Editorials
$5 Gas Cards? Woo Hoo!
TBO.com
Published: July 12, 2008
There are two ways to look at the Tampa Bay Rays' "Fill Up the Trop" promotion with Hess Express, scheduled for July 18 against the Toronto Blue Jays.Published: July 12, 2008
The most common reaction we've heard about Hess's plan to give every fan a $5-gas card is understandable sarcasm: "Big deal." Five dollars in gas doesn't even cut a lawn anymore, and oil companies are making huge profits.
Digging deeper, as many people have to do to put enough gas in their vehicles these days, you'll find it's not such a bad deal - as long as you're the one driving to the game, especially considering carpoolers get free parking at Tropicana Field.
If a family of five - or even five friends - goes together, for example, that would be $25 in gas cards, which isn't bad as long as you've not coming from, say, Gainesville. Of course, the driver would have to have the negotiating skills to get everybody to give up their cards for the good of the team.
Better yet, if you own a typical-size school bus that can carry 65 students, you could rake in $325 worth. Then again, you'd need it - and possibly more - since most school buses being used these days have 75-gallon tanks.
Probably the best way to look at the "Fill Up the Trop" promotion is that every little bit helps, even if it's just a little bit. Or hope that you're one of the lucky fans who will be on the receiving end of Hess's additional $5,000 in gas giveaway during the game.