Why do we need gas stations on every other corner?

[CatWoman]

During the past couple months, I've noticed several brand new gas stations being built, most not even a quarter mile apart from each other.

This one neighborhood made me really proud -- the inhabitants all displayed "Say No to the Gas Station" signs in their yards. Sadly, they lost the fight.

Not only is construction underway at that location, another Quick Trip is being built no more than a quarter mile away. And further down the road, about another quarter mile, there sits another Quick Trip. Then you hit the main thoroughfare, where there's a gas station on almost every corner.

I feel the same way about liquor stores in black neighborhoods.'

Talk about overkill.

Someone is making a lot of money.

[babylonsister]

1. And don't forget drug stores-all over the place! Of course,

they'll eventually phase out when people can't afford insurance or prescriptions. :mad:

[bicentennial_baby]

4. Ugh, don't remind me

My town just got a huge, new Walgreens, which we didn't need. A town of 18,000 people that already has 4 pharmacies! They knocked down 3 houses to build it, even though there is a decided lack of affordable housing in the town, and they pulled up several huge, old trees. Grrr...

[getmeouttahere]

7. That's horrible....

and just like babylonsister was saying, when fewer and fewer people can afford prescriptions, let alone other things you buy at the drug store, most of them will be shuttered.

[Tracer]

36. My town used to have ...

... 2 locally owned pharmacies that had been there for years.

Then, CVS came in, and guess what? They drove the 2 local pharmacies out of business.

Now there is a Brooks Pharm, not 1/4 mile from the CVS.

Upshot? TWO local people lost their businesses and TWO BIG PHARMS replaced them.

[getmeouttahere]

2. Seems to me that most of them...

will be out of business before long, especially if gas prices keep going up like they have.

It might be because I live in California, but everyday I'm noticing more and more hybrids on the road. This is a good sign. Not enough yet, but a good sign.

[newportdadde]

3. We need them to supply the juice...

The precious juice..

[marmar]

5. And just think of all that horrid blight...

when they inevitably start closing. Even in the relatively well-to-do suburb I live in, two gas stations closed on a corner where there are 4!!! of them, and now we have two ugly abandoned gas stations surrounded by overgrown grass and weeds.

[getmeouttahere]

9. Exactly, marmar....

nothing worse looking than one of those out of business gas stations. If I had the means, I would buy up the land and turn those things into parks. The kids can always use more places to play.

[benburch]

6. Its called the free market.

Its benefit is that it allows people to gamble on success and it ensures a ready supply of goods for the consumer.

Its downside is that it is inefficient in that, like you observed, any business that in isolation makes a good profit is soon overbuilt to the point where no profit is to be had. A good example would be TCBY- I loved their frogurt. And one TCBY in a city usually did quite well. But they did not restrict their franchise territories sufficiently and the whole mess fell apart because when there is one in every strip mall, none of them can make money.

[GiovanniC]

14. In Louisville, There Is a Thornton's Gas Station

And then across the street from it, there is a Thornton's gas station.

[benburch]

15. That is often intentional, and makes actual sense.

If the road is so busy that it would be actually dangerous to cross traffic to buy gas, the station franchise often opens two stations for traffic in either direction.

[GiovanniC]

19. It's Not That Dangerous of a Road

No more dangerous than any other road, I would venture.

I mean, it's dangerous for me to drive down my street, but nobody has built a gas station next door to my house (yet).

[benburch]

30. The several I know of...

are where it would be near suicide to make a left across traffic.

[GiovanniC]

33. Not Where I'm Thinking

There's a center left-turn lane and people regularly turn left to get on the interstate entrance ramp just a few hundred yards up the street, as well as a shopping center with a Target and Wallyworld. There's traffic, sure, but there's also a couple of traffic lights that regulate traffic so it's quite simple to make a left-turn if one is inclined to do so. "Suicide to make a left"? Not hardly, it's done quite regularly to patronize all the other businesses on the street.

I'm not saying it's not slightly more CONVENIENT to not have to turn left. But what's next... building another Target across the street? Two Walmarts across the street from one another? Maybe I should buy my neighbor's house across the street so that depending on which direction I'm coming home from, I don't have to make a dreaded left-turn.

I grew up near Detroit... I know a thing or two about dangerous left-turns... that street doesn't even approach it.

[formernaderite]

31. alot of those yogurt stores were fronts for laundering money...

...anything liquid and frozen is perfect for that sort of operation...you just pour the goods down the sink.

[Pockets]

8. I totally agree

I've also been annoyed by the phenomenon of gas stations, convenient stores, and especially fast food places on every corner. It seems very inefficient -- they create unnecessary low paying jobs. But I suppose that as long as the Daddy Warbucks's of the world can make more profit by creating more of them it will continue.

What it all boils down to is that they are building more cages to keep their slaves.

[getmeouttahere]

11. The thing is....

with so many of the medium-range paying jobs going overseas, these fast food places are where people will need to go (and already are) when they are looking for their 2nd and 3rd jobs.

[unblock]

10. there's gold in them thar hills!

the money's just too easy. in new jersey, indian immigrants scrimp to save up the down payment, then buy a gas station, and quickly are making six figures. easy money.

and you don't have to convince anyone how prestigious a college the university of bangalore is.

[GiovanniC]

12. This Is Why

Nuff said.

[getmeouttahere]

16. There are no words....

for how ridiculous Hummers are, but this takes the cake!

This country's priorities are so out of whack!

[benburch]

18. Actually, as a Limo, it makes a sort of sense.

Most stretch limos have very little headroom. This one would have plenty. It would work great for stripper parties, for example...

[GiovanniC]

20. Wait -- Are You Actually Defending Stretch Hummers?

Seriously?

[benburch]

32. Appropriate vehicles for a job, yes, I defend that.

A stretch limo is a High Occupancy Vehicle, usually. When these are not in some celebration service likely they are doing airport runs, and stopping at a half dozen places to pick up people before making the airport run. A large vehicle like a Hummer stretch is ideal for this sort of thing! When used in airport service, likely it gets about the same person-miles per gallon as a stretch Lincoln due to having enough horsepower to handle the load without the throttle being wide open as it would surely be on the Lincoln.

However, Your typical Hummer on the road has just the driver. And in terms of person-miles per gallon, totally horrible.

[GiovanniC]

34. I Guess I Wouldn't Know

The only two times I've ever heard of anyone renting a stretch hummer was a spoiled rich neighbor kid getting one for him and his prom date (two people, not sharing) and my brother-in-law renting one for his wedding (just him and the bride, driving around town for about two hours or so).

[TahitiNut]

21. Hey!? It's eligible for the diamond (HOV) lane!

Well, sometimes it is. :eyes: (I call it the "chauffeur lane.")

After all, it carries as many passengers as a VW minivan. :shrug:

[quaoar]

13. The gas stations need to be on every other corner

to maintain harmony with the McDonald's and Wendy's and Tac Bells that are also on every other corner.

[GiovanniC]

25. So, Like an Urban Feng Shui, You're Saying?

Okay, yeah, it's all making sense now.

[King Coal]

17. Here they are Allsups.

They sell gas and liquor. You have to be an idiot to work graveyard shifts there.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

22. Back in the 1960s, the same thing happened

in the town where I was living. Gas stations on every corner.

I heard a member of our church explain it as large corporations putting up businesses that they knew would fail--in order to write them off as tax losses.

Being much more suspicious of corporations than ever before, I wouldn't be surprised if this was what they were doing.

[Zomby Woof]

23. WHAT ARE YOU, UNAMERICAN???

BY GAWD, DON'T YOU KNOW MY HUMMER NEEDS GAS EVERY OTHER BLOCK, AS IS MY GAWD-GIVEN RIGHT TO WASTE GAS AS I SEE FIT??? FRENCH-LOVIN' TERRA-HUGGERS LIKE YOU MAKE ME SICK, QUESTIONING THE RIGHT OF HONEST AMERICANS MAKIN' A LIVIN' SELLIN' GAS TO BUSH-VOTIN' HUMMER DRIVERS LIKE ME. YOU MAKE ME SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :puke:

[readmylips]

24. I love my state AZ...

most neighborhoods are new. The growth is totally unbelievable. Not only do we have four gas stations at every other corner, we also have two or three pharmacies at every corner, we have chain food stores right across from each other with pharmacies and gas stations. At least three huge shopping malls in each town and our towns are medium size. Smaller shopping malls at every other corner in each town. I mean, who the hell has the money to support all these shopping places?

Hospitals? We have three brand new hospitals being built within less than three miles from each other. Churches? We have churches being built across the street facing each other. Bytheway, we have a huge shortage of doctors, nurses, teachers, police, firemen, etc. I got my three doctor cousins moving to Phoenix from Oklahoma. In AZ towns are growing faster than expected and the government is in a squeeze to build new municipals to service new residents. I just want more Democratic people move out here.

[CatWoman]

26. you haven't SEEN churches

until you come to Atlanta.

[RebelOne]

29. I was going to post the same thing.

I live in Woodstock and go up Highway 5 in Marietta on my way to work. I swear there is one church per block.

[getmeouttahere]

27. I'm curious....

have they also built sidewalks and bike-paths, so people can get out and get some exercise, not to mention spend less on gas?

[undeterred]

28. Yet in rural areas the gas stations are still few and far between

I've been close to empty in rural areas of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri and quickly realized that I wasn't going to find gasoline somewhere just because there was a town there. You'd better get specific directions or you'll run out.

[seabeyond]

35. this is money to economy jobs to put food on tables

you know. if the economy will support business growth, that is a good thing in my mind.

[CatWoman]

37. it's not food being put on the table

rather, huge profits being put in the oil companies' bank accounts.