If gas station and convenience store price signs could speak, they might say: “Please don’t shoot the messenger!”
The reality is that for most of 2022, motorists have been doing some serious “rubbernecking” as they cruise past pump price signs with ever-higher digits, and they should expect record national gasoline prices for Thanksgiving travel this year.
“It has been a dizzying year at the pump, with motorists likely feeling nauseous not from the eggnog, but from the roller coaster ride at the pump with record gasoline prices earlier this year, which have fallen significantly since mid-summer,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
National average gasoline prices on Thanksgiving Day are projected at $3.68 per gallon, which would be nearly 30 cents per gallon more than a year ago, and 24 cents per gallon more than the record high of $3.44 set in 2012.
Consumer Reports Says to Keep an Eye on Price Signs
Gas station and convenience store digital gas price signs have never been under greater scrutiny with high gas prices fueling the highest inflation in decades.
Consumer Reports advises motorists to do some comparison shopping by checking out the gas price signs before pulling into the pump.
“There can be significant price disparities among prices at filling stations in the same town,” says Consumer Reports, pointing out that recent surveys found price differences of 60 cents per gallon only a few miles apart. “That means that choosing where you buy gasoline can make a big difference in how much you’re spending to fuel your vehicle … That difference can really pile up.”
Despite the rising fuel prices, AAA predicts that 54.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, making this the third busiest Thanksgiving travel season since they started tracking the data 22 years ago.
“Families and friends are eager to spend time together this Thanksgiving, one of the busiest for travel in the past two decades,” says Paula Twidale, AAA’s Senior Vice President of Travel.
With most of those Thanksgiving travelers hitting the road instead of the skies, gas station and convenience store owners are going to need operations to be running smoothly to meet demand.
A great way many of these owners are staying “on track” is by utilizing PWM’s intelligent communications technology, TRACK, which makes controlling price displays flexible and easy.
TRACK: The Better Way to Control Your Price Sign
TRACK is the latest in a long line of technological advances ushered into the industry by PWM.
And while TRACK may not have your price signs speaking to you, they will be doing the next best thing – communicating with you in real-time.
“Technology communicates with us. It’s time your price sign can do the same,” says PWM President and CEO Wolfgang Manz.
From preventative sign maintenance to fast and cost-effective sign management, TRACK is a better way for gas station and convenience store owners to control their price signs.
With TRACK controls, price signs will alert station owners of:
- Needed check-ups
- Technical problems
- Outages
“TRACK offers communications from your headquarters to your price sign and back,” says Manz. “And all of this is accomplished in real-time from one hub with controls down to each single SMD LED digit.”
Price Signs: Making a First Impression That Counts
Not all electronic price signs are created equally with PWM helping revolutionize the market for price signs with the first manufacturing of SMD LED digits 15 years ago.
“Electronic price signs are your first impression and can help motorists make that split-second decision to pull into your gas station,” said Manz.
Efficiently controlling those signs, including staying on top of price changes, can be a challenge for station operators with unmanned locations or who cover multiple stations across different regions.
TRACK puts station owners in control by offering:
- Price adjustments via the remote web interface (Intranet/Internet) or direct at POS (cash register)
- Automated price reporting, including a timestamp
- Individual digit design
- System diagnostics down to every single SMD LED
- Real-time status display
- Integration of cash register interfaces into control units
- System completely IP67 (waterproof) protected
- All displays can be adjusted via radio frequency connection or straight via cable
- Includes comprehensive feedback channel supplying data via secure cloud connection
- Easy-to-use modular system with a user-friendly interface
- Preventative maintenance with reduction of travel costs
- PWM service pack includes monitoring, analysis, and fast response times via remote diagnostics
TRACK is providing gas station and convenience store operators with peace of mind this busy holiday travel season as problems with their price sign digits are not on their Thanksgiving menu.
“When a sign isn’t displaying gas prices properly, impact on business is immediate,” says Manz.
Contact PWM today to find out more about how TRACK price signs can benefit your business.
