With the oil companies posting billions in profits per quarter why are they charging for air ?

I was out for a drive yesterday and pulled into Shell for some needed fuel ;after checking the pressures in the tires I noticed I was down a couple of pounds in the left rear

I pulled over to the air-fill station and they wanted $.75 for 2 minutes of air........ WTF ?

This is all IMHO ;two other stations on the same corner have the same practice

 

Some states like California and Hawaii mandate gas stations to give free water and air. They can say on the machine that it costs money, but all you have to do is go in and ask them to turn it on. Same goes for water in California restaurants. They have to give you water if you ask, but it's usually tap water.

 

Also how it is in SA Texas. All I do is walk in and ask to use the air pump.

 

(In California) I always ask them to turn on the machine although the machine require 75 cents.

 

keep in mind that things like that could be a gas station owners responsibility, not the parent oil company.

A shell station (or any brand name station) will most likely be owned and operated by X person or company. They may have to lease or buy the machine that supplies water and air. It would then be up to them to either provide the service for free or charge an amount to cover the expense of having that machine (machine price plus the costs of water and maintenence on the machine etc etc) available to you.

Does not make it any better but.... it may not be on the parent oil company making billions, it may be on the shop owner making pennies on the gallon......

 

^^^^ True that

 

they charge for air here in Tennessee as well...

 

So what do you consider a reasonable profit percentage wise if you are in business selling a product?

Gas stations (convenience stores) don't make much of a profit on selling gas, therefore they try to make it up in other ways.

 

keep in mind too that virtually nothing in this world is completely free. All this stuff costs money to provide. If they (the owner of the machine) choose to pass some of the costs onto you, you have the responsibility to determine if that location is where you want to fill up with air and water or not.

It's business 101. IF they choose to provide it for free to you, they still have to factor in the cost somewhere (an extra 3 cents on coffee, another nickel on soda etc). Them providing it for "free" may make you feel a degree better about the station or company providing it, but it is still costing you the consumer something somewhere.

Personally, I would rather pay a fee to have it when I needed it than to need it and not have it available at all (if they chose not to have it because the costs or upkeep is too expensive or inconvenient to them).

 

I didn't start driving until the mid-late 80's and I can't recall ever having not paying for air... so I am not complaining. ...for the record.