Consumers are not the only ones feeling the pain at the gas pump.
    “We’re not having fun with this,” Kay Tibbs, manager of Tibbs Furniture, said about the recent jump in gasoline prices. “It’s affecting us in a bad way.”
    From furniture deliveries to higher shipping costs, the Wellington furniture business is being forced to deal with unexpected, skyrocketing fuel costs.
    The average price in gasoline has increased nearly $1 since this time last year, according to the AAA.
    Tibbs had to alter their free, out-of-town delivery service; the business now does not deliver furniture to out-of-town customers until they have a truckload of furniture to take to their area.
    Depending on where their customers live, they will have to wait for days — in some cases weeks — for their purchase to arrive.
    A $30-to-$50 fee is now assessed to customers who want their furniture delivered the same day they bought it.
    “It’s not making our customers happy,” Tibbs said. “And it’s not fair to our customers that we can’t always make delivery free because of gas prices.”
    Because of increased diesel prices, freight companies are now charging fuel surcharges for every delivery made to Tibbs and virtually every other business.
    “There’s extra fuel charges on all deliveries now,” said Joann Buckman, owner of El Chile Verde in downtown Wellington. “I can’t really complain about my business, but the prices, I can complain about.”
    In addition to paying for extra delivery fees, Buckman is also paying more for food.
    Food prices have increased at the fastest annual rate since 1990, and the Agriculture Department is predicting that food will cost 5 to 6 percent more this year.
    But Buckman is determined to not raise restaurant prices or decrease portions. Rather, she is keeping an eye out for mistakes that may result in wasted food and conserving other supplies, such as napkins and straws.
    “We are fortunate that people are still eating with us,” Buckman said.
    Tibbs, however, is seeing a decrease in customers.
    “Out-of-towners don’t want to shop because it’s too expensive to drive here, and most people don’t have expendable income,” Tibbs said.
    Richard Jesina of Country Side Motors is also seeing changes in consumer behavior.
    “Yes, I’ve had inquires about hybrid cars,” Jesina said.
    He also said because of fuel prices, today’s customers are especially concerned about the fuel efficiency of a car, a concern that didn’t matter at all for consumers in the past.
    “Four dollar gas has, and will have, an impact on transportation,” he said. “I think it’s especially affecting the larger SUV market.”
    Automobile manufactures are addressing the consumer demand for a fuel efficient vehicle. General Motors has 23 new car and truck models on the market that get an estimated 30 miles per gallon or higher on the highway, over 2 million vehicles that can run on E85 ethanol, and are designing new hybrid and electric car models.
    Toyota, Kia, Ford and other automobile manufactures also are developing hybrid and electric vehicles and have are selling several vehicle models that get great gas mileage.
    “Those that haven’t looked at a car in the last 10 years are quite surprised by what new cars can do,” he said. “The new technology in the automobile industry and the computerization of fuel systems is very impressive.”
    The recent fuel spikes are positively influencing other businesses.
    “Prices have gone up because of oil, freight has gone up,” Dave Gaston of Gaston’s Flooring said. “But by and large our business is good. The base of our business is replacement and if people need floors, it’s something that people are going to buy.”
    Gaston said that during downturns and recessions in the economy, business is better in certain industries, such as flooring.
    Flooring flourishes during weak economic periods because are less eager to build new homes, or sell their current one, and will remodel their current home instead.
    Even though fuel prices have affected his business, Gaston will be cautiously optimistic.
    “In business, you can’t be negative minded,” Gaston said. “You end up closing your doors.”