Gas drive-offs making bigger dent in profits

By Dan Nienaber
The Free Press

MANKATO July 23, 2008 12:37 am

— Police are hoping rising gas prices won’t tempt more people to pump and run.
There were two gas drive-offs reported by convenience stores on Mankato’s hilltop within an hour Monday night.
An employee at the Holiday store, 1901 Adams St., reported someone left without paying for $59 in gas at 4:50 p.m. At 5:28 p.m., an employee at Kwik Trip, 1549 Madison Ave., reported someone left after pumping $96 in gas into a vehicle.
Statistically, gas drive-offs are recorded as thefts, said Mankato police Cmdr. Amy Vokal. So it’s hard to tell if there has been a sharp increase in gas drive-offs.
With gas prices pushing $4 per gallon, though, every gas theft is putting a bigger dent in already dwindling profit margins, said Rick Olsen, owner of several Quick Mart stores in the Mankato area. The fees paid to credit-card companies are rising with gas prices because stores pay a percentage for each sale, and more worthless checks also are taking a bite out of profits.
“When someone drives off with $75 to $100 in gas, that’s money out of my pocket,” Olsen said. “It can take a whole day of selling gas to make that up. Between credit-card costs, drive-offs and bad checks, our profits are getting eaten up.”
Video surveillance and clerks who keep a close eye on the pumps make it hard for thieves to get away. Not having enough information about a vehicle, such as the license plate number, model and color for the car and a description of the driver, can make stopping a suspect difficult for police.
There are a lot of vehicles traveling in the hilltop’s business corridor when stores are open.
“We often do catch them, but the store clerks have to do their jobs,” Vokal said. “Most gas station managers say, ‘Can you just call this guy and have him bring my money back?
“We don’t always do that. We’re not a collection agency.”
Store operators also have the option of tracking down suspects and having them pay a civil penalty on top of the cost of the gas stolen. But that also requires a valid license plate number that matches the make and model of the suspect’s vehicle.
One problem is there also seems to be more license plate thefts, Vokal said. So the people taking gas could be changing plates after they leave the surveillance camera’s view.
Olsen said he has a solution, but it can’t be implemented unless “the big dogs” such as Kwik Trip and Holiday agree do it, too. He’d require customers to pay in advance for gas , but only if competitors joined him.