04/07/2025
I am sorry. I messed up. I want to make it right. If you paid $30 for five gallons of gasoline last week during our spur of the moment can filling event, I owe you some gas. Please come see us. It was never my intention for anyone to pay that price as most folks paid $20. I apologize for how it came to be.
Those that do not know me are calling it price gouging at its finest, as they have every right, but those that know who I am are shocked and looking for an explanation. If you have the time to read through this, here's how last Monday unfolded:
Upon seeing post after post about people searching for gas, a group of my friends and I finally figured out a way to pump gas out of my underground tank, transfer that into an above ground tank, which we could then gravity fill gas cans, and walk them to the front of the store, all without electricity. It was not an easy feat, but we were all excited to finally have a way to help the community.
Before we even had everything in order and our gas cans filled and sitting in front of the store, the lineup had already started. Next came our rushed 15 second group huddle to discuss price. We knew it had to be cash only as there was no power whatsoever, so $20 was the easiest for a 5 gallon can. With the mindset that people were hauling cans around for generators, I chose to make this a can exchange for $20 to keep traffic moving. I hadn't even considered people needing gas for their cars, since during the last pandemic most folks didn’t go anywhere. This was my first mistake.
As we were heading off to our positions, one of my volunteers asked how much the charge was if they wanted to keep their own can and have it filled. With no time left to talk it through, all I pictured were the crazy lines for gas at Meijer and Freddie’s I had seen online. With the thought of the extra time it would take and the line of vehicles already pulling in that would have to wait longer, I just said $30. I figured no one would pay that much and would be alright with exchanging their cans. A gas can is a gas can, right? Why would it matter if you left with the same one you showed up with as long as it was full? This assumption was mistake number two.
I hung around the front of the store only long enough to see the first few customers exchange their cans for $20. Everyone was grateful and thanking us for making this happen, so off I went to the back lot to start refilling cans. Since I had the help of about 10 volunteers, I was able to focus on pumping and transferring fuel in the back lot. We kept getting can after can to fill up, so I figured the exchange must be working just as planned and I kept my focus back there. This was my third mistake.
In the blink of an eye, four hours had gone by and it was getting dark. All of us in the back were tired, shivering, and the scent of gasoline clinging to us. This was when I learned there had been a number of folks who didn't have gas cans with them, couldn't go home to get any, wanted to keep their own cans, or were running their cars simply to keep their kids warm. This was only meant to be a can exchange for $20, but some paid $30 to have us pour gas into their cars with no other option, and some just left out of anger and disbelief.
Had I kept a watch on the entire operation and known these situations were going on, especially running their cars literally to survive, I promise you the stakes would have changed. To be clear, this is no fault of the volunteers up front, as they were sticking to the prices I set in the beginning and started offering to put gas in cars because it was better than just telling everyone no. It was a hectic four hours for all, so no one had time to come find me with updates. I regret not focusing on managing the event as a whole.
I understand I can't make it up to everyone that was affected, especially those that drove off with nothing but a bad taste in their mouth for my establishment. Please know that I am sorry and when a storm like this happens again, we will handle it correctly. It was never about the money. We just wanted to help people and not make you wait in line forever.
Once again, please come see us if you paid $30 for five gallons.
My apologies,
Josh
Send a message to learn more
