Transportation / OT?

[Carl Teplitski]

At the risk of sounding like a " doomsday preacher,"
here is my view on the price of gas in North America.

If an electric car was available today, we could only work in a small
area, because the batteries would need to be recharged for longer trips.

I suppose , we could plug - in at customers home, and be able to
continue
on in our day. Obviously, we don't have electric cars yet, and when we
do
finally have them, they could cost so much, that we won't have any
choice but
to raise our prices,  to make it possible to work.

If the availability of gas should get to the point where we would be
   " rationed "  ;    do you think that piano tuners would be considered

an essential service and be allowed as much gas as needed to do
a profitable business ??    Not very likely.   Then the cost wouldn't
make
any difference.    The tuner and the customer would be happy to pay
almost
any price to get their piano tuned.  There would be many pianos BADLY
out of tune.
I happen to remember the war years  (  I was very young at the time !!!
)   when you
couldn't buy gas at any price, unless you had coupons.    Sooooooo, if
you were to
go to tune for someone, you had better charge plenty,    because you
could only
go to so many tunings before your coupons ran out.    The customer had
money,
especially if he / she was working in a war factory,   BUT,   no gas was
available.
I know we aren't at that point at this time,   but if things keep going
like they are
in the Arab countries, I suppose it's a possibility.    I think gas
prices are very much
a part of the piano business, although not as far as knowing how to set
let - off,  but
from the ability to get to a customers home,   to be able to do
it.        Knowing how,
sure wouldn't do any tuner much good if he / she weren't able to get
there,   but I seem
to be repeating myself.      This is " VERY MUCH " a piano related
topic.

Carl / Winnipeg