SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - As everyday drivers dread having to shell out more and more money for gas, area gas station owners tell ABC 10News things haven't been easy for them either.
"We've been in the industry for over 20 years. We've never seen anything like this,” Mike Namou, a gas station owner, said.
"It's actually been very tough for us,” Joseph Brikho, a gas station owner, said. "If gas goes up, a bottle of Pepsi goes up. You know, a bag of chips goes up. Everything goes up with it. It's not just the gas pump that gets affected."
Brikho owns three gas stations in the San Diego area.
He told ABC 10News that the rise in gas prices is leading to a rise in anger among customers.
"We've had multiple incidents of ever since gas got up over $5 where they come in and they think they're getting a tank of gas for $30, $40 and it's $60,” Brikho said. "We've had multiple instances where somebody comes back upset and, you know, throw something at the cashier or something of that nature."
Other owners like Namou in the San Diego area say things haven't gotten that heated for them.
But, it's still a tough talk to have with customers.
"Be informative and educate them, 'Hey, we're seeing this right now. We don't know what tomorrow's going to bring," Namou said. "But, it doesn't hurt to fuel up with just a few more bucks."
And these businesses owners hope that with not knowing what tomorrow will bring, does bring a little compassion and understanding.
"We totally understand. We sympathize with our customers. And we wish we weren't in this position,” Brikho said.
"We're all going to have to muscle through this and bear with us until we get past it."
