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jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Oct 5, 2009 10:38:00 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse In a topic titled Suggest an Opinion Poll Question, a group of members work out the details of the weekly polls that appear here on GasBuddy. From time to time we have discussed various aspects of the results of past polls. Since that can get in the way of editing the next one, this new topic was created. The idea is to be able to discuss any past poll, or a combination of past polls, with the idea of improving future polls. The focus here is on the construction of the polls and on their statistical significance or effectiveness, not on any individual result. Each poll has its own discussion thread and all can be found on the Past Polls page. If you want to discuss the issues addressed by the polls, please do it in those threads, not here.

jrsva

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Virginia

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Message Posted: Oct 5, 2009 10:38:00 PM

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In a topic titled Suggest an Opinion Poll Question, a group of members work out the details of the weekly polls that appear here on GasBuddy. From time to time we have discussed various aspects of the results of past polls. Since that can get in the way of editing the next one, this new topic was created.

The idea is to be able to discuss any past poll, or a combination of past polls, with the idea of improving future polls. The focus here is on the construction of the polls and on their statistical significance or effectiveness, not on any individual result. Each poll has its own discussion thread and all can be found on the Past Polls page. If you want to discuss the issues addressed by the polls, please do it in those threads, not here.

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jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: May 12, 2013 11:14:03 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse I believe the reason for the “IDK/no claim” combination was that these form a category unable to answer the question, sort of a catch-all “NA” category. Management did not mandate the combo. In retrospect, it would have been useful to know how many have never filed an insurance claim. Come back and help us SUV; we miss you. I suspect those who cannot remember all fall into the “satisfied” camp. Those who came away unhappy would probably remember it vividly.
bugc Champion Author Boston Posts:15,067 Points:3,007,065 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: May 12, 2013 11:02:54 PM Ignore bugc Report Abuse Good point, SUV.
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,933 Points:1,636,500 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: May 12, 2013 11:58:02 AM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse Having been out of the suggestion thread a while, I don't know if the combo of IDK/no claim in the insurance question was forced by management demanding a max of 4 responses? Otherwise, I can't think of a reason to combine them. No claim would tell you the percentage of folks who never had an insurance claim. I suppose some in that number could be uninsured, and some may have had a claim too small to justify submitting due to concerns over premium increase/cancellation. But the vast majority would represent folks who've never had claims. There would be no overlap with the IDK group, which would be comprised of folks who don't remember how satisfied they were with their last claim. I had to select that last option, as I don't remember my satisfaction level with my last claim submission. [Edited by: SUVFan at 5/12/2013 1:00:44 PM EST]
a5 Champion Author Ottawa Posts:4,478 Points:2,127,760 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: May 9, 2013 6:47:57 AM Ignore a5 Report Abuse lots of strong opinions on the cellphone poll.
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Apr 22, 2013 10:38:13 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse “These last two options do not complete the sentence.” Z, they do not complete the sentence but those answers are essential to offer a complete suite of choices. If you insist on grammatical purity then it should be posed as a question like most of our polls. Posing it as we did made it more concise, which is a major goal of TPTB.
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,933 Points:1,636,500 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Apr 22, 2013 12:34:07 PM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse I've been absent from the poll suggestion thread for several weeks. Regarding this week's poll about savings from the site, I disclose that the results are definitely off, as I voted despite being without an accurate option. I doubt that many responders have any way to estimate with much accuracy where their savings fall. While I know I've saved some amount of money using the site, I have no idea how much, particularly since I often use it in conjunction with a couple of reliable sites hosted by the retailers that are often more up to date.
ziyulu Champion Author Oklahoma City Posts:8,514 Points:1,605,800 Joined:Aug 2007	Message Posted: Apr 14, 2013 10:16:52 AM Ignore ziyulu Report Abuse Maybe we need to pay attention in the future: The railroad grade crossing you most frequently cross has: Other/NA I rarely cross a RR These last two options do not complete the sentence.
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Apr 2, 2013 1:23:20 AM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse One year ago, when we asked, “Is ethanol-free gasoline available near where you live?”, 25% said ‘yes’, 39% said ‘no’ and 34% did not know. If we assume that the IDKs represent yeses and nos in about the same ratio as those who knew, then the actual yes/no ratio would be about 38/60. Now, when we ask, “Do you use gasoline containing ethanol?”, 62% say they have to because they have no choice. That is pretty good agreement between two rather different polls.
jerry972 Champion Author Denver Posts:5,721 Points:1,379,980 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Mar 11, 2013 7:37:57 PM Ignore jerry972 Report Abuse SUVfan has a good point. The book, Superfreakonomics (like its older sibling, Freakonomics, is a good book on the unintended consequences of things) points out that if you divide the number of drunk driving arrests by the number of miles driven in the US, it works out to 1 arrest every several THOUSAND miles. They also showed the number of pedestrian deaths divided by the number of miles the country walks. If you do the right thing and walk home, you are statistically more likely to die on the walk home than be arrested before you hit someone or something while driving home drunk. (Most DUI arrests occur after the accident has occured). (There are a couple of statistical traps in those averages, so don't take it as permission to do something stupid that could harm the rest of us). [Edited by: jerry972 at 3/11/2013 8:38:41 PM EST]
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,933 Points:1,636,500 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Mar 11, 2013 12:44:30 PM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse I didn't have to scroll far in the comments to find an explanation for why a lot of folks may not have selected jail time: "I do believe that putting people in prison will do more harm than good." I also saw a post noting a difference between first time offenders and repeat offenders. "Rehab" surprised me by being so low. I'm not surprised by the anti prison crowd but would have expected more to believe that rehab would be more effective than jail or prison for the reason Jerry identified. There's a bumper sticker that applies: Rehab is for Quitters. If we are truly seeking something effective at deterring drunks from driving, we need to increase the chances of being both caught and punished. Right now, nearly anyone can get by with 3 days of rehab IF they are unfortunate enough to draw the attention of an officer. And nobody gets into their car drunk thinking they are going to kill somebody on their way home -- they just believe they are OK to make it home. Then they get distracted by something -- a song on the radio, the ringing of their cell phone (think those things are dangerous during morning commutes?), someone cuts or flips them off -- and they forget about driving. Just seeing a cop is probably enough to cause many to start to weave! I think the reason nothing more gets done is that its not that big of a problem, percentagewise, and the costs of increasing the percentage of drunks that get caught are huge. It's not like another cruiser or two is going to make that much impact.
jerry972 Champion Author Denver Posts:5,721 Points:1,379,980 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Mar 9, 2013 2:05:17 PM Ignore jerry972 Report Abuse I think most of the "rehab" people would say that was the only choice to address the root cause of the problem instead of merely the symptom. I do agree that jail time is a very effective (no cheating there!) albeit very expensive (it costs the government approximately $30,000-$50,000 a year to incarerate someone) license suspension. [Edited by: jerry972 at 3/9/2013 3:06:57 PM EST]
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Mar 7, 2013 11:13:01 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse Thanks Jerry, but I believe you are misinterpreting the question, which asks what would be the greatest deterrent, not what penalty should be applied. I’m actually surprised that the percentage for jail time is not higher. How can anyone think that a license suspension, fine or rehab is a stronger penalty than going to prison? If you are in the slammer your license is pretty well suspended anyway.
jerry972 Champion Author Denver Posts:5,721 Points:1,379,980 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Mar 7, 2013 7:34:51 PM Ignore jerry972 Report Abuse Congratulations on what is looking to be an impressive win by jrsva. Since we appear to have a punative minded audience here (lock 'em up and throw away the key), for what auto offense should we bring back flogging or some other colonial era punishment?
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Feb 15, 2013 11:39:44 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse It looks more like a butte than a bell curve!
a5 Champion Author Ottawa Posts:4,478 Points:2,127,760 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Feb 14, 2013 11:43:09 PM Ignore a5 Report Abuse yes interesting shape to the poll this week.
bugc Champion Author Boston Posts:15,067 Points:3,007,065 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Feb 14, 2013 11:30:37 PM Ignore bugc Report Abuse At the moment it is nearly perfectly symmetrical: 5 29 29 29 6
jerry972 Champion Author Denver Posts:5,721 Points:1,379,980 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Feb 14, 2013 8:36:11 PM Ignore jerry972 Report Abuse It is really rare to get a symmetric bell curve on GB polls but we appear to have it this week.
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,933 Points:1,636,500 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Feb 10, 2013 10:06:35 AM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse Two thirds of us rate the roads we drive on as being average or better. That's a little higher than I expected.
regulate_now Champion Author Indiana Posts:6,626 Points:1,009,050 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2013 4:44:05 PM Ignore regulate_now Report Abuse Indiana only ever required a label saying it "may contain up t 10%" hence why I asked if Rich (or anyone) knew what Indiana stations did, or if they even did the same all across the state since we have refineries here...
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,933 Points:1,636,500 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2013 3:26:57 PM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse About that time, Rich, Ohio dropped the requirement that pumps have a warning label if the gas contained ethanol.
RichWLIN Champion Author Indiana Posts:4,112 Points:641,790 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2013 2:47:40 PM Ignore RichWLIN Report Abuse The pumps at some stations along my routes in southern Indiana used to say "contains up to 10% ethanol" Around 2008 or so, I quit seeing the disclaimers on the pumps in Indiana; although, I still recall seeing some of these randomly in NW Ohio and SE Michigan until around 2011 or so. I haven't seen any of them lately. I suppose E10 has become the norm now, and there is no obligation to inform people what they are buying. Again, this is directly to my point. I don't have much choice in what I purchase around here either. There is a Philips 66 with non-ethanol premium nearby, but it runs about $.45-$.50 per gallon more expensive than everywhere else. RG
ziyulu Champion Author Oklahoma City Posts:8,514 Points:1,605,800 Joined:Aug 2007	Message Posted: Feb 6, 2013 12:30:39 PM Ignore ziyulu Report Abuse I have not seen an E0 station in Texas after 2009.
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Feb 5, 2013 11:29:18 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse Scrap, according to Pure-Gas.org there are now 242 stations in Virginia that sell E0; however, they are almost all in the western and southern part of the state. Most of northern Virginia is a RFG mandate area. The closest E0 stations are probably in Winchester and Charlottesville, not much help for the DC suburbs.
Scrapheap Champion Author Virginia Posts:14,561 Points:2,361,755 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Feb 5, 2013 3:48:29 PM Ignore Scrapheap Report Abuse RichWLIN wrote > This is exactly to my point. Many people don't know what they're buying. They can be against ethanol-gas mix conceptually (and vote so in a poll) but still be buying it unknowingly. Many of us are conceptually against ethanol for many reasons but have no choice but to use it. I don't know of any E0 stations anywhere near me.
regulate_now Champion Author Indiana Posts:6,626 Points:1,009,050 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Feb 5, 2013 2:34:36 PM Ignore regulate_now Report Abuse Rich, do you know what we get here in Indiana? I've never seen it published what mix it is... I know IN law specifies what, like 5.9% to 10% Big range in my mind...
RichWLIN Champion Author Indiana Posts:4,112 Points:641,790 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Feb 5, 2013 12:25:06 PM Ignore RichWLIN Report Abuse ziyulu said:"...just because there isn't a label on the pump does not mean the gasoline is ethanol free". This is exactly to my point. Many people don't know what they're buying. They can be against ethanol-gas mix conceptually (and vote so in a poll) but still be buying it unknowingly. I've heard some people's comments (even long-standing members here) that believed that E85 is the ethanol/gas product that people wanting pure gas are fussing about; all the while using fuel, ostensibly from unmarked pumps, that contains up to 10% ethanol. One member even thought that E15 is the same thing as E85. Around here you have to look hard for non-ethanol products and they aren't typically advertised on signage. Again, just start asking people you know or meet if they use gas that includes ethanol? You'll be surprised at some of the answers you get. RG [Edited by: RichWLIN at 2/5/2013 1:25:29 PM EST]
ziyulu Champion Author Oklahoma City Posts:8,514 Points:1,605,800 Joined:Aug 2007	Message Posted: Feb 5, 2013 8:20:42 AM Ignore ziyulu Report Abuse Also, people need to realize that just because there isn't a label on the pump does not mean the gasoline is ethanol free. I've seen many stations not comply with the regulations.
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Feb 4, 2013 11:24:21 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse Rich, we will run the followup poll about using gasoline with ethanol later this month. Folks in this area should be pretty aware; most of the stations that sell E0 have a prominent sign advertising that fact. What most probably do not realize is that it is worth at least 30¢/gal extra to use E0 instead of E10. E0 is almost always higher priced but the differential is usually less than 30¢.
RichWLIN Champion Author Indiana Posts:4,112 Points:641,790 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Feb 4, 2013 5:18:27 PM Ignore RichWLIN Report Abuse Here is a web site that provides more information about places that do and don't label ethanol content. Many states are not required to say one way or the other.
ziyulu Champion Author Oklahoma City Posts:8,514 Points:1,605,800 Joined:Aug 2007	Message Posted: Feb 4, 2013 10:28:42 AM Ignore ziyulu Report Abuse I know in some places, for example, Ontario, Canada, regular gas contains 10% ethanol, mid grade contains 5% ethanol, and premium is ethanol free.
RichWLIN Champion Author Indiana Posts:4,112 Points:641,790 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Feb 4, 2013 6:54:15 AM Ignore RichWLIN Report Abuse Now we know that 2/3 of the voters think 10% ethanol is a bad idea, but it is still not well understood how many of these folks actually know that they're pumping E10? Obviously, anti-ethanol members know, and most likely seek ethanol free products to purchase. But what does the average consumer think they are paying for at the pump? I suspect that many who voted -No- in this poll don't know that they've been using ethanol blended gas for years. Ask a co-worker or casual acquaintance if they pump gasahol in their car, and see what response you get. Many will say: "No, I always use regular". RG
scoutmaster Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:81,383 Points:3,256,545 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Feb 4, 2013 4:13:29 AM Ignore scoutmaster Report Abuse There are very few dual priced stations in my area so the signs all show the credit price. [Edited by: scoutmaster at 2/4/2013 5:13:39 AM EST]
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Feb 4, 2013 12:11:07 AM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse Bugc is spot on, particularly for last week’s poll on cash/credit. Different cash/credit pricing is very much a regional matter. I would not expect much variation of opinion on ethanol, except perhaps a more favorable rating in the corn belt. GB undoubtedly has site-by-site data on its servers but it would take some doing to gather the info and write it up.
a5 Champion Author Ottawa Posts:4,478 Points:2,127,760 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Feb 3, 2013 8:12:03 PM Ignore a5 Report Abuse SUV, how much do any of us know except for what the media say or other's have heard via some other unknown source?
bugc Champion Author Boston Posts:15,067 Points:3,007,065 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Feb 3, 2013 11:25:42 AM Ignore bugc Report Abuse Looking at the discussion here, I again comment wouldn't it be useful to be able to see the poll results broken down by state/province or region?
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,933 Points:1,636,500 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Feb 3, 2013 11:13:33 AM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse Before responding to the poll, and without looking at the projection thread, I guessed that the responses to this week's poll would be 20-75-3. With about 5,000 votes in, the actual results are 15-65-16. I was surprised by the number of IDKs. The most I would have guessed would have been 5%.
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,933 Points:1,636,500 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Feb 3, 2013 11:09:59 AM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse Most of the truck stop places offering cash/credit prices for diesel around here have huge signs visible from the freeways that flash both the credit and cash prices. I don't see separate cash/credit prices at stores in the city that offer diesel. Regular is rarely offered at a different cash price here, and then the signage is usually near the pump, with only the credit price listed on the street signage. Unless you drove into the pump area, you would not know of the availability of a discount.
TxJeans Champion Author Tampa Posts:3,569 Points:371,830 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jan 30, 2013 7:29:17 PM Ignore TxJeans Report Abuse Zimcity -- The problem with posting the CREDIT price, is that most post from the signs - unless you are a trucker or traveling sales person that might stop in to fill up or at the convenience store every day. The price most often on the pylon at the street is the cash price -- especially when there is a difference. Therefore, even if we had two sets of fields - one for cash and one for credit, we would still have confusion on posting, thus the request for a durable flag tied to the MSL as a first step in addressing the problem of the cash vs credit pricing.
Zimcity Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:65,426 Points:3,694,605 Joined:Aug 2001	Message Posted: Jan 30, 2013 8:46:58 AM Ignore Zimcity Report Abuse I'm not really surprised by the results of this poll, and once again it shows that the change to posting the cash, rather than the credit price was catering to the minority. Oh well, only affects 1 diesel price I see and an occasional special run by a station or two.
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Jan 30, 2013 12:28:29 AM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse During the discussion on setting up the cash/credit poll, I suggested that we might want to go with numerical ranges — less than 1/3, between 1/3 and 2/3, and more than 2/3, along with none and all. This would have resolved the problem discussed here but it did not prove to be a popular idea. I did not expect “about half” to get much response. I figured that the practice would either be common in a region or rare. If anywhere near half of the stations used a credit surcharge it would be a local issue and they would see a decline in business. A few using a surcharge could probably fly under the radar and get away with it. If most used it they could also get away with it because no-surcharge stations would be hard to find. What really surprised me on this poll was that “most” got so few votes. Perhaps NJ and CA are alone in this practice being normal.
TxJeans Champion Author Tampa Posts:3,569 Points:371,830 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jan 27, 2013 11:17:35 PM Ignore TxJeans Report Abuse My view - FL is one of "those states". However, even before this new law, gas stations in FL have been able to dual price GAS at the pump -- but they do, I believe have to post it at the road --- only a small hang tag off the side of the main sign (which is often missed in the daylight, and more so at night since it is only lit by shed light from the main sign. However, they were not able to surcharge for CC in the store for convenience items.
MyVue08 Champion Author Columbus Posts:5,990 Points:1,297,315 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Jan 27, 2013 11:13:05 PM Ignore MyVue08 Report Abuse IMO this question is a mute one due to the finer points of the law: mainly the NEW law that everyone is in a tizzy over has 2 very strong points 1) the law is outlawed in 10 states and if a business conducts business in any of those 10 states they then can't charge the fee because the new law states the fee has to be applied to every store/retail establishment. And 2) Amex prohibits fees to be accessed (even under the new law) so if a merchant accepts Amex they CAN NOT tack on the fee.
TxJeans Champion Author Tampa Posts:3,569 Points:371,830 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jan 27, 2013 12:33:22 PM Ignore TxJeans Report Abuse We may want to re-run this in a few weeks do to the CC law change. Keep watchful eye on credit cards, checkout fees start Jan 27 2013
TxJeans Champion Author Tampa Posts:3,569 Points:371,830 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jan 27, 2013 12:14:34 PM Ignore TxJeans Report Abuse SUVFan... I agree that these are the two problem ones... A few 37% About half 8% A few sounds like not many, and about half sounds like too much for those in the 1/4 to 1/3 range. Additionally, I suspect the low ranges are often because those that pay cash may not notice the number of dual/prices, and those that pay strictly with credit may have long time selected a subset and really don't notice the other stations that may or may not be dual priced. Also, keeping it to your typical day - does not give a true look either. I would have suggested in your "GB site area" might be better indicator of the real situation. Many of us have long since adjusted our routes and stations to exclude stations that might be dual since there is no evidence of GB doing anything to address the issue. Even if GB gives both fields - it still doesn't alone address the field since stations are not required (except maybe CA) to put both cash and credit on the street pylon. [Edited by: TxJeans at 1/27/2013 1:15:58 PM EST]
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,933 Points:1,636,500 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jan 27, 2013 11:44:32 AM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse In the two posts previous to this one, I provide a history of how the current cash/credit price poll came together and a summary of the critical comments in the discussion thread so far. Here, I'll offer a few of my own comments. The results of the poll clearly confirm that we were right to include the extremes. The 2% "all" response, though low, was necessary because of New Jersey, where it the practice is very common. The 9% "most" response, coupled with the small "all" response says that "nearly all" was not needed. The top end, though, might have benefited from a third level, as "a few" has 37%, while "about half" has just 8%. I'd say you need to be within about 10% of 50/50 to go with about half, folks for whom a third or quarter of the stations they pass offer different cash and credit prices would probably select "a few", believing that it was misleading. If there was going to be just one choice, it needed to be more centered between half and none. "A few" is too close to none, while "most" is better centered. Still, it appears nearly everyone was able to "get this gist" of what we were asking. [Edited by: SUVFan at 1/27/2013 12:47:56 PM EST]
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,933 Points:1,636,500 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jan 27, 2013 11:33:22 AM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse I’ve been through the entire cash/credit poll 2013-5 discussion thread. Beyond the two critical posts on the current first page, I found only one more. Here’s a summary: A member from Tampa considered the choices misleading, posting: “More than a few to about half?...I think. I voted few, but felt that choice did not represent the reality. Thinking about it now, it might be close to or more than half since I pretty much ignore the CITGOS, EXXONS etc. “Choices are misleading. What is a "few"? 1/3? Is that a "few" or "about half". I think the results are not going to be very telling. Also, a lot are posting only based on the brands they tend to use, and not the general area.” One of my favorite GBs took the opportunity to call for a site change: “The practice is common in NJ, but I guess it would be too much to ask you if you could GET YER NOSES OUT OF YOUR ADVERTISERS' BUTT LONG ENOUGH TO GIVE US AT LEAST A 'BETA' VERSION OF SOFTWARE TO ADDRESS THIS PLAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” A poster from California found the choices too restrictive: “I was shocked to see the results. 80% with none or few. Obviously you're not in California. I thought half or most would be the majority answer. I answered most but wanted an answer of more than most but not quite all only because Costco won't take cash or only American Express for a credit card.” Among the first posts was one from another Columbus member: “I'm not totally sure I understand the question.”
SUVFan Champion Author Columbus Posts:13,933 Points:1,636,500 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jan 27, 2013 11:11:26 AM Ignore SUVFan Report Abuse Looking at just the current first page of posts to the current cash/credit poll discussion thread, a lot of strong opinions are being offered. Our discussion that created this poll has already started to fall off of page 4. Once again, I think we should consider separate working threads for separate polls with links in the suggest a poll question thread, and possibly a list maintained there. I’m going to capture some of the history leading to the current poll in the remainder of this post. In the next post, I’ll post some of the comments from the discussion thread. The current question was started by Casper47 on 12/31/12 with this post: “Opinion Poll for which prices should be posted. Cash or Credit prices! I already vote for Credit or prices that do not have a discount for cash only.” Maxtar and jrsva quickly pointed out that, as stated, Casper’s question would be a member poll, because it went to the workings of the site. I agreed on New Years Day, but shifted the focus to what folks want to post to what they see, posting: “Not so fast on the member poll decision! As posted, yes it's about the working of the site. Especially with the site's "will they get the gist" standard, modified slightly, I think that flaw is easily fixed. I'm thinking something along the lines of: “What is the cash/credit breakdown for the gas prices you observe most days? • 10/90 • 25/75 • 50/50 • 75/25 • 90/10 Jrsva agreed that this framing of the question avoided the member poll problem, but noted that it was still fraught with complications, asking: “What answer should be chosen when there is no cash/credit difference? “What answer should be chosen when the sign does not indicate whether prices are cash or credit?” My response: “How many of the gas stations you pass most days clearly offer different cash and credit prices? • None • Very few • Less than half • Most • Nearly all • Every one Or: “Do any of the gas stations you pass most days clearly offer different cash and credit prices? • Yes • No ZimCity endorsed the concept of the first of those suggestions, commenting, “Seems all right to me, though maybe too many answers.” Ziyulu suggested that we lose the extremes. I disagreed, saying that I thought we would have “quite a few "none"s and perhaps some of the other extreme as well.” Bugc tossed “Nearly all”, moving us toward the final form: “How many of the gas stations you usually pass do you know have different cash and credit prices? • None • A few • About half • Most • All Tweaks to “usually pass” took us to “typical day” and then to “normally see” and back to “typical day”. Then it was noon on a Friday, and we never returned to discuss this poll until it was brought back early last week and adopted without any further objection.
a5 Champion Author Ottawa Posts:4,478 Points:2,127,760 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 23, 2013 6:59:54 AM Ignore a5 Report Abuse I suppose that the IDk is higher in areas that don't have fracking. It never comes up in the local news here. I don't think it even comes up in the national news. I only hear about it on the occasional energy related story or in some regional story posted in the news here.
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,866 Points:1,615,135 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Jan 22, 2013 11:47:59 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse My first impulse was to guess 40% for IDK in the prediction thread. Sadly, I cut that way back when I made my entry, possibly influenced by Jerry’s post right before mine. Is there a lesson here? Go on impulse and don’t overthink it??
bugc Champion Author Boston Posts:15,067 Points:3,007,065 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Jan 22, 2013 7:57:23 AM Ignore bugc Report Abuse I think the IDK answer includes "it is too early to know". The long term effects will not be known for a very long time.