Businesses, consumers feel extra pain at the pump as diesel prices hits record high

If you're filling your tank with diesel, you're probably feeling extra pain at the pump as the national average hit another record high Monday.

News 12 Staff

May 10, 2022, 12:39 AM

Updated 942 days ago

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If you're filling your tank with diesel, you're probably feeling extra pain at the pump as the national average hit another record high Monday.
That pain is also being felt by consumers as they head out to shop for goods. It's a difficult conversation to have with local businesses owners like Luangisa African Art Gallery in Mount Vernon, a company that relies on travel to make a profit - and now they're contemplating pulling the plug after 26 years.
Rose Luangisa, owner of an African art shop, says she's on the helm of shutting her nearly 30-year business down. They sell artifacts, decor and everyday utensils that are handmade by village women across Africa. Travel to and from the different countries is essential to bring back pieces for the store.
A portion of profit goes back to artisans of the villages to support families and raise their children, but the astronomical rise of fuel prices is staggering.
Paying for truckers to bring the artifacts from the airport to her shop is running the business dry. Now they don't know how much longer they can last.
"With the truckers, the prices went up, I used to pay $800 to bring it up here, now it's $2,000," says Luangisa. "I really feel bad for the artisans back in Africa that I'm trying to support because they are the ones that are really going to be affected, because the depend on us."
So, they're literally dishing out far more than they can get in terms of profit when you look into what goes into a shop like this.
For now, this means customers will have to wait at least six months to get items they want or scale down on the size of artifacts they're looking for.