Posted on by Vernon J

Boycott BP if you must, but just read this story.

If you’re slighting BP gas stations over the oil spill, you might be hoping to stick it to the man.

But you might instead be sticking it to Steve Buchanan, local gas station owner. Or the 600 people employed by Buchanan’s Omaha-Council Bluffs chain. Or the other local station owners and their employees operating under a BP banner.

Around the country, the idea of punishing BP for a well blowout that has gushed oil in the Gulf of Mexico since April seems to be picking up steam.

Protesters picketed a BP station in Atlanta. A “Boycott BP” Facebook group has 695,000 fans and counting. More than 21,000 people have signed an online pledge, promoted by the group Public Citizen, to boycott BP for three months. In Ohio, a local station owner slashed prices to counteract the backlash.

Buchanan, who operates 25 Omaha-area BP stations, said he has heard a lot of concern from customers about the disaster, but he can’t pinpoint that the spill is to blame for any lost sales or has had any other effect on his chain. He said he gets the sense that some customers are avoiding his stations and that some employees are worried about losing their jobs.

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100624/NEWS01/706249885

5 Replies to “Boycott BP if you must, but just read this story.”

  1. My problem with this is this is not the first time that BP has fucked up, not by a long shot, and everybody knows it.

    To quote Clerks (less than verbatim) this is like being a construction worker on the second Death Star. You know the deal you made, and who you are working with.

    I cannot feel bad for people who choose to enter into contract with shitty companies. It was their choice and now they are facing the consequences of that choice.

    1. OH Yeah!!

      It sucks big time, & the only way to get out of the contract is thru massive fine, penalties, & other stuff.

      BUT it’s kinda of like Cox, & the satellite companies. If you want non-broadcast channels. They offer you A – D options.

      I just want them to fix it, however they can.

      1. Re: OH Yeah!!

        I want the thing fixed too, believe you me.

        I think it’s different being a customer of Cox vs. being In Business with BP.

        Not that I’m saying it’s ok to be a customer of a shady business, cos it’s not, but it’s by degrees Much Worse to be in bed (business wise) with a corrupt company. To escape it is much more tenuous than simply ending a cable contract (which you stated).

          1. Re: OH Yeah!!

            This just serves to show how important it is, as the little guy, to do the research and try to avoid companies who will do stuff like this.

            It highlights what I said about partnering with BP. You deal with shady businesses, that shade is gonna fall on you.

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