SCRANTON, Pa. -- Sheetz Inc. said that motorists who buy gasoline at any of the six stores in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa., area will have to pay before pumping, due to the high number of driveoffs, according to The Citizen's Voice.
The policy will also affect stores in Richmond, Va., but not at Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz's other 320 locations spread throughout six states, company spokesperson Monica Jones told the newspaper. This was done as a last resort, she said. We didn't want to do this, but with increasing gas costs and more thefts in that part [image-nocss] of the area, we had no choice.
Jones said the number of driveoffs increased in the summer when gasoline prices rose to nearly $3.50 a gallon in some areas. Because Sheetz did not demand prepayment, Jones said, it experienced more driveoffs.
The company is testing alternatives to the new policy, intending it to be temporary, the report said. We held off as long as we could, said Jones. We ultimately punished the honest people who pay for gas because of those who choose to steal it.
Jones said the average loss in a typical theft was the value of a half tank of gasoline, or about $35 when gas prices were at their peak.
Sheetz is not the only area station to change its payment policy, said the report. Joe's Kwik Mart in Dunmore changed to prepay in August because of a large number of driveoffs; Uni-Mart in Pittston also went to prepay in November. Osmolia's Gulf in Moosic went to self-service early last year, and also made its pumps prepay as a preventative measure.
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