Quote:
Originally Posted by Linus
I watched a news piece the other day about boycotting BP. What's interesting is this: the gas stations are owned by local small individuals (not BP). The gas that's sold may or may not come from BP. If you go elsewhere that gas could be from BP. Additionally if you buy anything that has plastic on it, in it or around it, it could very well be from BP.
I think, however, that boycotting the local BP station doesn't hurt BP but hurts that small independent owner.
Food for thought?
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Linus - I worked for BP for many years. What you said above is correct. The BP branded stations are owned by local business people and individuals. Its usually a franchise. You are hurting the owner, not BP. BP, years ago, bought up a shit load of gas stations, fixed them up and sold them (I was part of the rebranding and fix up around the country). Then these stations were sold in blocks of 7 or 8 to local business groups/investors. Then these stations would be rebranded under the name they wanted. But the deal was they had to buy BP gas.
So it is no longer possible to tell who has BP gas and who doesn't. So while you pass by the BP branded station and hurt the individual owner, you are going down the street to another station and still purchasing BP gas. Boycotting BP will do absolutely no good. Even if you see a tanker truck with the name of the gas station on it, it is still no guarantee that it is NOT BP gasoline. Pretty much they have infiltrated the entire nation and convenience store network. BP also bought up the whole state of FLorida and made deals to supply to Florida stations. Now this was a few years ago and things might have changed, but somehow I doubt it. So if you live in Florida, I am about 90% sure you have BP gas in your tank.
Local individual gas station owners do well to make about a dime profit per gallon. They make their money on the hyper marked up sodas, chips and candy.
Oh and BP built the Alaska pipeline. And they don't just own gas. You have BP products in your house that you don't even know about.
So go ahead and boycott but it won't do any good. BP has a strong presence in the gasoline market in the US. Think of all the multinational corporation horror story and conspiracy theories you have ever heard of and then apply them to BP.
Rufus