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163 comments on Looking Ahead - The Weekly Petroleum Inventory Reports

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wisco on September 17, 2008 - 12:43pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I am baffled by what seems to be two conflicting realities: Google news search on "gasoline shortages" yields few actual reports of dry pumps, but the blogs have reports of stations here and there with no product (or stories like below about tank delivery drivers who are noticing major changes in the distribution system). Gas Buddy shows daily pump prices dropping Tuesday to Wednesday in markets like TN and AL, where the dry pump blog reports seem to come from. What gives? I feel like I need actual time-stamped photos of pumps without product to confirm that there is in fact a shortage of supply at the retail level. Anyone?

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=gasoline%20shortages&um=1&ie=UTF-8&s...

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Pitt the Elder on September 17, 2008 - 1:03pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I am baffled by what seems to be two conflicting realities: Google news search on "gasoline shortages" yields few actual reports of dry pumps, but the blogs have reports of stations here and there with no product

Keep in mind that there are tens of thousands of gas stations in the US, so hundreds could have no gas even while 99% of stations are fine. Moreover, most places have multiple stations from multiple companies, so there's little impact on the public - and hence less news interest - if it's only one station or one company's stations that's having trouble, as people would just gas up at other stations.

Personally, I don't see a dichotomy here; a simple explanation is that some stations are having trouble getting product, but vast majority aren't, so almost all of the public sees little or no effect, so it's not something that makes the news.

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wisco on September 17, 2008 - 2:10pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Good points, but with empty shelves at even a small portion of stations, how can retail prices go down? What makes the stations with product, perhaps across the street from one without, so confident that the trucks will keep coming? Reports our of TX are 9-10 days of refining down at a minimum on top of already near-record low inventory, but AAA says "no worries" based on...?

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163 comments on Looking Ahead - The Weekly Petroleum Inventory Reports

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