gas prices affecting a lot more

[PA DETAILER]

pain in other places. i am seeing at work this week. i work for a major distribution center. people are just not buying things right now. usually its a 40+ hour work week. i have 21 hours going into today. with only two days left, i doubt will get 33 hours this week! ouch. groceries are at a all time high. went to top off the truck and get lawn mower gas this morning. $38.75 for 9.6 gallons!! i do not have a big savings. i can abosolutly see dipping into a 401k this month just to make ends meet. its really getting scary. everyone i talk to is suffering to some extent. and i am sure being detailing is a luxury, you pros have seen a drop off in business? i can see a part time job in the future for me.

[rott3np3anut]

Yeah it's rough right now. My hours have been cut as well, and when I do work, I can tell it's a lot slower than it used to be. I got gas this morning for $4.29! Guess who's going to be riding his bike a lot more this summer! haha

I'm curious to know about other detailers' businesses as well.

[SeaJay's]

My full time job is steady as always. We never really felt the pain of the economy, luckily!

My detailing business which is part time is actually doing pretty good. I've been keeping busy and the customers still are coming in. Granted I'm not depending on this income which may be why I don't see the strains that others are feeling at this point. It also may depends on the area you are living in. Me being in MA, we didn't see the economic change as harshly as some other areas did.

Gas is def an issue though with it being over $4 a gallon. I traded my Avalanche in for an HHR...much better gas mileage but still going to feel it at the pump. And it's only going to get worse with summer right around the corner.

[LegacyGT]

Guess who's going to be riding his bike a lot more this summer! haha



I'll be right there with you. This could actually be a really good change. Bike to work week should be happening in the next few weeks in many states across the country.

As a cyclist myself, please please please watch out for bikers while driving. We are people too, have families, own cars, pay taxes, and most of us are really nice people. I would strongly encourage everyone to bike to work at least once or twice a year, you will have a much better understanding and respect for cyclists.

[Audi X2]

My full time job is steady as always. We never really felt the pain of the economy, luckily!

My detailing business which is part time is actually doing pretty good. I've been keeping busy and the customers still are coming in. Granted I'm not depending on this income which may be why I don't see the strains that others are feeling at this point. It also may depends on the area you are living in. Me being in MA, we didn't see the economic change as harshly as some other areas did.

Gas is def an issue though with it being over $4 a gallon. I traded my Avalanche in for an HHR...much better gas mileage but still going to feel it at the pump. And it's only going to get worse with summer right around the corner.

Hopefully we will get some pictures soon of your new HHR! :)

[knj]

I work for an automotive association, our jobs are ok. However with the price of groceries and fuel we have had to cut back on a lot of things. We haven't been on vacation in three years.

[Scott DeBrun]

I'll be right there with you. This could actually be a really good change. Bike to work week should be happening in the next few weeks in many states across the country.

As a cyclist myself, please please please watch out for bikers while driving. We are people too, have families, own cars, pay taxes, and most of us are really nice people. I would strongly encourage everyone to bike to work at least once or twice a year, you will have a much better understanding and respect for cyclists.
With all due respect the bicyclists are a major pain in the rearend around here. I live in a fairly rural area north of Raleigh and there is nothing more aggrevating then two bicyclists riding side by side on these narrow two lane roads. What is worse are the packs of riders that clog an entire lane making everyone go at their pace. I'm sure most bicyclists are fine people but they somehow seem to lose all of their common sense when they are out riding. There is a town a short ways from where I live that has over 5 miles of bike paths that are paved but the cyclists never use them. Riding on two lane narrow roads with few passing zones is not the place to be but that's just my opinion.

[knj]

With all due respect the bicyclists are a major pain in the rearend around here. I live in a fairly rural area north of Raleigh and there is nothing more aggrevating then two bicyclists riding side by side on these narrow two lane roads. What is worse are the packs of riders that clog an entire lane making everyone go at their pace. I'm sure most bicyclists are fine people but they somehow seem to lose all of their common sense when they are out riding. There is a town a short ways from where I live that has over 5 miles of bike paths that are paved but the cyclists never use them. Riding on two lane narrow roads with few passing zones is not the place to be but that's just my opinion.

Not only that but where do they work to be on the road during rush hour?

[LegacyGT]

With all due respect the bicyclists are a major pain in the rearend around here. I live in a fairly rural area north of Raleigh and there is nothing more aggrevating then two bicyclists riding side by side on these narrow two lane roads. What is worse are the packs of riders that clog an entire lane making everyone go at their pace. I'm sure most bicyclists are fine people but they somehow seem to lose all of their common sense when they are out riding. There is a town a short ways from where I live that has over 5 miles of bike paths that are paved but the cyclists never use them. Riding on two lane narrow roads with few passing zones is not the place to be but that's just my opinion.

I appreciate any healthy discussion. 5 miles of bike trail is really not adequate for training on or general exercise. I have participated in several IronMan races, where a 120 mile bike ride is just one of three segments of the race. It would be impossible to train on a 5 mile segment. I am fortunate enough to have a 40+ mile segment of bike trail near my home, and can get within about 2 miles of my workplace all on trails. I avoid riding on the roadway at all costs as I know too many people who have been seriously injured or killed by motorists who get off with a $30 dollar fine.

I do not know your local traffic laws, but I presume what the bikes are doing is legal. It would be better for everyone if the shoulder of the roadway were expanded and made into a bike lane. Write letters to those in charge, and things will happen. When passing cyclists legally you need to give them the full lane width of space while passing, so a lot of cyclists do this in part to ensure their own safety so they are not clipped by the car not giving them enough space. A cyclist also needs enough space to be able to avoid sudden road hazards such as potholes. Not sure where I stand on this issue, I ride single file.

I agree with you on the packs of riders, I hate them on the trails or on the roadway. There is some sort of group think that goes on that makes them not yield to anything, and generally be a nuisance.

Most dedicated cyclists ride between 20-30 mph, and a small delay if you are not able to immediately pass is unavoidable. What I do not understand is how this triggers a furious blood lust in drivers that find this the most personally offensive act ever committed against them. A few minutes will not cause you any harm, take a few deep breaths and enjoy that everyone deserves some compassion - they are not doing this to anger you in any way. Be a good person, we all have to wait for things at some point in our lives.

[richy]

If you REALLY want to get pissed off, listen to this guy explain about how the government is refusing to harvest the vast reserves that are available to the US right now!!!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbakN7SLdbk]YouTube - Lindsey Williams - The Energy Non-Crisis - Part 1 of 8[/video]

[Ted S.]

I think the Pres. passed a $0.30+ tax about two years ago. Now congress is considering a Miles Driven Tax, when you are taxed additionaly for every mile you drive. That means food goes up. That means beer goes up. That means gas goes up. Everything that has to be shipped will go up.

The big reason gas is going up is speculators. Oil has dropped down to $99 when I listened to the radio on the way home, but gas is still expected to rise.

Crazy stuff....crazy stuff....

[Bunky]

It seems some do not like the downsides of capitalism.

[davidc]

It seems some do not like the downsides of capitalism.

I don't think this is capitalism. More like rape, or child molestation.

Dave

[James K]

This is not a downside of capitalism. This is a political party trying to push an agenda. Al Gore wrote of it in his book. The environmentalists believe one way to force a population to "go green" is to artificially inflate the price of gasoline to force people to drive energy efficient vehicles. However when you have an unemployment rate of 9% and people the average income is less then $40k, people can not afford the high price Eco friendly cars. The President has even stated that people should get used to high gas process and buy new vehicles.

[Audi X2]

This is not a downside of capitalism. This is a political party trying to push an agenda. Al Gore wrote of it in his book. The environmentalists believe one way to force a population to "go green" is to artificially inflate the price of gasoline to force people to drive energy efficient vehicles. However when you have an unemployment rate of 9% and people the average income is less then $40k, people can not afford the high price Eco friendly cars. The President has even stated that people should get used to high gas process and buy new vehicles.

I agree with you 100% on this James
:iagree: