Reflections

Why Boycotting BP May Backfire

Posted by on Jun 22, 2010 | 12 Comments

If you think by not buying your gas from a BP station you will hurt the company, you may wish to reconsider your actions. It seems that BP stations, which are privately owned, may be using gasoline from a different company. In fact, it may not even be known by the station owner — his employees, or anyone else, if in fact that tanker full of gas is the real BP stuff or not. It seems that after a truck tanker is filled with gasoline, the secret BP additives may be added. In a recent NY Times article it also stated that:

Meanwhile, if you pass by a BP station and burn some fossil fuels driving down the road to fill up elsewhere, you may end up at a retailer that gets all of its gasoline from BP. The retailer won’t tell you that though.And the people who work at the gas station probably don’t know either.

But it was the last part of the article and also one of the comments that hit my funny bone:

Boycotting is easy. That’s why so many people like to do it. Lowering demand for fuel, thereby delivering a true blow to big oil for those who are so inclined, is much harder. It requires sacrifice. Colder homes and offices. Driving more slowly. Buying a smaller car. Avoiding or delaying a move to the suburbs that necessitates more hours behind the wheel.

At least that’s how I see it. How about you?

Here was the comment:

I think if it were up to you, we’d all be living in huts and rubbing sticks together for fire.

Now you have to admit, that’s funny!

Comments welcome.

Source – NY Times

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  • Simon Lucas

    It’s important to consider that 40% of BP shares are owned by Americans who depend on their investments for vital income. You hurt BP, you hurt all those people who are investors.
    Also, why haven’t Haliburton and Transocean been hauled up before Congress to answer for their parts in this tragedy? Doesn’t it feel good to kick someone when they’re down?

  • http://www.gavinstipsandtricks.co.nr/ Gavin Roskamp

    Very true.

    Just don’t go in and buy stuff IN the BP station. Don’t waste your money on WAY overpriced crap at any gas station. Go to Wal-Mart and throw all your money at them instead!

    And I suddenly want a hut to live in… :)

  • http://www.LondonderryNH.net Steve Young

    Absolutely Ron!

    We had a protest in our town of BP, the station is loved by the town. The owner lets the kids do car washes every weekend.

    The reaction by our readers to the protesters was surprising. Not a single supporter.

    We interviewed the protesters (who drove an hour to find a BP sign!) and have the audio in the story. The give their opinion, but when asked “Why Chuck?” what could they say…

    http://www.londonderrynh.net/?p=20945

  • mike Weiler

    I believe the only ones who will hurt by this type of thinking is the people at the bottom. The people who are at the top even with severence pay and getting fired will make more then the workers. So if you want to punish people who actually work for people who do not mistake sure boycott them. Where do you work? If your companies leaders were to make horrific mistakes woud you want your job to suffer because of this?

  • http://www.justenrobertson.com Justen

    A boycott of this sort is more symbolic than practical. It may encourage some station owners to ditch the BP franchise, regardless of where the oil comes from, and that’s a good thing – but addressing the destruction they have wrought is going to take a lot more work.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/theoracle/ the oracle

    I purposely held back a comment so I could see if others were going to give the main point I see to the situation – no one has thus far.

    If people boycott BP, which really is fairly easy, as all one has to do is want to pay a bit more, and go to a station of known supply (Royal Dutch Shell supplies all of the gas for Shell stations, ExxonMobil supplies all the gas for Mobil stations, etc. It is only BP that does a lot of third party supplying.).

    The problem with that reasoning is that should we actually do enough to put a crimp in BP’s style, we would end up causing a problem with their ability to put the $20 billion into the escrow fund for clean-up. If that occurs, then we are shafted, because Joe and Jane Taxpayer get to foot nearly the entire bill.

    • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

      I saw on the news this AM that 40% of BP stock is the hands of Americans.
      Also those folks in the gulf need the oil companies, so they say.

  • http://bob3160.googlepages.com/ bob3160

    Hi Ron,
    There is only one way to handle BP and it’s pointed out in the following blog:
    http://geeks.pirillo.com/profiles/blogs/smile-bees

    • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

      Hi Bob,
      Thanks for the chuckle.

  • kevin

    Boycot BP and then they cant pay damages and guess who will be, Uncle Sam on namely you

    • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

      Hi Kevin,
      Exactly.