Hexane and heptane and octane! Oh, my!

Most of the time, I stay home and don't go out often. However, I decided on a short outing last night because there was hardly any fuel remaining in my car. The last couple of times I went out, I noticed that the gauge indicated that it was running low, but I was so otherwise engaged in errands that I didn't feel like making a detour to buy any.

However, I'd heard news stories that there is an impending gasoline shortage because of an alleged cyberattack on the large Colonial Pipeline that supplies most of the gasoline to the east coast of North America. Consumers were being advised against "panic buying" but were told that if one really needed gas, one shouldn't hesitate to buy it. With the position of the gauge, I felt buying a little was definitely in order, especially since I have no friends or family nearby on which I can rely if I need to go somewhere.

Late night is always a good time to go out, as there's not so much traffic, nor people with which to contend. I also thought there would be fewer customers in line at the gas pumps, and yes, there wasn't anyone there except the cashier in the store! I began pumping the regular "unleaded" gas that I usually put in the car and was somewhat mystified when only $0.04 worth of fuel went into the tank and the pump suddenly stopped. I kept jiggling the lever on the pump, thinking it was malfunctioning and trying to get it to restart. The lady working as cashier opened the door and yelled to me that she was out of "regular" gas, and that I should try the "plus" or "premium" pump, instead.

So, I tried the "plus"-grade pump with a higher-priced and higher-octane fuel and managed to get $0.15 worth of gas from it before it stopped, too. I was beginning to become concerned at that point that I might not be able to satisfy my car's thirsty fuel tank. I really didn't want to spend an even higher price for the "premium" grade of fuel, but had no choice but to try it or go somewhere else. Fortunately, there seemed to be plenty of that higher grade of gasoline, and the pump ran smoothly. I decided to be a good citizen and only buy a little so as not to take more than I thought I might need. This consideration of mine might be greatly appreciated by those who came after me.

When I went inside the store afterwards, the cashier told me that people have been very greedy of late. She told me of one woman who brought eight large containers and filled them, placed them in the back of her SUV, and then wanted to fill the tank of the very large SUV, too. The cashier denied her that purchase, and the woman left in a huff, threatening to call the store's manager. The cashier told her to go ahead and do that, as the manager would have denied her, too. It's amazing what people will try, and how little they think of the needs of others. I was grateful for the small amount of gas I bought, and was very happy to know that I did not purchase more than I needed and left a bit for someone else.

Another thing the cashier said surprised me. When I mentioned the gas shortage, she shook her head, lowered her voice as if she knew some big secret, and said, "There is no gas shortage." My first thought was to ask her, "Then why don't you have any 'regular' gas to sell?" But, I thought better of it, as I didn't want to encourage a conversation that might lead to pessimistic, alternate reality, there-is-no-hope and we're-all-doomed conspiracy theories.

The above photo is several years old, showing a long-defunct gas station in the small town nearest me. The price on the sign is laughable, as it has probably been at least six years, if not more, when prices were that low. The following chart shows the prices over the past six months. The blue line shows the average national price in the US, and the red line shows the average price in my general area. Prices here have traditionally been lower than the national average partly because of our proximity to the Colonial Pipeline, and partly because of the lower taxes on gasoline in this area. Last night, I paid quite a bit more than the highest price showing for the gas I bought 😬, but under the circumstances the price was probably rather fair.

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If you wish to generate a similar chart for your area, click here to visit the website where I found the widget for creating the above chart. The widget there is supplied by GasBuddy.com, which has even more options and apps available on their website.

Hopefully, everything will be restored to some sense of normality soon, with regard to availability of fuel and prices charged. Otherwise, I shutter to think of what explanations might be concocted by the general populace, as logic seems to be disappearing at an alarming rate while contrived theories get stranger and stranger as time passes. We so need some sense of rational thought in this world again.

 😊

       

^_13-May-2021