Whether Fluffy needs a trim, you broke your key off trying to get into your car, your toilet is leaking or you are having an appliance delivered, the rising cost of gas is eventually going to cost you.
With gasoline prices well over $3 a gallon, some mobile businesses are raising prices to preserve their bottom lines.
Showdogs Mobile Groomer has added a $5 surcharge to the cost of its at-home grooming service, said owner Janice Fischer.
Fischer said she added the surcharge 18 months ago when gas prices began increasing and removed it when gas prices decreased. It wasn't long before she had to add the charge again.
She tells customers about the additional fee and explains that all of it goes towards the price of gas. Most people understand, but many cannot or will not pay the fee, she said.
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Another mobile groomer, Mutt Mobile, raised its prices six months ago to help make up for the money lost paying for gasoline.
Owner Lenore Foley said her vans take up to $80 worth of gasoline and it takes a "big chunk" of her profit.
Until gas prices fall Foley has cut out certain areas of town to save money. She doesn't plan to raise prices again because she wants to keep the customers she has.
The Energy Information Administration is predicting gas prices will continue to rise for the rest of this year, meaning other businesses may turn to adding surcharges to their services.
Cody Fox, owner of Mobile Lock & Key, a locksmith service, has not raised prices yet, but is considering an increase of $5 per call to help with the cost of gasoline.
Most of the work Fox does is for dealerships and they have been trying to give him multiple jobs at once so he can keep his prices down. Still, the record gas prices may lead to an increase.
Lloyd Palmer , owner of Mobile Plumbing, has never raised prices because of the cost of gasoline, but he is sure that is going to change.
He has been able to keep his prices the same because he schedules work on the same side of town, but if business slows down he will consider raising prices.
Bill Edwards, co-owner of Tucson Appliance Company, says he charges a flat fee to deliver appliances all over metropolitan Tucson and doesn't anticipate adding a delivery surcharge.
But increased gas costs figure into rising appliance prices, Edwards said.
"You mention a delivery charge or an extra charge after a person buys an appliance, it offends them," he said.
Edwards had to raise the cost of the appliances recently because the manufacturers he works with raised the cost of their products. If gasoline continues to rise then, he may have to raise prices again.
GE announced in January that they will be increasing the cost of their appliances because of the rising cost of raw materials and possibly because of increased fuel prices, said Kim Freeman , spokesperson for GE.

