Ron Beauregard
A Good Road Story
Sat Jul 28 01:11:19 2001

Ok, here's a little more background on the town of Somerset.

As you drive down the main drag of Somerset, you pass 6 Shell gas stations in a 2 mile stretch between my hotel and the store. There are about 4 more in the 2 miles past the store...and thats as far as I have went. That puts us at 10 Shell stations on a 4 mile stretch...not to mention the 2 BPs and assorted other companies.

Anyways, 8 of the 10 Shell stations are owned by this man named Krell (or Corell, I can't figure it out because people at the store say it differently). Krell also owns the rights to distribute Shell (and BP I think) gasoline in Pulaski county. So he basically has a gas monopoly on the town. People in the store also claim that he controls the police dept. At this point I should also mention that Pulaski County has the highest unsolved murder rate per capita in the last 10 years. Something like 19 unsolved murders. I actually felt safer in Inner City Charlotte...but I digress....

So anyways, Krell has this neat little gas monopoly...and Super Wal Mart decides to come to town. The new Super Wal Mart's all have gas stations...and since they get their gas from a distribution center in Laurel county....there goes the theoretical monopoly (The dude sells the gas to the other stations in town...but they are all 2 cents higher...so his stations get more business). Well...according to the story from store personel..Mr. Krell drives to the Wal Mart warehouse in London, KY...storms into the warehouse manager's office and throws a big temper-tantrum about how Wal Mart can't come in and sell gas in his town and that he's gonna sue and yada yada yada. Reports are unclear as to the reply, but it was something like "Fuck you, we're Wal Mart," and they had the guy arrested. That's how the story goes anyway.

Then, shortly thereafter, a guy buys one of the non-alligned Shell stations...and then realizes that Krell is controlling the scene unfairly. He then shuts down his station and files a lawsuit to break the monopoly. He also hangs a big banner on the shelter over the pumps that says "Buy Wal-Mart Gas." The latter is extremely funny.

To put the whole story in perspective, I got off of work at 9:00 p.m. Thursday and gas was 1.17 at the alligned stations...1.19 at the non-alligned stations and 1.12 at Wal Mart. When I went in at 7 a.m. on Friday....gas was 1.32 at the alligned stations, 1.32-1.34 at the non-alligned...and still 1.12 at Wal Mart. By the time I left the town....Wal Mart had wised up and jacked their prices up to 1.28. 

I haven't seen Krell, but I kinda picture him to resemble Boss Hogg during the early to mid 80s....only without the white suit and white Caddy.