Main page | April 2, 2008 »

Gas Stations Look in Stores for Profits

NEW YORK -- Gas prices may be sitting near record levels, but the owner of your local gas station quite likely is struggling, according to the Associated Press.

Profit margins on gasoline sales are razor thin. Indeed, some gas stations are losing money on credit card sales, once the fees are factored in.

How do they stay in business? More and more a gas station's bread and butter is, well, bread and butter - and the coffee and candy bars it sells in its convenience store. Most of these items generate much higher profits than gas.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:31 PM to Auto industry | Permalink | Comments 0

US Auto Sales Fall in March

DETROIT -- Ford's U.S. sales dropped 14 percent, Toyota's fell 10 percent and Honda's slipped 3 percent in March as demand for trucks and sport utility vehicles plummeted amid high gas prices and a slowdown in home construction, according to the Associated Press.

Consumers' worries about the economy were expected to make March one of the worst months for automakers since 2005, when a wave of summer discounts led to a huge drop in fall sales. Automakers reported sales Tuesday.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 2:28 PM to Ford , Honda , Sales , Toyota | Permalink | Comments 0