I have discovered this recently in my mission to purchase the cheapest petrol. The cheapest available seems to be at Sainsburys. Their petrol is several pence cheaper than competitors. So I asked the lady in the kiosk and she said she did not know the difference between the different colours of paper or its meaning. I thought this was a bit poor. After all, if you work in a filling station it’s not like you have a huge amount of stock detail to memorise. Tobacco products hidden in the white cupboard of sin are surely one of your main product ranges.
Then again I expect that’s what you get for saving a few pence a litre on petrol. I’ve no idea why Sainsburys petrol is cheaper but I imagine it is partly subsidised. Also the kiosks are quite a high level of no frill. At the upper end of the filling station market Shell have fantastic petrol stations to look at whereas Sainsburys struggles on with a couple of fluorescent tubes to illuminate the few shelves of snacks and car fluids. Shell’s petrol stations are lit like a motion picture. Banks of chilling cabinets purvey lots of over-priced fizzy drinks and snacks on two-for-one offers. The attendants don colourful uniforms. They stock every kind of Rizzla paper. However, their prices for petrol are up to 7p per litre higher.
I always thought my life would have gone wrong when I start worrying about the price of petrol. However, now it obviously has gone wrong I’ve started to have a strange interest. In order to make their increased prices seem logical Shell have a loyalty card scheme whereby you have a card which, when you get enough points, gives you a money voucher off. However, after 5 years I have not amassed enough points for even the smallest voucher. The purpose of this scheme seems to me to be to sell V-Power – their version of Super Unleaded.
It is a mystery to me why anyone would buy V-Power or Super Unleaded. Mainly because the downstream oil industry does not explain the benefits. Is it really more fuel efficient? What’s the point? What’s the difference in the manufacturing and refining processes …? The downstream forecourt industry eschews answering such questions and you’ll never get an answer off Top Gear or Jeremy Clarkson. It is one of the great mysteries of life. I firmly believe that Super fuels are primarily sold on snobbery. There may be a benefit to the lifespan of your car if it is high consumption but my tiny engine car is unlikely to notice…
Of course there may be a difference between Sainsburys Unleaded and Shell or Esso (Exxon Mobil) unleaded but personally the only difference I can see is the number of lightbulbs in the forecourt kiosk. Selling petrol – it’s all about the glamour…
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