shoppingqueen: American Help

Daniel (

shoppingqueen) wrote,
@ 2006-04-28 01:55:00

Current mood:	confused
Current music:	Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl [ZAX Word Up Radio Edit]
Entry tags:	american culture, environmental, world

American Help
hi darlings,

I need help from an American not sexually or for my mental health! just yet

On the BBC News tonight they talked about the prices of Petrol / Gas and everyone in America is going insane over the price! (which looking globally is one of the cheapest prices for fuel in the world and is virtually untaxed! American gas is still half the price of most countries! but anyway that is not the point). They showed an American gas station (?) I don't know what you call them, garage (?) and it had a price sign outside it. But I cant work out what it means. It showed the different fuels and was like 398 9/10 - what the fuck does it mean? My family are all arguing about it? The first number I guess is the price per gallon in cents or dollars? But what is the fraction? On the sign they showed on camera all the different fuels were 9/10!

The sooner more cars move away from oil based fuel the better, its so unstable at the moment! If I had a car I want it to run on some sort of reliable alternative fuels! I would also want flowers to be painted on it! I want a eco green hippie fan! It would be like scooby doo!

Cheers if you can explain the American Gas system to me!

(Post a new comment)

	alectoerinyes 2006-04-28 01:22 am UTC (link)
	Here it's 3.05 9/10 per gallon, which means it's $3 and 5 and 9/10ths of a cent, so basically it's 3.06 per gallon. I don't know why the fraction is added on, but it doesn't really matter. No one cares about the 9/10 of a cent. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	jameth 2006-04-28 01:58 am UTC (link)
	They try to add the 9/10ths to make it look cheaper, I guess, much like how things are priced $9.99 and not just ten bucks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	prisonbitch 2006-04-29 03:32 pm UTC (link)
	that's it! coming from a oil/gas business family, it was originally a marketing tool that became practice. if given the choice between 1.329 or 1.33, people would by 1.329 (Reply to this)(Parent)

	shoppingqueen 2006-04-29 01:15 am UTC (link)
	cheers darling! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	jameth 2006-04-28 01:57 am UTC (link)
	I took that picture today. They leave the decimal out. It is $3.429 per gallon. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	shoppingqueen 2006-04-29 01:16 am UTC (link)
	thanksy darling! That is what they had on this BBC report and there was 9/10 on each fuel and I could not work out what the hell it meant! I am so pro the American word 'Mart' we need it here! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	odd_dog 2006-04-28 02:00 am UTC (link)
	basically, I think it's fractions of a cent. like, the price would be $3.989 / gallon. does that make sense? (Reply to this)

	deeevamp 2006-04-28 02:43 am UTC (link)
	Wow, I've never noticed a fraction next to gas prices. Most signs here will say like 3.9654, the decimal equation instead of a fraction. The reason I didn't notice fractions next to gas prices is probably what everyone else says, we don't notice it because it doesn't really mean that much to us. lol (Reply to this)

babyty
2006-04-28 03:32 am UTC (link)

ok everyone explained it. i just wanted to add, that we call them gas stations, and here in NJ we can't pump our own gas! i guess we could but it's all self serve someone comes out even in the rain and pumps it for you! and we have the cheapest too in the USA, i dont know why, personally I think it's because we are so close to the oil docks, and the oil refineries, like i can see the refineries from my friend's apartment, its like 500 feet! it's scary at times, like when they explode and your house shakes and things break :( oh and terrorists could bomb us and we'd die.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

	babyty 2006-04-28 02:02 pm UTC (link)
	oops its not all self serve its all full service i think its called. i wrote that late at night! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nasal 2006-04-28 05:49 pm UTC (link)
	and people from other parts of the country call from new jersey whispering from backseat like, "PEOPLE WANT TO PUMP OUR GAS FOR US AND WE THINK IT'S A SCAM. DO THEY WORK FOR THE GAS STATION? DO WE TIP THEM? WHAT DO WE DO?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

shoppingqueen
2006-04-29 01:35 am UTC (link)

omg! sounds scary
we used to have people who serviced you (this sounds so perverse) but you never see them anymore, its always self service! But in Europe you still get people who come out and help.

I saw some old footage of the UK in 1973 on a BBC channel and they had these fabulous ladies serving people with fuel in their cars. They had this red uniform and skirt and big hat! It was like air hostesses! actually they were called garage hostesses or something! lol

(Reply to this)(Parent)

vortex
2006-04-28 06:05 am UTC (link)

What people in other countries don't realise is that Most of Working Americans have a daily commute to work of 1hour or more and back home of 1 hour or more. Our gas prices are cheaper, but we are on the road longer, thusly consuming much more gas.

Not to mention that if we want to travel to another city or state to visit friends/family, or to go on vacation, the typical raod trip is 400-1000 miles (about 500-1500km) one way. In Europe and other places work commutes are typically of shorter distance and time with the same for vacation travel or to visit family/friends...

(Reply to this)(Thread)

vortex
2006-04-28 06:14 am UTC (link)

Also, with the work commute, a couple of years ago when gas here in Atlanta Georgia was only $1.25 per gallon, it would cost maybe $40 to fill up a tank of gas which would last about 3-4 days going to and from work. Now, with gas at $2.95 per gallon, it costs about $100 to fill up a tank of gas, so going to and from work for 3-4 days is $100, plus the last day or two of work plus driving to the club on friday/saturday, driving to a movie, driving to church on sunday (if the person is so inclined)...that's another $100 just for the gas for one week. Not to mention adding $5-$15 for parking everywhere you go in the city, $10-$20 for entry into a club, $20-$40 to eat at a restaurant on the weekend, $50-$100 for groceries, $10-$15 for the movie...things add up quite quickly. A person can easily spend $500 a week just to live a normal life now and most Americans barely make over $800 per week in income...

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

shoppingqueen
2006-04-29 01:33 am UTC (link)

The news story on the BBC news that night was about how the high prices affect the UK but also the US. It was really sad because it was showing that pawn brokers are doing better than ever in the US and people are going in to pawn jewellery etc to just get money to fill their tanks :(

Some people do road trips around Europe but most people fly these days. Its so cheap to hop around to different cities and doesn't take days! Also the UK is 'supposed' to have a good transport service. Most people in London use public transport to work (although there is still a million cars on the roads!)

The good thing about America is that everything is so cheap, like groceries and I think everything you can buy is cheaper than the UK. Most stuff is half the price or a third of the price! The thing that amazes me is that you can but a big mac in London and then in America the exact same thing is like 1/2 the price! But then people are paid less than here :(

Currently in the UK the minimum wage for people over 22 is £5.05 an hour and thats $9.22 in dollars. But goods are much more expensive, and houses are much more expensive and there is far more tax paid. So I guess there is evils in both places, I dunno which is better! lol I once watched a programme about the minimum wages in the US which vary from state to state on an American news channel and its like $4 an hour, its much less. The big problem in London is really high property prices. No young people can afford property :(

But I think the news story I was watching was basically making the point that however much the prices to fill your car are in the UK, its really affecting people in the US in a really bad way.

How did you go from being a Marine to a go go dancer? You've had such a cool life!

(Reply to this)(Parent)

	Comparison devoiddroid 2006-04-28 06:56 am UTC (link)
	In case anyone's interested. Using the example of $3.429 / gallon of unleaded as in the picture. Here in the UK for unleaded it's currently £0.949 / litre or £3.597 / gallon. Using the current exchange rate from xe.com of £1 = $1.80151 It works out that we pay equivalent to $6.48 / gallon of unleaded. And to think people in america are complaining! (Reply to this)(Thread)

	Re: Comparison jamesofdoom 2006-04-28 10:07 am UTC (link)
	Thanks for doing the maths. I was just about to do that then your message turned up :o) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Comparison deebee 2006-04-28 02:22 pm UTC (link)
	still waiting for you to pose for a pic with hobbit ears---hahahaha! hugs, db (Reply to this)(Parent)

	deebee 2006-04-28 02:21 pm UTC (link)
	prices for gasoline went WAY up here in houston after the hurricanes katrina and rita passed through.... i'm still thinking about making a link on the internet that poses the question: wanna see a texas-size turd? then, when you click on the answer, it is a picture of Bush! hahaha (Reply to this)(Thread)

	shoppingqueen 2006-04-29 01:17 am UTC (link)
	gasp are you allowed to say that in Texas! ;) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	deebee 2006-05-01 01:54 pm UTC (link)
	hell yeah we are... especially if we didn't vote for the JackAss! hahahaha ... i PURPOSELY voted for the OTHER guy last time, not because i liked HIM, but because i hated BUSH so much... shit... what WAS his name??? kerry edwards?? hahaha (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

shoppingqueen
2006-05-01 02:39 pm UTC (link)

problem is crappy opposition, and we have the same problem which is why Tony Blair is still there! I want to vote for a minor party but if my vote goes to them than the recognised major opposition the conservatives might get stronger argh! that is my politics of the day

in a nosey personal question, are you still friends with Mikey? I added your lj cos you guys were dating at the time and he said add this guy he's cool and he was! and I know you split up but wondered if you still talked to each other or not!

There is so many hot gay men in Houston! I used to have a net friend from there and he kept moving around Texas! I have lost touch with him now :(

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	deebee 2006-05-01 06:23 pm UTC (link)
	no, for many personal reasons (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	shoppingqueen 2006-05-01 07:18 pm UTC (link)
	I am really glad I met you then and added you to my lj :) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	deebee 2006-05-01 07:29 pm UTC (link)
	I am glad I met you, too... I guess I should explain... I'll send you an e-mail (Reply to this)(Parent)

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