Apologies for the ‘click-bait’ title but there’s nothing like a bit of corporate-funded social engineering to get you going…
Drivers urged to do two easy things which saves hundreds on petrol
Drivers have been urged to do two simple things that will help you save hundreds on fuel as prices SOAR again. Motorists have been urged to fill up at supermarkets, which are often cheaper to buy fuel from.
Drivers could save as much as £75 over a year by buying their fuel at a supermarket, according to research. And motorists are urged to opt for standard grade fuels rather than premium petrol and diesel, because the upgrade simply isn’t worth it for the majority.
The average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts on Tuesday was 186.6p, according to data firm Experian. The average price of diesel hit a new high of 192.5p per litre.
“Drivers urged to do two easy things which saves hundreds on petrol” – Birmingham Mail, 20th June 2022
And of course by “supermarkets”, yes they mean your big retail corporates like Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, ASDA etc.
Hmm, I wonder why fuel from these big supermarkets is cheaper than from independent filling stations? 
And I wonder who funded this ‘research’?
What could be the reasoning behind this?
“Oh we’re here at Morrisons, may as well pop in and do a shop while we’re at it”
Filling station retailers have faced a bit of a backlash in recent weeks, and are bearing the brunt of consumer ‘anger’, which is being fuelled (excuse the pun) by the media.
The following is from an email I received from UKIP today:
The UK fuel duty is 20% higher than 35 other major economies and steadily crippling domestic customers.
“Petrol Price Crises and the Blame Game” – UK Independence Party email newsletter
Retailer profit is below the recent 5p government discount but with prices rising almost every day the retailer has to keep paying more for supplies, which uses all the profit and more and creating a cash flow problem.
The government blaming the retailer for not passing on the fuel duty reduction is a blatant attempt to avoid the focus of greed on itself.
Fuel wholesale cost 52%
Government tax 45%
Retail profit 2%
Delivery cost 1%
So this makes me wonder “who benefits” if supermarkets can afford to sell fuel at a loss, but claw back some profit if motorists then end up shopping in-store?
More importantly, who ends up ‘losing out’? That’s right, your small local independent filling stations, as well as other small local independent shops and supermarkets who lose out because their potential customers are driving out to ‘big supermarkets’ and then shopping there instead.
So here comes my response to the headline of:
Drivers urged to do two easy things which saves hundreds on petrol
1. Put your car keys away and make less journeys, try walking to a local shop or supermarket for groceries instead. Buy what you need at the time, rather than doing a huge ‘big shop’. (Your local convenience store is probably not that much more expensive than Tesco or Sainsburys to be honest, but at least you’re supporting a local independent business)
2. Stop using your car for short journeys. Could you walk instead? Perhaps you could travel by bus?
Now of course I’m not advocating that people should give up their cars, and switch to cycling or public transport instead, as is the current agenda. But there are simple little changes that mean that by using your car less, you can actually save hundreds on fuel.
By all means, carry on driving 30 miles to get to work if that’s easier for you. But when you get home in the evening, is it worth driving for two minutes to get to the chippy round the corner, or wouldn’t a nice 10 minute walk be better for you?
That’s nice and simple honest advice, and more than you’d get from the likes of “money-saving expert” Martin Lewis, whose common-sense words are often interspliced with corporate endorsements.
