A Hallam service station has been named one of the cheapest in Melbourne, much to the delight of attendant Raghu Kilari.
By Rebecca Fraser
A HALLAM service station has been dubbed one of the cheapest in Melbourne, with drivers living more than 50 kilometres away choosing to top up at the popular fuel spot.
Manager of the United service station Datta Bomma said motorists from as far away as Warragul and the other side of the city were choosing to fill their tanks at the station.
He said the petrol stop, located at the corner of Belgrave-Hallam Road and the Princes Highway, attracted more than 700 customers a day with drivers queuing up right around the corner to buy cheaper fuel.
Mr Bomma said the key to offering cheaper petrol was to keep a close eye on the competition and closely monitor petrol prices at nearby service stations.
According to fuel watch website motormouth.com.au, the 24-hour store sold the cheapest petrol in Melbourne in the three months to March, by between two and three cents a litre.
Mr Bomma, store manager for the past three months, said he was pleased to hear they had been named among the cheapest service stations in Melbourne.
He said many petrol stations in the area put their prices up by 10 or 11am each day, whereas he tried to keep prices low until after 2pm.
Mr Bomma said he tried to check the opposition’s prices at least twice a day and then liaised with his company’s head office before a price was selected.
He said just a few cents made a big difference to motorists.
“Usually we are three to four cents cheaper then our competition and if they match us we ring head office again and try to make the price lower,” he said.
Mr Bomma said since petrol prices had skyrocketed customers had stopped purchasing extra items such as lollies, magazines and drinks.
He said since the station had lowered petrol prices more people had begun purchasing other items when they filled up.
“When fuel goes up they do not want to buy anything else as they only have enough money for the petrol.
“They just want to top up and leave but now things are getting better and they are buying more.
“We were pleased to hear that we had the cheapest. Four days out of the week we try to have the cheapest. Unfortunately we do not have enough time to go and check prices every day,” he said.
