Fuel Surcharges be Damned; Gas Prices Hurt CA Small Biz Bad
Last month, Jonny Lieberman asked if anyone had been hit with a fuel surcharge. And no wonder. News10 says high fuel prices “are being felt particularly hard by small business owners.” San Diego’s delivery business has been particularly hard hit. With gas at an average of $3.73/gal., “some small delivery businesses [are] wondering what to do.” (Deliver packages?) CMF Incorporated’s fuel bill has gone up by $4k in the past year– that’s not including the cost of diesel fuel for their larger delivery trucks. Even Jonny’s dreaded fuel surcharge doesn’t guarantee the main man a profit. What’s a small business to do? Raise rates too high, and they risk losing customers. Keep them static and they lose money. It’s a bummer– for all concerned. “I’m walking into companies where the phone is not ringing and everyone’s in this type of slump or depression emotionally,” owner/driver Ed Bidwell reports with a distinctly California-esque metaphorical shrug. “And that’s what gets to me.”