The queues are starting!

[Iffytimes]

Have just wizzed to Sainsbury’s and the queue for petrol is insane !
Drove past another petrol station and same again. The price for a litre has gone up by 5p since Saturday when I filled up .Has anyone else noticed or is it just a local problem?

I did my usual monthly fill up on Saturday afternoon at a shell station close to the M18 (between Rotherham and Doncaster) no problems and no queuing.

The two closest petrol stations to me - one gulf and one Sainsbury’s were both out of fuel entirely this morning when I was on the school run. Local Facebook page has had posts since yesterday asking which stations have fuel. I’m in south east.

I just don't belive it's possible to panic buy petrol. The tank is empty and you fill it up / top it up. There is a finite volume anyone can buy. It's not like toilet roll. Mine runs out. Every. Single. Week. It's something you buy to burn through. You don't invest it like gold FFS.

Then come the self righteous people, in the petrol station. Slagging off every one else there. Because only they have a genuine pure need.

Such bollocks.

I've not noticed any queues where I am. Although I filled up a week ago and drove past the same petrol station today and it's gone up by 14p per litre which is quite a jump.

I couldn't get near Costco when I needed to fill up on Sunday (had already driven 20 miles with the light on and had somewhere to be). It was rammed and queuing right out onto the road.

I bought a tenner's worth somewhere else so I didn't run out but I'll need to go again before the end of the week. Hopefully by then everyone who's panic bought won't need to go again so I'll be able to get fuel without waiting for ages.

A lot of people don't use that much so will put in £20 a week or whatever. You only need a few of those people to go and fill up to significantly increase demand in the short term. Of course, they won't need to go again for 2/3 weeks, so hopefully things will get back to normal soon, because a lot of people don't need more fuel.

I use the revolutionary method of filling it up when it's empty, which suits me fine until something like this happens and I can't get petrol that I need, because a load of people have bought a lot earlier than they normally do.

No queues here, but the price has gone up. London/North Kent.

I’ve driven for near 4 hours today and didn’t see any queues for petrol.

the reduced petrol station yesterday, is now back to normal price, £1.36, and no queues!

Around here (South East/North Kent) unleaded is £1.44

There have been queues here (East Midlands), local market town has put prices up every day since last week but still queues.
Today I went in to Tesco, their huge petrol station has absolutely run out, they were closing it as every pump is out. Ditto the next station further up the road too. Fortunately I filled up on Sunday and I'm only doing short local trips currently.
We live in a rural area and petrol is really essential for everyday life, so it will hit hard.

There were queues here about a week ago, before the prices went up. I’m not surprised that people are topping up now as it was in the news today.

Be careful. Don’t start threads on this. If word gets around, it brings on the panic, and the queues make people panic more.

I haven’t forgotten the small panic at the beginning of 2022. This morning’s metro says “don’t panic” on the front page - the exact thing that will bring panic among people who distrust the media and politicians.

“Drive less to save on fuel.” 😡😡😡😡 Reminds me of “Don’t visit your family this Christmas: you’ll kill granny.” (While Saint Boris partied.) Are the politicians going to drive less, or use their private jets less?

We are already being taxed and fleeced to the bone, with prices of everything going up, up, up, up. We have to earn money on every way we can to keep on paying taxes which go straight into the black hole of Saint Boris’s debts. Some of us need to drive to earn a living.

I can understand that. But by next week there is only room for £20 in the tank. So one extra trip is hardly panic buying. Unless your filling up after every trip to work / school run etc. But that be a few litres a pop. Your not using more petrol are you? How far does £20 get most people? £15 gets me 70 miles in my old banger. It's not hoarding fuel. If it was hoarding fuel then everyone who has ever filled the tank up is a selfish hoarder.

It just puts me me in mind of the finger pointing of covid days when people was taking photos of people who bought two packs of 500g mince "look at these disgusting people". But that's fine if your single household. You get to judge smugly living off one tim of chopped tomotoes a week. It's not possible to live like that with four kids to feed. Maybe some people can live off £5 of fuel every month. Some of us can't. Unless there is a questionnaire on the forecourt I do wish people would stop judging others as selfish.

They are fulling up the tank. Not the boot. I have a 1.8 car. Even I couldn't put more than £80 at peak prices into my car. That's empty to full and does 375-450 ish miles. If I filled up tomorrow and it's going to need filling up again. It's inevitable.

So if people haven't been panic buying then why has there been massive queues at petrol stations, which have then been selling out of fuel?

There's definitely been a significant change in behaviour. Are you saying everyone is planning a long trip?

I drove past four petrol stations today and there were no queues.

Not a queue when we filled up 2 days ago, but they were closing the diesel pumps.

No queues at my local shell in SW London.

No queues here where i am in the NW, filled up earlier, 4p dearer, but fairly empty forecourt...as were the few I pass on my commute

I filled up on Tuesday night around 7pm. The petrol station was a bit busier than usual but also every pump bar one was out of “normal” petrol and most were out of “fancy” petrol too. There was loads of diesel.

I've been pleased about how calm things are at the petrol stations.

I have switched to topping up weekly rather than my usual approach of waiting a couple of weeks until the petrol light comes on but I regard that as sensible rather than panic buying.

Every time I drive by they have gone up by a penny

I don't get the panic buying when, unless you own a fleet of cars, surely each time you fill up it's only going to last until the tank is empty and then you're back to square one. Not like bog rolls where you can stockpile is it.

I've accepted that whenever my current tank runs out I'll have to pay more for the next one, c'est la vie.

I usually get my diesel at an independent station on my route to work.

Before cost £1.35, current price £1.72.

Other places were approx £1.40 before and now £1.58

In other news my pension pot has taken a battering 🤦‍♀️

Filled up at my local Tesco last Saturday and diesel was £1.48 a litre. Was no busier than usual. I think the fact more people are buying electric vehicles now will ease the queues in places.