It’s not just that they’re squeezing our nuts with their prices ’til we scream. They realize just how outrageous the situation has become, and are terrified of the backlash. More on that in a minute.

There was a story on the wire this morning about a gas station owner who left a pithy message behind after he was forced to close his business for good yesterday.

The prices have come down at Steve Grosse’s gas station in Manhattan Beach, California. Sort of.

The actual numbers have been replaced by the words “arm,” “leg” and “first born.”

Grosse says his sign is a gag, aimed at getting a laugh out of people ticked off by high pump prices. But it’s also something of a protest after his lease was terminated. The 28-year Shell dealer says he no longer fits into the company’s plans, so he’s getting out of the business.

Apparently, Shell doesn’t want service stations like Grosse’s anymore, with high-priced employees who are capable of actually working on a car. No, they want mini-marts with overpriced Twinkies and a single minimum-wage cashier. That was more than Grosse could take, so they pulled his lease.

Since the station is only about a mile away from the SCMO Home Office, I swung by to get a picture of the sign for posterity – and this blog entry. I got the picture, alright – check it out after the jump …

Apparently, Shell is willing to charge you an arm and a leg for gas, but not willing to let someone point out that fact to their customers. By the time I got there this afternoon, the station – which only closed yesterday – was surrounded with chain link fencing and every sign covered with tarps.

Normally, a station like that might sit abandoned and tarp-free for months – in fact, there’s a Mobil station less than a mile from this one that’s been closed for over a year. But once that story hit the wires, I guess someone hit the ceiling.

UPDATE: I discovered a shot online someone got before the tarp goons could stop them:

I’d be embarassed, too … :blush: