Writing Sample: Short Article

Rising Gas Prices No longer Invoke Consumer Panic

November 11, 2007

Jonesboro, GA—Record breaking crude oil prices pushed gas in Atlanta to over $3 per gallon this week. While costs outside of the city hovered two cents below this mark, consumers avoided the panic of the initial spike two years ago.

After Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, soaring gas prices caused consumers to bombard gas stations across the state.

While drivers still grumble about high gas prices, Edward Levine, night manager for the RaceTrac station in Jonesboro, noted that fuel is something everyone has to buy. “Gas is a necessary evil,” he said. “You’re going to complain, but you’re going to pay it.”

Levine encounters repeat customers who offer general complaints about gas prices, but continue to make weekly and, often, daily purchases. He has noticed fewer people are filling up their tanks, buying just enough to get through the day. “They basically, for lack of a better way to put it, hand to mouth it.”

This getting by attitude has sparked the creation of websites such as www.atlantagasprices.com and www.georgiagasprices.com to assist consumers with the task of hunting down the lowest prices.

Even private and federal agencies are offering drivers tips to stretch their budgets. On their websites, the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the U. S. Department of Energy encourage consumers to maintain their vehicles, reduce speed, and empty trunks of excess baggage.

Although the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the agency reporting energy statistics for the U. S. government, reported crude oil prices at $96.46 per gallon on Wednesday, many consumers continue heeding only a few of the budget saving suggests.

Pamela Spears, wife and mother of two active high school students, said she hasn’t made any major adjustments since prices began easing up two weeks ago. She’s been able to follow her normal routine, which includes limiting extra-curricular activities and taking advantage of discounts at Kroger and Sam’s Club where gas sells for around $.10 less than the price at other gas stations.

Even though Spears drives to work daily and carpooled only briefly after the 2005 surge, she remains cognizant of her gas consumption. “I am very aware of how much driving I will do and where I go.”

The conservationist approach is popular, but according to Levine weekday purchases may be light, “then they get to Friday and they gas it up real big.”

While indulgence in weekend outings is a sign that panic over prices has eased, some consumers weren’t fazed even when prices fluctuated.

“I didn’t panic and run out to put gas in my car,” Michelle Brown, an Administrative Assistant from Atlanta said about the post-Katrina prices. Brown, a single parent, waited out the rush with half a tank of gas.

She remains level-headed about the current rise, and suggested drivers “just turn on the news, read a paper and you’ll see that oil prices are breaking records weekly. This allows you to plan accordingly and make adjustments when necessary.”