Elbows Up at the Pumps?

 

Late evening yesterday I stopped at the PetroCan in Shelburne for gas. This on the east central side of town,  across the street from the Utramar (my normal go to on the way outwards from Wareham.) These two almost always have the same price per litre, they are usually also the cheapest on my normal travel circle (leaving aside local price wars some places).
Further east along 10/89, two long blocks, is an Esso. That station is almost always a good 10 cents per litre more expensive. Saturday (January 24) it was * 11 * cents more.
And people are buying gas in there?
I get that the people driving up from Toronto  for Blue Mountain skiing are turning the corner at the Esso to head north up 26. They don’t pass the other too stations, another 300 metres to the west. 
But seriously?

Now I won’t buy gas at all at either a Shell or Esso. USA owned companies. PetroCan and Ultramar are both Canadian owned (and frankly, I’ve been doing this for decades now).
So why the hell would anyone deliberately choose to pay MORE to buy at a USA owned gasoline company?

The fellows at the PetroCan, when I remarked about this said - ‘Oh, probably it is because they collect PC Points’. 
Seriously??
I looked it up. PC Optimum  is a  branded Mastercard ran by Loblaws (the Weston Family). At least this is a Canadian company ( 1 ). Their web site ( 2 )  states “Get up to 10% back in points”.
Yea. Based on “Annual 10% back in points may be achieved … when you spend on average $7,000 using your PC Financial® Mastercard® in combination with the PC Optimum™ loyalty program…”
Right. * After * you have charged $7000 on that card - at only the stores that are part of this program.
80% of which are owned by Loblaw Companies Limited.

Gas?
When you charge to your PC Mastercard, you get 10 points for every litre you buy.
If you *redeem* 4000 points, you get 10 cents / lire off that one purchase (max 40 litres). 
Four dollars. 
To *get* this, you have had to purchase 400 litres already, having spent (in Shelburne) an extra $40 - over going 400 metres to the PetroCan. 
The ‘points’ themselves? The PC Optimum web site places the value of 10,000 points at worth $10 as general merchandise value.

Mind you, Shelbune is ** still ** home to protest rallies against the Liberal / ** TRUDEAU ** government. You know : ‘Forced’ wearing of masks during the COVID epidemic. Anti-vaxer’s. Climate Change Denial. 

Elbows up?
Not when you are too stupid to do basic math.


1 )  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loblaw_Companies
 

2 ) https://www.pcoptimum.ca/  

(quotes in italics and conversion rates from that web site)