Surprising Surcharge

It’s pretty pathetic that the other day I got excited over the fact that I found gas for $3.69 (most other places around here are at $3.79). This feeling of jubilance was shattered the next day when I took a look at the receipt for my mom’s Mother’s Day gift (a lovely bouquet of cookies). Right between the subtotal and the shipping charge there it was: FUEL SURCHARGE! Are they kidding me?

Over the years I’ve written a number of news stories talking about how glass companies are handling the fuel surcharges with which they’ve been faced. I’ve talked to many of you in the industry asking for comments as to how you’re coping with the surcharges that are passed on and passed on and passed on. More often than not, you tell me, you either pass it on to your customers or absorb it. Well, I certainly can’t pass the $4.93 surcharge on to my mom (not after everything I put her through growing up), so it looks like I’m just gonna have to absorb it. And while I know that my $4.93 surcharge may seem like peanuts compared to the ones with which you’ve been faced, let me tell you, I’m still feeling your pain.

With all this talk about increasing costs and surcharges, I decided to look back at some of the fuel-related articles from USGNN.com I went back to 2004, the beginning of our online archives, and searched for “surcharge.” Three stories came up—two were announcing suppliers’ surcharges; another talked about how Desert Glass Products in Las Vegas was adjusting its prices as a result of surcharges from float glass companies (http://www.usgnn.com/newsdesertglass051704.htm). Just for the heck of it I next looked up what the average cost of a gallon of gas was in 2004 … $1.85. That’s half of the $3.69 for which I rejoiced just the other day. This has to stop soon … doesn’t it?

But then again, if certain analysts’ predictions are true, maybe current gas prices aren’t so bad. I heard one group forecasting $200 a barrel prices for next year, which would mean $6 or $7 a gallon for us. Yikes! I don’t know about you, but if that’s what we have to look forward to I’m going to be spending a lot more time on my bike!