No. of Recommendations: 8
Hmmm...
Jeff Lenard, a spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores — whose members sell much of the fuel purchased around the country — said the $3.47 price point is not sustainable.
He said the wholesale price of fuel in the Philadelphia area is more than $3 a gallon, and that doesn’t include state and federal taxes or delivery and operating costs, including credit card fees.
Mr. Lenard added the Freedom Fuel gas stations appear to be mostly small operations with a limited selection of food and other merchandise, meaning they would be dependent on fuel margins.
“I don’t see how they can make money selling fuel. They need to have some other way to make money, whether it’s in-store sales, or a carwash or something else,” he said. “The question everybody is asking is who is taking the loss?”
Tom Kloza, chief energy adviser for Gulf Oil, said that while he knows nothing about Freedom Fuel’s business model, low-cost promotions are generally short-lived. He noted that in recent years, the markup has been about 40 cents a gallon, typically used to cover expenses including insurance, taxes, credit card fees and labor.
“We occasionally see retailers sell at below cost for grand openings, or special promos tied to holidays,” Mr. Kloza said in an email, “but the period where one sells at the disadvantaged prices is measured in hours and not days or weeks.”
By Friday morning, the Freedom Fuel station in Bristol had raised the price to $3.57 per gallon, according to the gas price tracking app GasBuddy.
Public records show only that Freedom Fuel Network was registered as a limited liability company less than a month ago in Delaware.
Freedom Fuel Network submitted a trademark application for its logo on July 1 and lists Anna Vishev as the attorney of record. In an email, Ms. Vishev, whose office is based in Staten Island, said she was not authorized to disclose any information about the company.
James Limer, 79, a retired union carpenter from Bristol, felt that his faith in Mr. Trump was being rewarded at the red, white and blue-themed station festooned with eagles and American flags.
“I love it. I know he’s going to bring prices down. I have all the confidence in him to do it,” he said.
Kevin Ogden, 35, a track worker for Amtrak who lives in Croydon, Pa., felt that the Freedom Fuel stations were just another positive example of the president’s leadership.
“Trump is doing great things for the economy and for the whole United States,” said Mr. Ogden, who had a “Family Above Everything” tattoo etched across his collarbone. “This is my first trip to a Freedom Fuel gas station, and it’s great. I just want this plan to keep on going forever.”
Oh, the MAGA cultists are such fools.
