Ah, how reassuring. Once again, drivers get to experience how wonderfully efficient our economy can be. If the oil price rises by a few cents anywhere in the world, gas stations react almost at the speed of light. One could almost think the fuel pumps are directly connected to the international stock exchanges. It is hardly believable how quickly such information is processed.
But then something astonishing happens.
The oil prices fall.
And suddenly time seems to slow down.
Then they say that inventories first have to be reduced. The development must be observed. Calculations, checks, and analyses must be done. The speed that resembled a Formula 1 car in case of price hikes suddenly turns into a leisurely carriage ride through the countryside.
What a remarkable law of nature.
The rocket races upward, the feather drifts downward.
Citizens have known this game for a long time. They see it at the gas station. They see it in electricity prices. They see it in supermarkets. The same choreography everywhere. When something becomes more expensive, it happens immediately. When something could get cheaper, patience is required. A lot of patience.
Sometimes so much patience that one wonders if the price reduction has perhaps lost its way along the journey.
Of course, there are explanations for everything. There always are. Experts explain, retailers explain, corporations explain. In the end, though, many people are left with the feeling that the laws of the market apparently have a strange bias. Like a ship that only sails in one direction.
This is especially bitter for those who have to turn every euro twice. For commuters, craftsmen, caregivers, or families in rural areas, the car is not a luxury item. It is everyday life. It is a necessity. It is the connection to work, school, the doctor, or the nearest supermarket.
And these very people have been hearing the same tune for years.
“Unfortunately, we have to raise prices.”
When costs decrease, the chorus goes:
“Please be patient a little longer.”
How generous.
One could almost be touched.
Perhaps in the future, drivers should proceed similarly. When the gas bill is due, one could kindly explain that the amount will of course be paid—just with some delay. After all, some inventory still needs to be processed in the accounts.
Appreciation for this would probably be limited.
That is exactly why frustration grows. Not just because of the price levels. But because of the impression that the rules are surprisingly flexible for some. For consumers, every cent counts. For the mechanisms of price formation, every cent suddenly becomes a philosophical question.
And so millions of people continue to stand in front of the gas station price boards, waiting for those price reductions that are supposedly on their way.
They will probably come.
Eventually.
Maybe.
If they don’t get more expensive again on the way.
Andreas M. Brucker