Gas Station Owner Sells Petrol At Loss To Help His Poorer Customers
Jaswiendre Singh, who has been living in Phoenix for more than two decades with his family, made the decision to help his community out.
A gas station owner in Phoenix, Arizona, has revealed he is selling gas at a loss to help customers amid skyrocketing fuel prices.
Jaswiendre Singh, who owns a Valero Food Mart, currently buys fuel from his supplier at $5.66 (£4.63) a gallon but is selling it for 47 cents (38p) less than the purchase price.
Singh, who has been living in Phoenix for more than two decades with his wife and three kids, bought the store in 2007 and works from 4.00AM to midnight every day.
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Despite selling his gas half a dollar less, the business owner still must cover thousands of dollars in property taxes, insurance payments as well as mortgages for both the gas station and his home. Selling gas at this price, it is estimated Singh is losing out on around $500 a day.
However, Singh cited his Sikh religious values in part for his business decision, explaining that he wanted to give back to his loyal customers during what he called a 'crisis'.
He told local news outlet Arizona Family: “To give a break to the customer and my community. People don’t have the money right now.
“My mother and my father did teach us to help if you have something. If you have something, you have to share with other people.”
Even though the decision heavily impacts his business, to make up for the loss, Singh says he can make up for it with purchases inside the store.
However, he declined to say whether he is selling all fuel at cost or less, telling NBC News that he buys from multiple suppliers.
According to CNN, fuel prices in the US have hit an average $5 (£4.09) for the very first time due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, as the West imposes sanctions on Russian oil.
Not only that but an increased demand for gas during the summer travel season has also pushed demand and cost.
The heartwarming story comes days after the manager of a gas station in Northern California was fired for accidentally setting the price to 69 cents a gallon instead of $6.99 a gallon.
With the cost of running a car getting ever more expensive, it's no surprise that word quickly spread on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter of the low price on offer at the Shell station in Rancho Cordova.
The low price had been set by manager John Szczecina, who wasn't made aware of the mistake for several hours, during which time hundreds of drivers took advantage of the unbeatable cost.
It emerged Szczecina had mistakenly placed the decimal in the wrong spot, dropping the price by more than $6 per gallon and ultimately costing the gas station around $16,000.
Speaking to ABC 30 about his blunder, the manager said: "I put all three prices on there, except the diesel. The last one kind of didn't go. So, I just took responsibility for it and said yeah it's my fault."
Szczecina was fired for his error, though he has admitted he's also worried about getting sued by the owners of the station. His family are now hoping to repay the lost revenue with the help of a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $24,000 at the time of writing, 20 June.
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Lisa McLoughlin