Reply #196: of course they are: [View All]

[Hannah Bell]

Tension is mounting between BP and the neighborhood retailers that sell its gasoline. As more Americans shun BP gasoline as a form of protest over the Gulf oil spill, station owners are insisting BP do more to help them convince motorists that such boycotts mostly hurt independently owned businesses, not the British oil giant.

To win back customers, THEY'D LIKE THE COMPANY'S HELP IN REDUCING THE PRICE AT THE PUMP.

BP owns just a fraction of the more than 11,000 stations across the U.S. that sell its fuel under the BP, Amoco and ARCO banners. Most are owned by local businessmen WHOSE PRIMARY CONNECTION TO THE OIL COMPANY IS THE LOGO AND A CONTRACT TO BUY GASOLINE.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100627/ap_on_bi_ge/us_oil_spill_bp_at_the_pump


BP makes their money on the gasoline, the owners make their money on the overpriced sundries.

Station owners these days typically own multiple stations because it's hard to make a killing on over-priced sundries.