Coping with gas price hikes

On a recent weekday morning, Lynbrook resident Tom Murray pulled his Toyota Prius up to one of the pumps at the Shell station on Merrick Road. Like just about anyone else who drives, Murray, a regular customer, said he’s concerned about the price of gas.

“No one can be happy about it,” he said. “It’s a hardship.” And this from someone who works locally, drives a hybrid and doesn’t have much of a commute.

Other residents agree: Buying gas is becoming a pain in their wallets.

Even gas station owners are feeling the pinch. Two weeks ago the Shell station increased prices 9 cents per gallon, according to owner Bruce Kyriakou. “We try not to,” he said, “but it’s going up and everyone is shopping around.” Gas is delivered to the station once a week, Kyriakou said, and his prices have been hiked, too. He had to cut some expenses to compensate, and reduced employees’ hours, he said.

And gas station owners and workers are fielding complaints from customers. Just a few blocks north, Azi Chaudhry, an employee at the A&B Gulf Service Center on Franklin Avenue, said he has heard from more unhappy drivers lately. “We get lots of them,” he said.

East Rockaway Transportation, a company whose vehicles make countless trips to and from area airports, spends $50 to $70 on gas daily, said co-owner Lee Krichmar. He acknowledged that gas prices are hurting his business, but in spite of them, he has not increased fares. “We like to take care of customers in the community,” Krichmar said. “We take a hit on that. If the price goes up, the customer comes first.”

It’s not clear whether higher gas prices are keeping more shoppers and diners closer to home. More people may be shopping locally, but they may not spend as much, so net gains or losses may be hard to figure for local businesses.

Vincent Sorrentino, a manager at Angelica’s restaurant on Atlantic Avenue, said he hasn’t noticed an increase in business — but he has noticed a difference in menu choices. “[People] are buying more pizzas and less dinners,” he said. And the restaurant’s vendors have added fuel surcharges ranging from $1 to $4, which adds up to $100 a week to its costs.

Anthony Conigliaro of Lynbrook, who owns Night Fever D.J. on Scranton Avenue, said he is paying $55 to $60 every week and a half on gas. He does three to four events per month, and although he is spending more on transportation, he isn’t cutting services. “I’m biting the bullet,” Conigliaro said, “because I want to do what I can to satisfy customers.”

Marc Goldberg of American Cool Air in East Rockaway, which installs central air-conditioning systems, isn’t raising fees either. The company, which has 17 employees and 12 trucks — for which the gas bills total $4,000 per month — is doing its best to deal with gas price hikes, Goldberg said. “We’re a pretty established company,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can to bring in revenue.”

Kathy Sci, a Lynbrook resident and president of the village’s Senior Citizens Club, said that higher prices affect seniors, too, even though most don’t drive much and rely on others to ferry them to activities and appointments. “It’s a shame for seniors and everyone,” Sci said. “It’s gets worse and worse each day, and people are stuck at home.”