Monday, June 2, 2008

Gas pains and the art of the 'Staycation'

We have now survived our first full weekend of $4 gas, and the fallout continues.

People are reacting in various ways. But in general there is one consistent theme: People are looking for ways to get out of their car.

That’s why I liked the piece we used in the Sunday paper on what they are doing in Media. You can read Kathleen Carey’s story here.

They are going to be shutting down State Street on Wednesday nights this summer and offering “Dining Under the Stars” in an effort to take advantage of folks who are looking to stay a little closer to home this summer.

I wrote about it myself in my Monday column this week.

It’s called the “Staycation.” I’m an old hand at this “close to home” stuff.

And if you needed more reasons to consider doing a little “Staycationing” of your own, AAA is more than happy to oblige this morning.

First, and no surprise, gas prices continue to rise. They went up two cents over the weekend. Average price of regular now stands at $4.03, while diesel is just a tad under $5 at $4.99 a gallon.

And then there’s this new dilemma. AAA reports more and more people are buying less than a full tank when they gas up. If you’ve filled your tank recently you know why. It’s like taking out a small mortgage.

But there’s also been an unexpected development tied to the idea that people are buying less gas. They’re running out of gas a lot more often. AAA reports their roadside calls from people who have run out of gas have doubled from this same time last year.

“The number one reason is they can’t stretch their money out from week to week,” said AAA mobile technician Gary Siley.

Break out those walking shoes.

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