Brandon Twp.- Record-high gas prices are driving some local consumers to change their habits, while others endure the cost.
Melanie Hutchinson was putting gas in her Chevy Impala on Tuesday at Sunoco, with gas about $3.49 a gallon. She used to drive an Envoy, but switched to the smaller car for better gas mileage. The Goodrich resident also makes trips only when she has more than one errand.
‘I will ride my bike more for errands if the price goes up more,? says Hutchinson, who spends about $45 a week in gas and puts in about $15 worth of gas at a time while she waits for prices to drop. ‘I think prices don’t need to be this high. It’s a false crisis… We don’t have a shortage.?
Kim Rahmann of Ortonville also tries to run all of her errands in one trip. The Jeep Liberty owner fills her tank for $59 today and says it was $50 the last time she filled up.
‘If it gets to $4 (per gallon), I probably won’t go anywhere,? she said.
Rahmann says she won’t get a smaller car, but plenty of people are doing just that, says Larry Simms, owner of Simms Chevrolet, 110 Ortonville Road.
‘We used to sell four trucks for every one car,? says Simms. ‘It’s been a slow migration over the last couple years to cars. Every time the gas prices spike, we see a little jump (in the sale of cars) and then it settles back down. This month, the ratio is eight cars sold for every one truck.?
Leonard Nord, a salesman at Randy Wise Ford, 968 M-15, said during the last few weeks, the sale of economy cars such as the Fusion and Focus have increased, and gas prices are hurting the sale of trucks.
‘Trucks used to sell by a 2-1 ratio (over cars),? Nord said. ‘Now cars are sold 3-1 over trucks.?
Sport utility vehicles are still selling, particularly the Escape and Edge, each of which averages about 23-24 miles per gallon.
‘Customers always ask about gas mileage, unless they’re getting a big truck, and then they know,? he said. ‘Sales of super duty trucks are down.?
Mark Thompson drives a Chevy Silverado 4×4 truck that gets 16-20 miles per gallon, but says if prices get to $4 per gallon for gas, he plans to buy a used motorcycle.
‘I think prices are artificially inflated,? said Thompson, who spends $72 to fill his truck. ‘Demand is not what they say. We’re getting ripped off. They need to give bigger incentives for alternative fuels.?
Rachael Sakalian drives a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It costs about $70 for her to fill the tank, which she does two to three times per week. She drives about 200 miles a week as a hair stylist traveling to clients? homes.
‘Sometimes I just put $20 in,? Sakalian said. ‘I’m waiting for the prices to go down, but they probably won’t… I have to get places so I can’t change my habits. When my lease is up, I will get a smaller car if the price of gas is still up.?
Shell Gas Station Store Manager Jennifer Nabozny says the increase in gas prices hasn’t affected business much. She notices credit card usage is up, and she’s getting a lot of people paying with change. Some customers tell her they are cutting back on traveling or switching to smaller vehicles, but others have no plans to change.
‘They tell me they’re going to bend over and take it,? says Nabozny, laughing. ‘They’re venting, not blaming us.?
Carin Day, Citgo store manager, says she has noticed an increase in store sales.
‘People are coming in the store more often than going to the pumps,? she said. ‘They probably want to come in to ask about prices. People ask why gas is up, do I think prices will go down. All are questions I can’t answer.?