Independent stations priced out

Dhruba Shrestha gets angry when he talks about his customers’ attitudes toward gas and coffee. “They’re happy to pay $2 for coffee, but they don’t pay for gas,” he said.

“A cup of coffee costs 35 cents to make,” he said. “Gas comes from mining, refining, labor. Compared to coffee, gas price is very low, but people don’t see it.”

In July, Shrestha was selling 500 to 700 gallons daily – about 20 percent less than last summer. Although he kept prices competitive, his old pumps, with no prepay system, were being bypassed for the newer stations down the street.

So the owner of Concord Getty on North Main Street took the natural step – he stopped selling gas and continued selling coffee. Shrestha then began expanding the supply of Indian and African groceries in his convenience store.

Concord Monitor (New Hampshire)