A new bartering trend is taking some shop owners by surprise in the UK. Higher gas prices are leading people to barter whatever they have on them for their gas, AFTER having filled up the tank. According to the article in the Chester Chronicle, people are leaving behind watches, jewelry, camcorders, whatever they have of value to attempt to repay the debt of gasoline. As you can imagine, shop owners aren’t too happy about the trend.
Manageress of the BP Service Station on Tarvin Road, Sarah Gill listed some of the items that have been left by motorists in the place of money … rings, watches, camcorders
Sarah said that some cheeky motorists are even claiming to have no money and then trying to buy cigarettes and walking off without paying for their petrol.
“It doesn’t bother us if they come back, it is when people do not have the cash and know they very well don’t and they have no intention of paying.
“We cannot detain people, but we will not let them leave unless they leave something valuable, but you know that they are not going to come back.
“We have actually had incidents were someone has left their watch or ring and they don’t come back. We have been left with a tax disc, a camcorder, old mobile phones.
“People are starting to think, I can fill up and I don’t have to pay. We are not allowed to take debt, I have even paid for someone’s fuel before and they never came back. I will never do that again.”
If you are asking me, an organized barter exchange could sure make this kind of painful barter reality a much easier pill to swallow.
