60 - 80 cents over night. Think they'll drop
>back down that fast?!?!?
You know they never do. . .
AARGH!
(EDIT: nothing against owners of them, but that's supposed to be Winnebagos)
Because we have been so conditioned with the bovine instinct, the gas buffoons know we will adapt to this situation too. Buffoons? No, they are highly skilled crooks that count on our stupidity and dependence to line their pockets.
Ok, I feel better now.