Pain at the Pump, Hits Local Businesses

$4 is a painful number when it comes to pumping your gas, and it seems prices are creeping in that direction everyday. For some local businesses driving is essential to their livelihood and the pain at the pump is placing a financial burden on those companies.

Georgia Market House was forced to raise delivery fees a few years ago when gas prices soared, and the current trend of rising gas costs may soon force them to do it again.

According to manager, Micah Pearson, he has started to use his own personal car to avoid driving the business van because of gas prices.

“Every now and then I end up paying some out of my own pocket to help with costs for the shop… so that it’s not as strenuous on the business,” says Pearson.

It’s one way Georgia Market House is trying to save. Owner, Pam Pearson says, “We’re trying to keep our prices about the same and delivery prices the same as long as we can.”

Pam Pearson says high gas prices have already forced changes, ” We used to not even charge to go to the hospital, but we’ve started doing that in the last year when prices went up.”

Pam says with the rising gas prices the deliveries are hurting business, ” We don’t really want to make anything off of our delivery costs; we just want to really cover our expense of delivering.”

Another way Georgia Market House has attempted to save is by shortening their delivering distance. Micah Pearson told 41 NBC the company used to drive to Warner Robins frequently, but now unless customers are willing to pay between $15-$25 per delivery they won’t.

Pam says, the added prices are still barely helping the shop make a profit. “If gas goes over $4, we’ll have to increase a bit a quarter or so here and there,” says Pam.