Gas Goes Indie
The current price spike at the gas pumps (I haven't seen anything under $2 in the past few days) has forced me to look closer at gas stations all around town -- and notice an interesting phenom.
It seems that more and more gas stations are suddenly eschewing their franchise status to go indie. A Mobil station at La Brea and Beverly is suddenly "Jack's Top Fuel." A Shell station on Sunset has become "Sam's Sunset Fuel" in the past year. I spotted a Chevron station on Vermont that has gone indie.
The franchise-gone-indie stations are easy to spot: The stations still look like they're a part of Mobil, Shell, 76, etc. (same designs, signs, etc). Only the names have been changed.
Is it a trend? Or are there always a handful of franchise gas stations that will eventually try to go it alone? What are the benefits, especially in this age where indies are being squeezed out of almost every industry (entertainment, of course, being top of mind)? Let's get Jack or Sam on the phone.
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