High prices move pumps to prepay
By Hannah Hager
Having trouble guessing how much gas you'll need when it comes time to fill up?
Well, now is the time to hone your skills. The gas stations of Clarke County are slowly moving to prepay.
With the price of oil and gas skyrocketing, more people are pumping gas and failing to pay for it.
Delores Updike, day manager at Red Apple Chevron in Berryville, said the station decided to switch a few weeks ago.
"[Drive-offs] used to be more at night," she said. "Now it’s happening in broad daylight."
When Red Apple Chevron moved to prepay at its pumps a few weeks ago, there was initial backlash from patrons.
The co-owner of Triple-J off Route 7 experienced the same result.
The station applied prepay services to its pumps in September 2007, only to stop a week later after receiving complaints from regular customers.
"They asked us why we didn't trust them because they've been coming here [for years]," said co-owner Brenda Lambert.
Lambert and her husband, Joe, who have been owners for 13 years, decided to take the plunge again in November.
This time they stuck with it.
"There were too many drive-offs," said Lambert. "Two or three a day sometimes."
The criminals knew the times of day when register clerks were too busy to write down the appropriate information.
The license plate must be cataloged to give to the Clarke County Sheriff's Office. A description of the vehicle and, if possible, a profile of the driver is also helpful.
The offense is considered a larceny.
After being approached by an officer, most of the time the offender offers to pay, said Pam Hess at the Sheriff's Office.
From there, it is up to the station owners to follow through with prosecution.
Considering Triple J's location, right off the highway, Lambert believes it contributed to it being targeted.
"Prices are so high now, it’s an even bigger loss," said Lambert.
Updike agrees that the move was necessary, considering the markup on gas prices isn't high.
"Even if it's one drive-off a week, it does damage," she said. "That's why it's so bad when it happens."
The Lamberts didn't want to be the only station in the county not to be prepay. It would set them up to be a hit-and-run place. When all the other gas stations started going prepay, they knew it was time to make the switch.
Brenda Lambert said that despite the initial opposition, people have grown accustomed to a new routine. People are more understanding now, considering the move in that direction of all the neighboring gas stations.
Lambert believes gas should have been prepay from the beginning.
"You don't go to McDonald's drive-through and pay after," she said.
If you're not good at guessing, both stations still take debit and credit cards at the pump. Triple- J accepts checks. If you overpay, the stations will refund your money.
According to the Sheriff's Office, there is no correlation between escalating gas prices and higher levels of gas larceny.
In fact, the number of reported larcenies to the Sheriff's Office is down. Since Jan. 1, there have been nine reports to date. That is compared to 13 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2007.
However, larcenies tend to occur more during the summer months, when prices tend to be higher.
Still, station managers and owners aren't taking any risks.
"I don't know how much more it will go up, but I don't think it will go down," said Lambert.
Just because prices are high doesn't mean there isn't a demand for fuel.
"They need it," said Updike. "So they pay for it."