Eceran fuel sellers and their tactics after being banned from buying fuel in jerry cans

As we already know some time ago, PT Pertamina has issued a regulation prohibiting the purchase of Pertalite type fuel oil (BBM) using jerry cans or drums.

The purpose of issuing this regulation is actually clear, which is to make it more difficult for literal fuel retailers to buy Pertalite at gas stations.

Even so, the fuel retailers did not lose their minds to continue their business.

For example, by buying Pertalite using a motorcycle, then siphoning the contents into retail bottles.

One retail fuel seller in Lumajang, East Java, Juwariyah, admitted that she was confused by the ban on buying Pertalite using jerry cans.

He became frantic because customers who used to retail fuel at his kiosk did not want to buy Pertamax because the price had gone up.

"Now it is even more difficult because buying Pertalite is not allowed to use barrels, while people don't want to buy Pertamax," he said, as quoted from Kompas.comFriday (08/04/2022).

Not only that, Juwariyan is still struggling to find gas stations that provide Pertalite.

In fact, he was even willing to look for three gas stations in other sub-districts just to get Pertalite.

As a result, Juwariyah inevitably had to increase the selling price of her Pertalite to Rp12,000 per liter and Rp17,000 per 1.5 liters.

"Actually, we don't want to raise the price, but to pay for the cost of those looking for Pertalite," he added.

Unlike Juwariyah, another retail fuel trader named Fikri did not increase the price of Pertalite he sold.

In fact, he has to go back and forth to buy Pertalite using his motorcycle 5 times a day.

"If you have a big motorcycle, it's nice to have a lot of contents, but if I have a small motorcycle, I can't raise the price for fear that no one will buy it," he said.