No doubt a most of us are feeling just a bit burned at the pumps, and nervous but helplessly numb about what we will face later this summer. I wanted to share some observations on this topic, and maybe plant a seed if I can. I feel we have been trained to pay more attention to gas station bonus programs and many of us basically overlook the prices clearly posted. Our routine becomes, “low fuel light, stop at the usual, pull out your usual two cards, fuel up, carry on.” We simply assume we are paying fair market prices. We should be looking at the price first, and we should be paying attention. Especially when we live in a digital world, it’s just too easy to do. Just be aware of when you will need to fuel up, and check the internet for gas prices before you leave. I found a website where you can select Chilliwack as your city, save it to your favorites, and thereafter pull it up in a matter of seconds.
I know this is nothing new, in fact, I recall seeing these sites over a decade ago, but nevertheless I have started regularly checking it out recently, and feel enlightened to have learned that at any given time in town here the prices range by at least five cents/litre, and often more!
The more people that use these sites/apps and update them, the more accurate they are, and if we pay more attention as a community, maybe we can promote a little more competition here, maybe even get our prices down to the Abbotsford range (that’s still a head scratcher…) Do the math on the savings and you will soon learn to ignore those bonus incentive programs as they pay a fraction of what you can save.
Paying attention pays.
Jake Van Egmond
