European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 15, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday april 152007 stars and stripes pages i like the Little warning they give us in the paper but it Doest match up with payday this Ever week thing is not getting it every month is better 99 Michael Johnson civilian worker at Benjamin Franklin Village Post office Mannheim Germany change in pricing of Gas fuels discontent cafes schedule Doest suit All by Matt Millham stars and stripes in a Way overseas Gas custom ers got what they wanted in a Way they didst More than two months ago the army and air Force Exchange service responded to a customer Survey and started changing its fuel prices weekly instead of monthly the decision was in response to the main question the Exchange posed to its customers would you like cafes to change Gas prices More often less often or keep the current monthly policy a majority of the More than 4500 respondents asked the Exchange to change prices More often according to an cafes news re lease issued in january an cafes spokesman said if s too Early to come to any conclusions about the change but in a followup email the spokesman it col David Konop wrote Ini tial feedback looks generally favourable even though they were asked in november to help shape the new policy american motorists who spoke to stars and stripes about it we rent All that or informed about it those who noted the More re quent Price adjustments were focused on one fact with the exception of the first week the Price of Gas had gone up each time under the new policy the new pricing policy int responsible for the rapid Rise in prices prices have gone up 64 cents in the past 10 weeks but it does allow the volatility of the stateside Gas Market to be reflected More quickly at cafes fuel pumps and in the Cost of Cou Pons motorists can use at certain service stations on the Economy our customers wanted our prices to More closely reflect prices in the states and the weekly interval does this Konop wrote in the states Gas prices also went up 64 cents during the past nine weeks according to department of Energy data appeasing customers pc Jeremy Wooding a Mem Ber of the 72nd signal battalion based in Mannheim Germany was on temporary assignment when the new pricing policy went into effect he want aware that prices were changing weekly until approached by stars and stripes he did know of the com plaints that led to the change Wooding suspected the ratio Nale behind changing the frequency was to appease customers who had complained about cafes prices not dropping quickly enough when prices dropped stateside he also guessed these same people failed to take into account that changing the prices stars and stripes pc Christian Vaidez of the 578th signal company tops off the tank of his Ford explorer at the cafes Gas station in Darmstadt Germany in june the new cafes schedule for raising or lowering Gas prices weekly instead of monthly is receiving mixed reviews better or worse beginning in february cafes changed How often its changes its fuel prices from a monthly to a weekly basis a look at what fuel prices would have been under the monthly pricing system and what they have been under the new weekly system 2776 2743 250 200 april 2667 feb 2441 2549 12462 March 2357 2331 2389 old policy h new policy i i i i i q still climbing since the army and air Force Exchange service moved to a weekly pricing policy fuel costs have continued to climb a look at How cafes prices compare to stateside averages since feb 1 s300 250 200 us h cafes Germany 2873 2331 2165 2191 v As to 1 1 1 note Date in parenthesis is Date of us Price source army and air Force stars and stripes Exchange service us department of Energy More often would also Lead to prices climbing More quickly when us prices did Hes right on both counts the change to weekly was definitely intended to reduce the Cus Tomer frustration and confusion when Large differences Between stateside and overseas prices occurred Konop wrote but that frustration didst come when cafes prices were lower than stateside prices which source cafes stars and stripes department of Energy happened on occasion even though cafes adds 166 cents to the Price of every gallon sold in Germany to cover overseas dispensing costs it came when cafes prices were higher now that cafes customers or at least those who were frustrated with the sluggishness of monthly pricing got what they asked for some wonder whether the change matters some even want the old system Back every week when i go into the store that the first thing i look at is Gas prices said Michael Johnson a civilian worker at the Benjamin Franklin Village Post of fice in Mannheim every Satur Day there going up Johnson closely follows state Side Gas prices and has a Friend who works at cafes and fills him in on local Price changes but he still feels blindsided by the new system in the past hed plan his Gas Coupon purchases which can deliver significant Sav Ings if timed properly on the once month changes now he has to watch weekly where the prices will go and Hope they dont drop the next week and wipe out any potential savings i like the Little warning they give us in the paper but it Doest match up with payday he said this Ever week thing is not get Ting it every month is old Way preferred pvt Keon Christie was unaware of the policy change but like Johnson would have been Happy enough to see cafes leave the monthly pricing inter Val in place one thursday evening when Christie was stand ing outside the Mannheim Post Exchange gabbing with friends cafes had already announced its prices were to increase about 10 cents at Midnight Friday i say we go Back to the old Way said Christie who just resumed driving after recuperating from an injury at least if it goes up it goes up once a month the Price still would have gone up though under the old policy the March Price for a gallon of regular in Germany would have been about april 1 that Price would have increased More than 28 cents to doing the math Christie might be disappointed to learn that cafes has no plans to Amend its pricing policy such As going Back to the old one at this time according to Konop the fact is however that Over time it Doest really matter whether cafes prices its Gas weekly or monthly take for example us Gas prices in 2005 a volatile year for hydrocarbons thanks in Large part to two devastating Hurri canes in 2005 the average weekly Price for a gallon of regular Gas Oline in the us was about the monthly Price for the same gallon factoring in that some months Are longer than others also averages out to about a hypothetical stateside Motorist who bought 20 Gallons of regu Lar Gas every week on monday at the us average Price would have spent regardless of whether fuel prices were set using a weekly average or a monthly one the reason for that is the monthly and weekly averages Are computed using the same data which comes from the depart ment of Energy cafes uses the same data in figuring its prices see the Doe averages at while cafes Doest have enough information to know what effect the policy change will have on its Bottom line Konop wrote that customers Are purchasing Gas with Cash and coupons at about the same rate As before when the Industry analyses gasoline margins it looks at a 12 month data Range that takes into account a full season of Price fluctuations Konop wrote Quot ing John m Griger an Automo Tive retail policy specialist for this Point in time we do not have enough data to Ana Lyme what the worldwide Impact of the change to weekly pricing will be for All of our overseas Exchange locations motorists dont have to have a working knowledge of statistics to understand pragmatism the Price is going to be what if s going to be Wooding said it Doest matter what i say or do hell keep filling the tank of his 1991 Mazda 626 every two to three weeks to get him where he needs or wants to go americans were creatures of consumption and desire who Arent going to change habits just because Gas prices go up he said and added pc Dusty Deaver Woodings Friend and fellow member of 72nd signal you kind of need Gas email Matt Millham at the Price is going to be what its going to be it Doest matter what i say or do 99 pc Jeremy Wooding 72nd signal battalion Mannheim