Idea I received to bring gas prices down

[SharonRB]

I know most people on DU are already not purchasing Exxon Mobil gas, but if this idea spreads, it could be HUGH!!!!! My uncle just forwarded this e-mail to me. I'm going to post it here, in the lounge and in GD. Here's the e-mail:

I never send out mass emails, but given the message below, it seems like
>this one could work and that it is in all of our interest to send this to 10
>0r more people on your distribution list. Just pick out a few names and
>makes sure that you get some geographic distribution to the ones you pick.
>And adhere to it.
>
XXXXXXXXX

I'M VERY WILLING TO GIVE THIS A SHOT, HOW ABOUT YOU? I JUST SPENT $43.00
> >>ON GAS YESTERDAY.
GAS WAR - an idea that WILL work

Join the resistance!!!! I hear we are going to hit close to $4.00 a gallon by next summer and it might go higher!! Want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some intelligent, united action. Phillip Hollsworth offered this good idea.

This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain day" campaign that was going around last April or May! The oil companies justlaughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by refusing to buy gas. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them.

BUT, whoever thought of this idea, has come up with a plan that can really work. With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take action. The >>only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we hit someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their gas! And, we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves. How?

Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop buying gas. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all ct together to force a price war.

Here's the idea:

For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from the two iggest companies (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL. If they are not elling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they yeduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit.

But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of Exxon and Mobil gas buyers. It's really simple to do! Now, don't wimp out at this point.... keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people.

I am sending this note to 30 people. If each of us sends it to at least ten more (30 x 10 =3D 300) ... and those 300 send it to at least ten more(300 x 10 =3D 3,000)...and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth group of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers. If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each,then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes one level further, you guessed it..... THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!

Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all. (If you don't understand how we can reach 300 million and all you have to do is send this to 10 people.... Well, let's face it, you just aren't a mathematician. But I am, so trust me on this one.) How long would all that take? If each of us sends this e-mail out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!!

I'll bet you didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you?

Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on. I suggest that we not buy from EXXON/MOBIL UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $1.30 RANGE AND KEEP THEM DOWN.

THIS CAN REALLY WORK.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. Exxon could sell their gas to the cos that you end up buying from

to fill in the gap that would be experienced by the ones you buy from. Sorry, but that is probably what would happen.

[Imagevision]

3. Like it really costs you extra to try...?

[MrMonk]

5. By all means, try . . .

screw your local retailer by boycotting him for the sake of his pennies on the gallon, while the refiners and distributors shift their sales to wherever people actually are buying.

[SharonRB]

7. With so many local retailers, how am I screwing anyone?

I'm still buying gas, just not ExxonMobil. And I've been boycotting them for over a year now.

[MrMonk]

13. Do you understand your initial post?

In the initial post, you were calling for a general boycott to coerce Exxon into lowering their requested price for gasoline. To make that work, you would have to persuade a large number of people who might currently buy from Exxon-branded retailers to change their behavior and now refuse to buy from such retailers. The number of different brands presently available has nothing to do with the effects of the boycott. The effectiveness of the boycott depends on the number of people who *change* their behavior.

Now, if potential buyers change their behavior so that they no longer buy gas at an Exxon-branded retailer, who is it that gets hurt? Is it the Exxon refiner? No, the Exxon refiner simply sells its gas to retailers who sell to the public under brands other than Exxon. It is the retailer who gets hurt because he must make do with a lower income or go out of business. Why doesn't the retailer simply lower his price, you say? Because the retailer sells on a very thin margin. He has to take the gas at the price demanded by the refiner or distributor, then try to make his pennies per gallon on top of that.

Now, you tell me how you intend to conduct a boycott that is effective against Exxon without screwing the retailer.

[Imagevision]

2. I totally agree, but we're playing to a sleeping crowd

[Beaverhausen]

4. when you get a "forwarded email" please check snopes before posting

http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/gasout.asp

this have been around for many years.

[SharonRB]

6. If you don't like the idea, don't do it.

Just trying to be helpful.

[yankeedem]

16. I like this site also

http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/exxon.html

[Imagevision]

8. Doesn't cost anything to try...! at least your trying something!!

[Robb]

9. ...

[MrMonk]

14. For those who don't know . . .

that thing is a perpetual motion machine. It's similar to the proposal in the OP: it may look good on paper, but it won't work in practice.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

10. AAAAAAAARRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!

:argh:

[Imagevision]

11. OPERATIONMINDCRIME --> do you even vote??!!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

12. IMAGEVISION --> What In The Hell Are You Talking About??

[yankeedem]

15. Here is a radical solution

Which may actually work: Use less energy. Order online instead of going to the mall. Consolidate trips. Use mass transit when possible. Walk instead of drive. Turn lights off when unneeded. Purchase more efficient cars.

But that may take sacrifice, real sacrifice. So do your little boycott Exxon thingy, it will at least make you FEEL like you are doing something. :eyes:

Actually, I'm on board with boycotting Exxon, but only because they shovelled $686 million to their CEO during his nine year tenure, while denying climate change science. But I don't operate under the illusion that it will affect the price of gasoline a penny.

[Postman]

17. Buy CITGO gas.

eom