> I suggest you try some prep H
I'll take that as a concession.
> And it's not what they THINK the price is gonna be... it's what the
> distributor tells them it is at that time!
So let's use your example....
Let's say I buy 10,000 gallons of gas today at US$1. So I add a 10%
margin to that and charge customers US$1.10. Several days later, Hugo
Chavez decides to stop selling oil to the US and the spot price of gas
skyrockets. So out of curiosity, I call my distributor and ask what "my
price" is on that day. He says "Well, if you buy it right now, it's
US$1.50. I don't really need any gas for another 4 days, but according
to you, I should start immediately charging customers US$1.50 + 10% =
US$1.65. Wow, so now I'm making 65 cents on the same fuel I paid a
dollar for. 4 days go by and the markets stabilise, Chavez falls off
his horse and is killed, etc....and it's time to order gas. The price
is back down to US$1.10. So I order 10,000 gallons and change the price
to US$1.21 (1.10 + 10%). Personally, I'd rather just make my guaranteed
10% margin on every gallon I sell rather than gouge my customers based
on pricing information mid-week that has zero bearing on my cost. But,
hey, if that's something that YOU think you'd like to do, you can set up
your own station around the corner and show us all how it's done.
Customers are a valuable asset and they're not stupid. If you "steal"
from them, they'll eventually catch on and do business with a more
honest establishment.
Cheers,