When a tank truck showed up, Wednesday, October 12 at noon, to refuel the gas station at the small Carrefour de La Chaussée-Saint-Victor (Loir-et-Cher), store employees rushed. “ With their cars, they formed a small line from the parking lot of the supermarket, while all the others were queuing from the departmental and hardly advancing any more. It was a little tense »says a man who is on his second trip to the pump. “ As long as I can, I like to keep my tank full. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. »
The security guard in midnight blue clothes, Alexandre (who did not give his name, like the other people interviewed), multiplies the comings and goings between the station and the shelves of his supermarket. It is 4:30 p.m. and the tank probes are already signaling an imminent rupture. “ According to my desk, there is hardly any unleaded left and barely 4,000 liters of diesel. It feels like the end! » explains the gas station attendant, extricating himself from his cabin with one-way windows, equipped with gun covers ” out of order “.
The guard wanders among the queue: “ Unleaded, you can leave, there’s nothing left! The diesels are good, you stay. » Géraldine and Patrick come forward with their Mercedes van. The couple returns frustrated from a hook on the highway. “ Because we were told that it would be easier to find gasoline there »says Geraldine. “ Hello pipe! Diesel was sold there at 2.35 euros per liter » – 55 cents more than here.
“Where am I going then, now? »
It’s 5:06 p.m. and it’s time to close. The guard pulls out a warning tape, while the gas station attendant points his remote control at the price totem. The numbers plummet to zero. A few moments later, the Carrefour station is as deserted as its competitor and neighbor Esso. Despite this, a yellow tow truck approaches, then a very weathered 106. Sarah, his driver, is an order picker for a logistics platform in Mer, 20 kilometers away. Two colleagues are seated in the back. “ We’ve been carpooling since this summer because of the crazy prices. How right were we! »
Behind, an elderly lady displays her most beautiful smile. To hell with the two-tone Rubalise: the gas station attendant succumbs. ” It’s okay, you all can come in. But then it’s really over! » Brigitte, 72, is retired from national education and lives in La Chaussée. “ As I live in the housing estate next door, I could very well have come to refuel this afternoon, but I couldn’t see myself taking gas from someone who needed it more than me. »
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