Lowering Gas Prices - FAQ

1: Why did you choose a calendar month as the period of boycott?

It fits my idea of “punishment” for the gas company that was consistently high during the previous month.

A calendar month is 28 to 31 days long. A fixed length of 30 days would work as well, as would, say 25 days, but I reasoned that a period as short as one week probably wouldn’t have the same economic impact.

I wanted to have a period easily remembered by the general gas-purchasing public.

I envisaged people checking on the first of the month to determine the target company, and then being able to remember that for the month.

2: Why do you list two companies?

Punishment and reward.

As well as boycotting the worst offender, we can reward the good guys by taking our business to them.

I am optimistic that both ends of the spectrum – the very good and the very bad – will measure the impact of the results.

3: How often do you sample the data?

I sample the data each time I reboot my computer.

At the time of the reboot the computer checks the time of day, to the nearest second. If the second is within a narrow range (e.g. 50 through 59 seconds past the minute), then the job samples the gas prices. That’s sufficiently random for my purposes.

4: How often do you reboot?

I reboot first thing each morning any time between 3:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. depending on my schedule.

5: How do you sample the data?

I have a little automated Excel workbook that identifies a target gas company each time the workbook is opened.

The workbook searches the web for high- and low-priced gas and records the results by adding 1 to the highest-priced gas company and subtracting 1 from the lowest-gas company.

A gas company that consistently scores high throughout the month will be handicapped with a very high score. Likewise the consistently lowest-priced company will be rewarded with a very low score.

6: What if EVERY gas company makes an extra effort to lower prices at the end of the month

Well, that would suit us fine, wouldn’t it?

For one thing we would all fill up at the end of the month, at our local end-of-month low

For another thing, since scores are kept throughout the month, companies that make a desperate last-minute effort to sneak below the line won’t make much of a dent in their scores if they have been consistently high throughout the month.

7: So, what if all the companies jack up their prices at the start of the month, once they can see who the winners and losers are?

That doesn’t affect our strategy at all.

We still boycott one company that gouged us the most during the previous month (and patronize the consistently lower priced company)

8: I notice that some gas companies, Costco is an example, require you to have a membership in Costco.

True.

A Costco cash card costs $25 at the time of writing. Obviously you will factor this into your decision.

If you gas up once a week at $50 a tank, you are forking out $200/month for gas. Add in a membership card and it is now $225 LESS the savings you get at Costco if they are selling at consistently lower price.

However the main thrust is to BOYCOTT HIGH PRICED GAS COMPANIES so if Costco is high, you won’t need to do any calculations anyway, right?

9: So let’s say ESSO is being boycotted this month but I see a lower price at Esso than at the SHELL or PETRO-CANADA across the street?

This is going to be tough.

Take a deep breath and boycott ESSO; stick with the long-term plan.

And I’m sure that many people will succumb to the temptation to save 50c just by crossing the street.

Remember though that united we stand, Divided we fall.

We have been divided for far too long.

Comments?

You can contact me directly: cgreaves@chrisgreaves.com or call me at 4166219348

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