Now as the war continues to drive up fuel prices, some local businesses that rely on gas each day are really feeling the squeeze and asking, where's the money? WCNC Charlotte's Bria Smith shows us how landscapers are trying to keep their business and their customers afloat. For landscapers, gas isn't just convenient, it's essential.
From trucks to mowers to blowers, just about everything they use runs on fuel, and right now it's costing them a lot more as gas prices climb. Everybody talks about, it's gone up 50 cents and everything, but when you start thinking about it, you know, it went up from 329 cents to 529 cents. Bill Provitt is the owner of National Streams Landscaping.
He tells me prices are just out of hand. -- Ever -- since we went to war with Iran, uh, it's gone up about $2 a gallon now, and it's in that $529 just about. Every landscaper has a 35 gallon minimal tank, so yeah.
$35 times 2 times 5 trucks times twice a week. You're talking thousands of dollars. I mean, it just adds up really fast.
Alisa Goldstein with Mr Outdoor Living Landscaping says just gas to drive to and from sites has already increased their expense sheet. Our crew have to travel back and forth to. Go to each job, which increases the gas prices for them, and that doesn't include the necessary gas or diesel the landscaping equipment requires.
Another item added to the checkout tab. We're making less money. It's just extremely frustrating when you go to the pump every time.
And it just becomes more and more expensive. Goldstein says. Despite the hike in price for gas, they'll maintain customer satisfaction.
We actually have kept our contracts exactly the same for the customer, you know, we have not raised our prices due to the higher gas prices. We. Provide you know the same service as we did before and our goal is to hopefully not let this affect us too much.
Landscapers are telling me they're hoping prices can stabilize soon, but until then they tell me they'll have to do what they can in Charlotte, Brea Smith, WCNC Charlotte.
