http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/09/19/new-law-implicates-gas-station-owners-in-gas-n-go-schemes/
I came across this article and thought how funny it is that a local ordinance has to be passed in order to push gas station owners into making their customers pre-pay. You would think it would be common sense to make people pre-pay for their gas when a lot of gas-no-go thefts are happening.
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6 comments:
I agree that it is not the governments place to tell a business owner how to run his business (not withstanding business specific regulatory agencies and their laws). However, the business owners, in this particular case, certainly have a vested interest in implementing procedures which will help to reduce gas-n-go schemes. This is a business decision, not like any other that a business owner is faced with day to day. A business owner has to balance customer friendly procedures with theft reduction procedures.
I would like to think that Police are here to protect the community, including the businesses under any circumstance. On the other hand it is the the job of whoever is working to be sure that there is no theft. If the employee or owner does catch someone stealing won't the police be called anyway to arrest the person?
I don't think this law is the way to go. I don't believe it is up to the government to tell buinesses how people have to pay for their gas. I would go as far to think that it would in some way be unconstitutional. I am not sure how, but to enforce such laws that effect the rights of business owners are clearly being violated. I think these gas stations are going to lose money, it may not be alot but it will happen. Customers do not like to be inconvienenced; especially because of the police force being unwilling to do their jobs.
I believe it is up to the gas station owners to require pre-payment. If they see gas and money losses due to their own stupidity, it's their own fault. This isn't the 1950's anymore: we all lock our doors at night, don't we? Common sense tells you that I'm not Don Knotts, and this isn't Mayberry.
Unfortunately it's just another way of the government running our lives. I don't agree that they should be able to tell business owners how to run their business, the govt should just be allowed to "suggest" how to implement these procedures. I have never gotten gas where I wasn't required to "pre-pay". I get my gas in New Jersey most of the time and that is a requirement since they are pumping it for you.
I do not believe that they will have much success passing this law. In the first place it is the government'a fault that gas prices are so high and that this type of crime has increased.
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