I just read that gas prices have doubled since January 2009 and it really gave me pause! Although I know they've been high recently, I was surprised to read how low they were a little over two years ago.
So I gotta ask: What are you doing to compensate? Are you booking fewer shows? Or the same number, but closer to home? Are you packing less inventory (to reduce vehicle weight)? Have you curtailed customer deliveries?
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another tool for gas is the "Gas Buddy" app on your smart phone. it will give you all the prices near where you are and where the station is. Or you can do it by zip code or city name.
I know this is done in other areas, because I see the commercials when I'm at a show.
Our local supermarket chain has an agreement with the local Sunoco stations. When we buy $50 in groceries and use our store club card, we get 10 cents off a gallon of gas. It adds up. So when I have to drive to a show I'll redeem the discount at the gas station. Last week I paid $2.39 per gallon. The woman at the pump next to me paid 29 cents. Twenty nine cents per gallon!
Every little bit helps.
I don't know the supermarket chain Karole is with but the chain I use is "Price Chopper" It's an upstate New York Chain based near Albany and have a few stores here in Vermont.
Most chains have a club card of some sort. We swipe the card at the register and the store specials get the lower prices.
Well, they contracted with Sunoco Gas Co where you swipe the club card at the pump and whatever you have accrued is reflected right there. It's a maximum of 20 gallons at the reduced price. And once you redeem the card, it starts all over.
We go to "Chopper" once a week because it's a 30 minute drive to the store. Otherwise I just go to the general store in town and "put it on my tab."
and doing more multi day shows. Camping out vs. hotel for overnights, unless I have friends who invite me for the night. I also have two fellow artists, who quite often are doing the same shows.
If possible, for the one day shows, we take turns commuting together, and splitting the gas, tolls, etc.
We've updated our displays / tables / shelving etc. in an effort to reduce the amount of weight we have in the truck, although I have to admit that was a side benefit of recreating part of our layout to enable a faster set up / tear down. We also went through all of our crates to eliminate anything we don't use regularly at shows and had just been in the set up crate forever. For our out of town shows we tow our travel trailer with us and have removed all of the recreational "stuff" we take with us for the "fun camping" trips vs. the work trips. It was amazing how many little things we had crammed into various cupboards, drawers, etc. that we never use when we're on the road for art shows vs. fun or that we were taking "just in case".
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