ALBANY, N.Y.  Skyrocketing gasoline prices are fueling more drive-offs, WALB-TV reports. NACS estimates that thieves stole $122 million in gasoline in 2006, which costs each of the nations 115,000 convenience stores just over $1,000 dollars.

While many retailers are switching to pre-payment only to stop gasoline thefts, some cities have made pay-before-you-pump the law. Little Elm, Texas, joins a growing number of cities, including several in North Texas, that require motorist to pay for their gasoline before filling their tanks, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Over the last three or four months, we've had 34 drive-away incidents, said Little Elm Police Chief Waylan Rhodes, who wanted the prepay requirement, which the city passed on March 5.

Other municipalities nationwide that require pre-payment at the pump include Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Bowling Green, Ky.; Twin Falls, Idaho; and Kansas City, Mo. In early February, British Columbia, Canada, enacted Grants Law, which made pre-payment the law of the province.

With gasoline so expensive  and retailers making mere pennies per gallon in profit  retailers find that prepayment is the best way to stem gasoline thefts. A lot of station owners are saying, Look, this is a real problem so Im mandating pre-pay, NACS spokesman Jeff Lenard told Online Athens in another story about gasoline theft.

Consumers anger over major oil companies making tens of billions in profits trickles down to rage against the local gasoline stations, Lenard said. You cant take it out on OPEC or the oil companies, he said. You cant take it out on anybody except the guy who is selling the gas.

But prepayment requirements could hurt in-store sales. You don't want to go to pre-pay because you become inconvenient, which is not a good thing to be if you are a convenience store, Lenard said.

Mike Griffith, president of the Golden Pantry chain, is thinking about instituting fuel passes that will allow cash customers to activate the pump prior to paying by swiping a card. The card links the customers name and information into the chains database, so gasoline thefts could be reported.
Share your opinion on this story with NACS

We are in the customer-service business, so we have to look at doing things without making people pre-pay, Griffith said.

www.nacsonline.com