Some folks aren’t putting up with the record high gas prices of late and they aren’t taking the problem lying down. They’re just taking it!
According to bookkeeper Grace Waddell of the local Mac’s store and Husky station, the number of “gas n’ dashes” is rising as fast as the price of oil.
“When we hit a $1.23 (a litre),” says Waddell, “is when we started seeing a huge rise in gas theft.”
How big is a “huge rise”? The station is seeing an average of one theft per day.
But, Waddell stresses, it’s not big oil or Mac’s Milk that gets the squeeze when thirsty thieves come calling, It’s the owner/operators of each franchise.
“People might be thinking that it’s the fault of the big oil companies or that stealing from a big company like Mac’s won’t matter. But, in fact it’s the owner/operators that suffer,” she says.
The owners of each franchise have already purchased the gas from, in this case, Husky Oil. Waddell says that with all the taxes and levies on fuel, the owners end up with a paltry penny per litre in profit.
“When someone steals $20 worth of gas, we have to sell another 2000 litres to get back to zero. It all comes out of the owner’s pockets.”
And, she says, the ill-tidings don’t stop there. With three parties involved; the gas company, the retail corporation and the outlet owner, they can’t seem to figure out who should be responsible for footing the bill for security systems.
“The gas company doesn’t think it’s their responsibility, as they have already sold the product to us. Mac’s puts security cameras in the store, but not outside in the Husky area.”
Even with cameras, says Waddell, it’s not easy to stop thieves. First, someone must catch up with the culprit, which is not easy to do with one person manning a store full of customers.
And, here’s some news that might drain your tank: Gassing up, and then dashing away, isn’t technically illegal!
By allowing customers to pump their own gas before paying, gas stations have effectively entered into a binding agreement and extended credit. How they recoup the money for that “loan” is a matter for small claims court, not police.
The process of pulling away with a tank of ill-gotten fuel might be just too brazen for some grifters, especially the type that like a little drama with their schemes.
Waddell says that they have seen a rise in con men that at least make an effort to appear willing to pay for their fuel. The scheme involves filling up, then attempting to pay with several cards that just won’t work. Using excuses like “banking system errors” or faulty cards, these folks will run several cards through for declining amounts, appearing eager to rectify the problem.
Once they have wasted enough of the store and customers time, frazzled clerks will often have them sign off on a promissory note to return payment. Again, no law is broken. There is a box full of ID cards and promissory notes behind the counter testifying to the efficacy of this scheme.
So, what to do about the problem?
Waddell says security systems are on the way, and in the meantime, they have had to switch to a “pay before you pump” arrangement. No one likes this, even in the business, but until things cool off or prices drop, their hand is being forced. These days, they have to profile potential customers.
“We look out the window at them,” said Waddell. “If the car looks kind of suspicious, or the people appear shady, they first have to come inside and pay.”

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