Zonda11
06-12-2004, 11:02 PM
Follow the litre
If you think gas is expensive, compare it to other common household products
You've heard the kvetching about high gas prices. Imagine if SUVs ran on Heineken or soy sauce, even bottled water.
Then you'd really hear some complaining.
To fill up on Heinz white vinegar, it would cost a bitter motorist $1.59 per litre — if he were dumb enough to try.
Fact is, most popular liquids cost more than gas when the comparisons are measured in litres.
"It's a useful perspective," said Spencer Knipping of the provincial energy ministry. "(Price comparison) is always a useful thing to do."
Tell that to the countless cab drivers, business owners and weekend travellers who, in the last few weeks, have decried the greed of gas barons, the government, retailers, whomever.
"I think gas is a rip-off," griped contractor Frank Carlin as he stood outside a downtown Petro-Canada station where regular gas went for 85 cents per litre and windshield de-icing fluid cost $1.12 per litre.
"It's the government ... They make it expensive," he said. "Something's gotta be done about the gas."
Retail gas prices in Toronto have risen an average of 14 cents since the beginning of the year and a whopping 12 cents since April, according to the energy ministry. Prices at some stations in Toronto hit 90.9 cents per litre Friday, according to http://www.torontogasprices.com.
Nevertheless, gas remains one of the lowest-priced retail liquid products when measured by the litre.
A quick tour through the Loblaws at Victoria Park Ave. and Gerrard St. earlier this week found Perrier mineral water selling at a litre rate of $1.85. Skin Bracer after-shave went for $27.90 per litre. A case of Snapple bottles sold at a rate of $1.75 per litre and a case of 12 Coke cans sold for $1 per litre.
That same Loblaws also offers a bank of gas pumps. Regular gas sold for 86.1 cents per litre on the day of the price comparisons.
The driver of a Cadillac Escalade SUV would have to spray away a little more than $175,000 to fill up the 98.5-litre tank with Chanel Number 5
Inside, milk, a commodity found in many households, also sold at a higher price. A litre of Neilson skim sold for $2.39. Pine-Sol went for $3.68 per litre and Mott's Clamato, $2.63.
For headier elixirs, the price goes up. A 750 millilitre bottle of Dom Perignon sells for $179.95 at the LCBO on Queen's Quay — that's $239.87 per litre.
Even the price of more modest spirits makes gas seem like moonshine. A four-litre box of Colio Estates white wine sells for $30.75, or $7.69 per litre. And Heineken beer, based on a six-pack, goes for $6.18 per litre.
Then there's perfume, another common consumer item. At Shoppers Drug Mart, Chanel Number 5 sells at a per-litre rate of $1,780. Putting that in context, the driver of a Cadillac Escalade SUV would have to spray away a little more than $175,000 to fill up his 98.5-litre tank with the perfume.
When asked his thoughts about such price comparisons, shopper Terry Roberts said, "I've heard the school of thought ... It's just like, (let's) face it. It doesn't astound me or even enrage me, actually. I just wish there were (fewer) cars on the road."
But then he hoisted a jug of Tide into his cart and quipped, "Maybe we could put Tide in our cars."
As it turns out, Tide Ultra liquid detergent sells for $2.98 per litre.
"Oh," he said. "I'm happy (with the price of gas) then."
So it might seem that gas is a steal.
"It's crazy. So, we're getting a deal?" Carlin said skeptically. "Too bad we can't put the water in the tank."
"They'll have it one day," said Carlin's friend Carmine Coletti.
Tap water, maybe. But at today's prices, a motorist is better off paying for gas than Evian.
For headier elixirs, the price goes up. A 750 millilitre bottle of Dom Perignon sells for $179.95 — $239.87 a litre
At Loblaws, a 500-millilitre bottle of Evian sold for $1.39 — that's $2.78 per litre.
"It's very simple," Coletti said. "Pollution is cheaper than something that's vital to our lives."
"Water's a rip-off too," Carlin said.
But the comparison between gas and other liquid products has its flaws, Knipping pointed out.
"Gas is different because the other (products) are directly consumed, like a bottle of Coke or things you use personally," he said. "Gasoline is also something people don't really enjoy shopping for.
"They put it in their car. It's a bit dirty. You have to be careful you don't splash yourself with it. The other products are things people usually enjoy buying."
It's also clear that Canadian consumers use significantly more gas than most, if not all, of the products in the comparison.
Canadians consumed bottled water at a rate of 26 litres per capita in 2000, according to the International Council of Bottled Water Associations. That translates to about 780 million total litres consumed.
Gas is being guzzled at a far higher rate. In that same year, the drivers of Canada's 17.3 million vehicles bought 43 billion litres of fuel, according to Transport Canada's Canadian Vehicle Survey. That's 1,433 litres per capita.
Drivers of cars, station wagons, light trucks and vans accounted for 74 per cent, or 31.7 billion litres.
So, if water were used to fill up those light-weight vehicles instead of gas, assuming the Loblaws Evian rate of $2.78 per litre, those drivers would have paid a collective total of $88.1 billion before taxes. But using the regular gas offered at Loblaws, that bill comes to $27.3 billion.
If only cars ran on two-litre bottles of soda. At Loblaws, Coke and Canada Dry ginger ale in two-litre bottles sold at a rate of 74.5 cents per litre — the only products in our survey that came in at under the price of gas.
Might get sticky, though, if it splashes on your pants.
If you think gas is expensive, compare it to other common household products
You've heard the kvetching about high gas prices. Imagine if SUVs ran on Heineken or soy sauce, even bottled water.
Then you'd really hear some complaining.
To fill up on Heinz white vinegar, it would cost a bitter motorist $1.59 per litre — if he were dumb enough to try.
Fact is, most popular liquids cost more than gas when the comparisons are measured in litres.
"It's a useful perspective," said Spencer Knipping of the provincial energy ministry. "(Price comparison) is always a useful thing to do."
Tell that to the countless cab drivers, business owners and weekend travellers who, in the last few weeks, have decried the greed of gas barons, the government, retailers, whomever.
"I think gas is a rip-off," griped contractor Frank Carlin as he stood outside a downtown Petro-Canada station where regular gas went for 85 cents per litre and windshield de-icing fluid cost $1.12 per litre.
"It's the government ... They make it expensive," he said. "Something's gotta be done about the gas."
Retail gas prices in Toronto have risen an average of 14 cents since the beginning of the year and a whopping 12 cents since April, according to the energy ministry. Prices at some stations in Toronto hit 90.9 cents per litre Friday, according to http://www.torontogasprices.com.
Nevertheless, gas remains one of the lowest-priced retail liquid products when measured by the litre.
A quick tour through the Loblaws at Victoria Park Ave. and Gerrard St. earlier this week found Perrier mineral water selling at a litre rate of $1.85. Skin Bracer after-shave went for $27.90 per litre. A case of Snapple bottles sold at a rate of $1.75 per litre and a case of 12 Coke cans sold for $1 per litre.
That same Loblaws also offers a bank of gas pumps. Regular gas sold for 86.1 cents per litre on the day of the price comparisons.
The driver of a Cadillac Escalade SUV would have to spray away a little more than $175,000 to fill up the 98.5-litre tank with Chanel Number 5
Inside, milk, a commodity found in many households, also sold at a higher price. A litre of Neilson skim sold for $2.39. Pine-Sol went for $3.68 per litre and Mott's Clamato, $2.63.
For headier elixirs, the price goes up. A 750 millilitre bottle of Dom Perignon sells for $179.95 at the LCBO on Queen's Quay — that's $239.87 per litre.
Even the price of more modest spirits makes gas seem like moonshine. A four-litre box of Colio Estates white wine sells for $30.75, or $7.69 per litre. And Heineken beer, based on a six-pack, goes for $6.18 per litre.
Then there's perfume, another common consumer item. At Shoppers Drug Mart, Chanel Number 5 sells at a per-litre rate of $1,780. Putting that in context, the driver of a Cadillac Escalade SUV would have to spray away a little more than $175,000 to fill up his 98.5-litre tank with the perfume.
When asked his thoughts about such price comparisons, shopper Terry Roberts said, "I've heard the school of thought ... It's just like, (let's) face it. It doesn't astound me or even enrage me, actually. I just wish there were (fewer) cars on the road."
But then he hoisted a jug of Tide into his cart and quipped, "Maybe we could put Tide in our cars."
As it turns out, Tide Ultra liquid detergent sells for $2.98 per litre.
"Oh," he said. "I'm happy (with the price of gas) then."
So it might seem that gas is a steal.
"It's crazy. So, we're getting a deal?" Carlin said skeptically. "Too bad we can't put the water in the tank."
"They'll have it one day," said Carlin's friend Carmine Coletti.
Tap water, maybe. But at today's prices, a motorist is better off paying for gas than Evian.
For headier elixirs, the price goes up. A 750 millilitre bottle of Dom Perignon sells for $179.95 — $239.87 a litre
At Loblaws, a 500-millilitre bottle of Evian sold for $1.39 — that's $2.78 per litre.
"It's very simple," Coletti said. "Pollution is cheaper than something that's vital to our lives."
"Water's a rip-off too," Carlin said.
But the comparison between gas and other liquid products has its flaws, Knipping pointed out.
"Gas is different because the other (products) are directly consumed, like a bottle of Coke or things you use personally," he said. "Gasoline is also something people don't really enjoy shopping for.
"They put it in their car. It's a bit dirty. You have to be careful you don't splash yourself with it. The other products are things people usually enjoy buying."
It's also clear that Canadian consumers use significantly more gas than most, if not all, of the products in the comparison.
Canadians consumed bottled water at a rate of 26 litres per capita in 2000, according to the International Council of Bottled Water Associations. That translates to about 780 million total litres consumed.
Gas is being guzzled at a far higher rate. In that same year, the drivers of Canada's 17.3 million vehicles bought 43 billion litres of fuel, according to Transport Canada's Canadian Vehicle Survey. That's 1,433 litres per capita.
Drivers of cars, station wagons, light trucks and vans accounted for 74 per cent, or 31.7 billion litres.
So, if water were used to fill up those light-weight vehicles instead of gas, assuming the Loblaws Evian rate of $2.78 per litre, those drivers would have paid a collective total of $88.1 billion before taxes. But using the regular gas offered at Loblaws, that bill comes to $27.3 billion.
If only cars ran on two-litre bottles of soda. At Loblaws, Coke and Canada Dry ginger ale in two-litre bottles sold at a rate of 74.5 cents per litre — the only products in our survey that came in at under the price of gas.
Might get sticky, though, if it splashes on your pants.