To: John Carragher who wrote (234576 ) 1/13/2008 12:54:48 PM From: Jan W Read Replies (1) | Respond to The 100 gallon purchases aren't always because folks can't afford more - though saying so certainly makes for better tv drama. The reality is that most people (rich & poor alike) aren't stupid - when the fuel oil prices are at their highs (and if they're not on a budget plan), it's common practice to purchase in smaller increments to wait out the price increase so that their tanks can be filled or topped off with cheaper oil in a few weeks. Certainly no sane person rushes to fill their tanks when the prices are so high. A hundred gallons will last awhile - and in all likelihood the next 100 will be a lot cheaper. [My small business is heated with fuel oil. We bought 275 gal at the beginning of the season and still have about 1/4 tank left. If the prices don't come down when we need more, we too will join the ranks of people buying in 100 gal increments until the prices come back down again - as they always do.] And, again, you have to bear in mind that we had record snowfall for the month of December and that has a huge impact on oil storage and delivery. (Massive centralized tank farms offer no great benefit in harsh climates and rural areas. In addition to their primary storage tanks, most oil companies here decentralize and maintain smaller fuel oil storage tanks right within the neighborhoods or communities they serve. My oil provider maintains 2 such tanks on a small lot a couple streets over from me.)"We didn't have a polling problem," said Dick Bennett, president of American Research Group. "We ran out of time." unionleader.com
