Went to fill up with unleaded this morning and all but one of the pumps were empty. Apparently, all the local BP stations are the same. Seems that some ploker saw the fire on the TV (ignoring the fact that the place doesn't just store gasoline but diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel) and paniced. Sheep mentality set in and others started doing the same.
Why?
Andy
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Because 99% of people are idiots.
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<< Sheepmentality set in and others started doing the same. Why?
Birds of a feather flock together.
--
L\'escargot.
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"The Sheperd Boy and the Wolf"
Aesop's fable
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Back in the early 90's there was a computer game where the object was to create and secure a route (over obstacles etc) from A to B for as many of the creatures as possible.
The game was called Lemmings. It clearly appears to have mutated and has now infected the human population. The effects are expected to be catastrophic.
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"The Sheperd Boy and the Wolf" Aesop's fable
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What precisely is the analogy between the shepherd boy crying "wolf" and the sheep-like mentality of some motorists?
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Well do you believe what a Politican or a Government representative says?
I don't.
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It is actually a natural human reaction in the majority triggered by the stupidity of a minority.
Even though it is well publisised that there will not be a shortage a minority of people panic buy thus causing an actual shortage therefore triggering the natural reaction of the majority to buy before it runs out.
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If people, on average, have fuel tanks of 60 litres. And they refill their tank when it reaches 10 litres. Then the average petrol tank in Britain contains 35 litres.
And assume people refill their tanks with 50 litres every three weeks.... suggesting a couple of hundred miles per week, or 10k miles pa.
If panic regarding fuel supplies causes people to refill tanks when they reach 60% full, so 36 litres, instead of 10 litres. Now the average tank in Britain contains 48 litres.
So all of a sudden, each car contains an extra 13 litres - or an extra week's useage of petrol. So suddenly the petrol companies have to supply a whole week's worth of petrol in one day.
Silly! If anybody doesn't like my assumptions, then try some different numbers. You'll still prove the same point.
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Maybe where you are, but not up here. Passed about 4 petrol stations on the way home. Now they're no busier than normal?
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I've not seen any extra activity around here either (SW)
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Sheep mentality set in and others started doing the same. Why?
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actually it is quite simple: human psychology.
as soon as some politician or busybody says "don't panic", it means you had beter panic.
i fill up with about 50 litres every week, usually on a sunday or a saturday evening.
straight after hearing on the news that people were being urged not to panic buy, i went out and filled up to the brim - because i need that much for the whole week and expected that due to the warning given out, the public would do the opposite and by monday or tuesday all local stations would have run dry.
imo: the best public announcement in these situations is to say nothing, or implement the quota system (i.e only £20 max per fill and if you cannot use the £20 alowance, you still pay £20 - as someone suggested in another thread. ) this would stop the panic buyers from needlessly filling up.
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I agree with the other posters who say that we are too used to officials speaking the opposite of the truth.
I also believe that supplies would be affected. the industry has seen vast cost-cutting and rationalisation in recent years, and so runs at as near to 100% capacity as possible. Many terminals have closed down, it being cheaper to deliver the fuel greater distances by cheap agency workers working for sub contractors (as was the case here too) It's quite possible that we don't have the spare capacity to make up for the loss of such a major depot.
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£20 minimum per fill (unless you could prove your tank is smaller) would do it - then those of us who fill up when we need to would have no problem and the panic-buying morons would suffer.
I've been Reading-Plymouth-Blackburn-Reading yesterday and to-day - no problems filling up. Great advantage of a 70-litre tank and 45 mpg - the whole trip can be done on one fill-up.
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