Welcome to Cheap(er) Gas & Expensive Groceries!

Attention Ukrops shoppers: You can now buy your expensive groceries and get discounted gas! Richmond’s premier grocer has teamed up with locally-owned Uppy’s convenience stores (which sell BP and Exxon gasoline) to give YOU, the weary customer, the deal of a lifetime!

You’ve probably seen the highly-annoying blue flash ads all over Inrich.com by now. For every 50 bucks you spend at Ukrops with your UVC Card, you save 10 cents a gallon at participating gas stations.

The concept is catching on around the country. In Pittsburgh, PA, fuelperks has teamed up with Giant Eagle to provide Keystone-staters some relief at the pump as well.

The idea sounds really good until you think about how much food prices have gone up in recent months. For instance, Fig Newtons are now selling for $3.99 at Ukrops. It’s fruit and cake for crying out loud! Companies are now bottling food in smaller sizes but raising prices. (See Edy’s Ice Cream)
And anything that comes from a farm, fuhgetaboutit!

But Uppy’s has to be hoping that most customers don’t cash in. After all, convenience stores definitely don’t make money on gas–they want you in the store buying chips, lottery tickets and drinks before or after your fill-up.

If you use it right, you can definitely save some greenbacks. The key is not filling up, if possible, until you have racked up some saving on your UVC Card. And once you choose to redeem your fuelperks (20 gallon limit), your balance will be fully depleted. So don’t get gas until you really need it.

And like that expensive cheese and milk, your fuelperks expire. Discounts expire on the last day of the third month following the month in which the discounts were earned.

Play your card right and Fuelperks will be a savings. If not, it’s back to expensive gas and expensive groceries.