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Brace for more shipping hikes (also go fill up your tank tonight if you can)
Summary: gurlcat shared an image showcasing high diesel prices in California, highlighting potential impacts on shipping costs and prices of goods due to disruptions in oil distribution. They emphasized the challenges faced by rural areas and small towns. The discussion evolved into a debate about image approval processes on forums and referenced past issues with offensive content. Participants also discussed the political and economic implications of rising fuel prices, sharing personal experiences and differing perspectives on the situation in the U.S. and abroad.
This photo kinda says it all. -Diesel literally at the display's digit spaces limit. One more tenth of a penny and I guess they'll have to tape a big green '1' on the left side, or something. 
Yes this was taken in California, so of course your prices are probably nowhere near this wherever you live. But here's what's more important than the numbers in the photos: when it was taken. It was Friday, before the oil markets closed for the weekend, and the markets closed before the Saudi East-West pipeline closure AND the (pretty shocking) Houthi advances in Yemen. If you don't want to go find and read the specifics on those stories, basically it's 2 big, new, additional clogs in oil distribution. Oh and we're also approaching the bottom of our strategic reserve, in the U.S.
What's important to understand is these problems will affect diesel prices even more than gasoline. So while it will cost you more to drive to the grocery store, the bigger sticker shock will be on the grocery shelves, because of how food is transported (and most everything else we buy, and yes most of the transportation of our sales items to buyers). Things are going to get extra tough the further you are from major metros. The rural disadvantage we're already seeing in USPS label prices is just a coal mine canary sign of how hard things are going to get, not just for "B.F.E." dwellers, but maybe even smaller city residents, because if a shipping contract isn't profitable, it's just not worth having. So smaller towns could end up with more empty shelves, forcing residents to drive to the nearest big city, which of course will mean using lots of very expensive gasoline.
-If you do live out in B.F.E. you are probably already used to a routine of stocking up and using lists to make sure you don't forget things. But you may need to take planning even more seriously soon, like pretend you're the Ingalls family and winter is approaching the prairie.
sin-n-dex
·3 weeks agoThanks for sharing and pointing out something that is not obvious to many, how the cost of fuel affects our food prices at the grocery stores.
We have 1.82 a Litre (3.78L to a US Gallon) in Canada. That's C$. So about 5.20 a gallon here.
12345jamesstamps
·3 weeks agoWeird how the photos take forever to get approved sometimes.
Anyway, the latest gas photos is from me...last week prices by the way.
12345jamesstamps
·3 weeks ago12345jamesstamps
·3 weeks agoNotice the small print 'cash or Chevron credit card' only?
That's new and I been going there for years.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks ago@12345jamesstamps So this was last week?^
oldwestgold
·3 weeks ago · EditedThanks for pointing out where gas is the highest, and always has been. Most know who has been destroying this state.
ruby_c_took
·3 weeks agoThe point is not how much Californians are paying to drive their cars around, it's how much diesel costs there and how that affects people who live outside the state.
She's giving those of us who might be unaware a heads up. I have family in California so I was somewhat aware, but many people probably aren't.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoThanks for being very predictable.
lakefor94
·3 weeks agoHere is what Google spits out for today's average gas prices in California.
The average price for regular gasoline in
California is $6.00 per gallon, according to AAA Fuel Prices. [1, 2]
Current Averages by Fuel Grade
Regular: $6.00
Mid-Grade: $6.22
Premium: $6.42
Diesel: $8.15 (record high) [1, 2]
Regional Variations
Prices vary across different metro areas in the state:
Los Angeles-Long Beach: $6.04 (Regular)
Bakersfield: $5.95 (Regular)
Fresno: $5.98 (Regular)
Napa: $6.16 (Regular) [1]
If you'd like, I can check the prices for a specific California county or city not listed here.
oldwestgold
·3 weeks ago · EditedOh, yes - here comes the Politics. Some posters just have too much time on their hands and love to see their type here. Good Lord, don't let some things you can't control control you. Price of gas, pshhh. The OP goes out and searches for the highest-priced board in the country to try to make a point. There's your sign. And FYI, to some people, the sky is perpetually falling.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoThe advice to stock up on whatever you can is non-political and something you can control.
lakefor94
·3 weeks ago · EditedI paid $3.48 this weekend at Costco in Rockwall, Texas. No problem here.
That $9.00+ stuff is laughable. Crazy that people have to pay that.
ADDENDUM: it is laughable because it is not even close to truth.
Here are the estimates for Rockwall via google.
Current Estimates by Grade
Regular: ~$3.45 to $3.85 per gallon
Mid-Grade: ~$3.80 to $4.34 per gallon
Premium: ~$4.14 to $4.72 per gallon
Diesel: ~$4.53 per gallon [1, 2, 3]
squinkercat59
·3 weeks agoCalifornia is so intent on forcing everyone to buy electric vehicles, the high prices are probably part of the plan. Where I am in Colorado, it's a little bit higher than your Rockwell prices, but still nowhere near California.
chapeau-noir
·3 weeks agoIt has been that way for years - nothing new. Our gas is not that much lower (northern Washington state) and no one is pushing anything, save a bunch of old jalopies to jump start (for some reason this is the land of old jalopies).
frugalmarketplace
·3 weeks agoSome people got what they voted for. Sad state of affairs. I hope you enjoy.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoWe all got what they voted for, and now I almost wish I had some in my circle, to see what excuses they'd make for not coming to talk smack at Thanksgiving this year. Lemmie guess, can't afford to travel? Can't afford fixins to make a dish? Sick with parasites from infected mystery meat? Funny thing about that one is, they'd finally have a legit use for ivermectin. 😆
vintage-camerastuff
·3 weeks agoI filled up my Hybrid last week for $3.55 a gallon. Don't have to drive much so it lasts about 5 weeks. Feel sorry for you people in Cal. The governor really put the screws to you guys.
fern*wood
·3 weeks agoIs that who put the screws to all other states too? Based on average incomes, I imagine poor states are paying just as high a percentage of their income.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoExactly. And is that who bombed elementary school kids in Iran?
fabrics24
·3 weeks agoThis was painful to see 😫
grann-4629
·3 weeks agoand we're also approaching the bottom of our strategic reserve, in the U.S.
Time to start another war and steal some more ...
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoThat's the spirit! 🤣
bennotbill
·3 weeks ago · EditedInteresting seeing those prices.
Here in the UK the current price in Dollars for a US gallon of diesel is $9.78. Not as much difference as I thought when allowing for US gallon/exchange rate.
It's still shocking when I can remember the old days of petrol at three shillings and sixpence.
fullers_uk
·3 weeks agoI am also in the UK and said the same, I wonder if they have fuel thefts from parked up trucks like we do here in the UK and also heating oil thefts?
bennotbill
·3 weeks agoI still think of America as the land of big cars and cheap fuel. I guess things are changing.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoChanging big time, and they didn't have to.
chapeau-noir
·3 weeks agoThat's not such a terrible thing.
I live in the UK part of the year and it's a relief to be out of that.
fern*wood
·3 weeks agoI remember when others posting here were celebrating how great things were going to be now and you offered a challenge of sorts to revisit this down the road to see how it panned out. I don't see too many of those posters stopping in anymore.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoI'm sure they're finding ways to deflect blame, in their minds or maybe even to family and others they can't avoid.
oldwestgold
·3 weeks agoHave you ever thought of moving to, say, Canada? Just sayin'. Why live somewhere you are miserable?
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoAbsolutely, but unfortunately they don't want us moving there. My aunt and uncle own a home on PEI but cannot move there full-time nor become citizens there.
sin-n-dex
·3 weeks agoI'm guessing your aunt and uncle are retired. The reason Canada won't let them move, is once you establish residency here you are entitled to the free health care. It would be a drain on our economy if we got all sorts of retirees who used the healthcare but didn't have jobs to pay taxes that pay for that healthcare. Make of that as you may, but that's the reason Canada has never let anyone retire there. They will let retirees visit for up to 6 months (and they buy their own private health insurance for the visit here).
gurlcat
OP3 weeks ago · EditedBingo, you nailed it. And yeah it totally makes sense. Even they don't begrudge it (just wish they'd moved before they retired, ha).
But the 6 month thing is actually fine because the PEI house is not really insulated enough for winter living, and Mobile barely even has what you'd call "winter." 🤣
fern*wood
·3 weeks agoI doubt they want us.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoIronically, they have less reason to want us than we have to want Mexicans.
fullers_uk
·3 weeks agoI never thought I would see the day when Diesel was more expensive per gallon in the USA than it is here in the UK and your gallons are smaller than our gallons, this must be a very real problem for millions of people and yes prices will increase on everything that’s moved.
inhawaii
·3 weeks agoWhen I'm struggling to buy gas, pay bills and feed my family ... I just take a deep breath and think about the grand ballroom I will someday dance in.
chapeau-noir
·3 weeks agoAnd the Great Arch you will be able to process through.
tools*
·3 weeks agoI dream of wading in the flag-blue reflecting pool.
ruby_c_took
·3 weeks agoI dream of feeding the
algaeducks in that flag-blue reflecting pool.chapeau-noir
·3 weeks agoI'm gonna throw a hook in there and see what kind of little monsters I catch.
chapeau-noir
·3 weeks ago · EditedThis comment has been approved by the AI uber-bot (I have a target on my back - not PC enough, I guess).
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoThem ducks DEAD, girl.
chapeau-noir
·3 weeks agoThis comment has been approved by the AI uber-bot.
oldwestgold
·3 weeks agoYou live in Hawaii. Everything is more expensive. You should know that.
cityslickercreations2004
·3 weeks agoI have a freezer and an extra pantry area so I have always kept plenty of food items on hand. It appears I will be doing this more seriously.
grann-4629
·3 weeks agoDon't store gasoline in your freezer!
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoYou're really missing out on the primo fuel humor if this is where you're spending your time. Elsewhere it's memes of Christmas 2026 stocking stuffer ideas (involving tiny volumes of gasoline), border-crossing fuel mules (transporting tiny volumes in their nether cavities), etc etc etc. -And they don't get deleted, unlike this which probably will before you see it.
tools*
·3 weeks agoDo you mean instead of a lump of coal, you get a thimble of gasoline in your Christmas stocking?
tools*
·3 weeks agoHow much does one of those standalone freezers add to your annual electric bill? I've always wondered if it would be a net negative.
cityslickercreations2004
·3 weeks agoI am not sure on the cost of running it. We have had a small, upright freezer for a long time. It needs to be defrosted manually.
I am able to take advantage of sales or buy the family pack. I also pre-prepare foods for later use. It is always full. Fewer grocery store trips.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoI used to have one of those, SO MUCH NICER to use than a chest style one, which you have to bend over and dig through the pile with freezing fingers, LOL. The upright one we had was as big as a 'basic' sized refrigerator, self-defrost, and I remember paying attention to our electric bill after getting it, and it didn't make any noticeable difference. I'm sure there was 'some' increase but impossible to identify among all the other things running or not-running.
roccotacodad54
·3 weeks agoGood lord. California is greedy. I live in semi BFE and gas was $5.15 a gallon (regular) when I tanked up yesterday and I thought our state legislators were greedy.
I lived in So Cal years ago (40?) and the state of affairs then ran me out.
Even at $8.99 a gallon, it beats walking everywhere, or horseback.....................................
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoI wish you had read the whole post though. The point was that gasoline prices are irrelevant compared to diesel, for every part of your life that you're not driving in.
Maybe here's the simplest takeaway: Think of everything you need to buy, whether it's food grown here or there, or items imported and loaded onto docks on this or that coast ..... Whatever the diesel fuel cost is THERE is going to determine how much it costs to get that item to a store shelf in your town, whether by truck or train. If you live in a big city, the item is going to be very expensive soon. If you live in a small town, the shipping contract may be so insanely high, your stores will simply not stock that item, along with lots of other items.
roccotacodad54
·3 weeks agoI did read the post all the way through. I was commenting on "(also go fill up your tank tonight if you can)" ?
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoMy bad. I'm sorry.
tools*
·3 weeks agoToo soon?
tools*
·3 weeks agoAI is a strange creature.
qeqo_0
·3 weeks agoMove the decimal
ryry-jj
·3 weeks agoDiesel is the fuel that runs industry...everything will go up from production cost to transportation cost
gurlcat
OP3 weeks ago2 hours to get a post with an image approved for posting. Why do images even NEED approval. Seriouysly WHY???
ten_o_nine
·3 weeks agoHow else would you create jobs?
chapeau-noir
·3 weeks agoDoubt it creates any jobs - it's just pushed through janky AI. I've had the dumbest stuff pulled.
albertabrightalberta
·3 weeks ago@gurlcat
Do you remember the nasty images that used to be posted in the middle of the night?
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoDo you mean here or the old khoros forums?
albertabrightalberta
·3 weeks agoOn the Khoros forums. But I think Bevy wants to preview pictures (and some posts) before they have a chance to go live in case they're offensive.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoWell if that's true it's ridiculous for too many reasons to list, but I will say I am a night owl (for example it's 4:32 AM right now), and I never saw offensive images on khoros, even in the middle of the night. The only thing that happened frequently overnight was ancient posts getting bumped, same as they do here.
The likelihood of anyone posting illicit images is low compared to the likelihood of all of us posting legitimate screenshots and images about subject matter. And even if some turd comes and posts something nasty once before getting the boot -so what?
The hyper-vigilance against the rare is not worth the disservice to the everyday and needed. My dumb gas sign photo is not a great example, but things like showing someone where to find something on an eBay screen, when they're in a time-sensitive situation, we shouldn't be hamstrung to do such things!
albertabrightalberta
·3 weeks ago@gurlcat
I can assure you the images were LITERALLY nauseating. And I can recall it happening several times. The posts each had close to a dozen images of disgusting pictures of perverted sex acts and multiple examples of bodily functions and included some S&M images.
I recall seeing posts between 1 and 3 am eastern time and it was often hours before the posts would be removed.
gurlcat
OP3 weeks agoOkay but are you saying protecting our eyes justifies human mods having to review ALL images, no matter how long a member has been here, and no matter how long it takes to review them? That's just insane to me.
And images like you're describing should be very easily recognized by AI or even basic bot software, to prevent uploading in the first place.