Disparate gas prices in my city...

[Left Is Write]

I just dropped my daughter off at a temporary job. It cost me almost 2 gallons of gas to do so. (Isn't it funny how we think now? Not, "It took almost an hour out of my day" or "It was about a 40-mile round trip" but instead "It was 2 gallons of gas".)

Anyway, I decided to top off my tank on the way home, because gas was slightly cheaper in that neck of the woods than in my own. I went to Albertsons across the street from my daughter's office building. Gas was advertised at 2.54. With my Albertsons preferred card, I paid 2.51 per gallon. Two blocks away, gas was 2.63 at a Shell station! 2 blocks further down from there, gas was 2.54 at a 7-11 Citgo.

Why would ANYONE go to that Shell station when 2 blocks either way the gas is 9-12 cents cheaper?

I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Boise is usually at the high end of the national scale when it comes to gas prices, usually above the national average. Why we are so comparatively low right now, I don't know.

[maveric]

1. Oh... I long for the days of $2.54.

Its $3.13 here in my SoCal neighborhood.
What cracks me up are these "Last Chance" stations by freeway onramps. They are @ $3.47 a gallon, where two blocks away its $3.13.

[Left Is Write]

2. I was just telling my daughter I would be THRILLED ...

if gas ever went back to $2 a gallon.

One year ago at this time I was lamenting two-dollar gas. When we left for our vacation on July 1 last year, I filled up for $2.25.

I went into full geezer mode and told her I remembered when I could go a week on $5 worth of gas.

I'm still nervous about our "low" prices - it's like waiting for it to catch up to us all at once. I can't remember the last time we were below the national average.

[maveric]

3. In 1960 my Dad would fill his VW Bug for $1.85.

That would get him through the week.

[Oeditpus Rex]

4. I think it's a form of brand-loyalty

Many people seem to believe that Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil etc. are better because they're bigger, but I don't know of a reason to believe that's the case.

I'm a car nut, but I usually go to a station here called City Gas. I have no idea whom their supplier is, but if the gasoline were inferior, I'd probably notice.

And, yeah — I can remember filling up for eight bucks and paying about 35 cents for a quart of Pennzoil.

[Left Is Write]

5. I admit I have no idea who supplies Albertsons either.

The Maverik stations around here are generally on the low end, as are the 7-11/Citgo stations.

I think we're going to re-up our membership at Costco. I don't know how their prices compare at the moment, but the other benefits would be worth it anyway.

[SacredCow]

6. It doesn't make sense, does it?

This morning, I filled up at Shell for $2.79 per gallon, and immediately across the street was a Chevron station at $2.99 per gallon. For whatever reason, Chevron seems to be higher than anyone else here in Baton Rouge- a few stations have even breached the $3.00 mark.

[Bombero1956]

7. wish we had a Costco gas station here

but the only Costco near us has been prevented from opening a member only gas station because a local gasoline chain owns the shopping plaza next to them and every time they've applied to the planning board for permits to build, the locals have managed to lobby the selectmen and denied the permits. Paid $2.81 last time I filled up at BJ's. Not letting the tank get below half. The next closest Costco is over the line in CT. and they pay 20 cents more per gallon than we do.

[Dangerously Amused]

8. Apple has a great little "local gas prices" widget...

With one click it will automatically give you the prices of ALL the gas stations in your town, lowest to highest (or highest to lowest, or closest locations to you, or only certain stations, however you want it displayed) so you can see what they are before you head out for the day, and plan accordingly.

Quite handy.

[RoyGBiv]

9. This is intentional ...

Not having worked for Shell, I can't tell you how their business mind works, but I do know that the tendency of Shell stations to be higher is intentional. I suspect it goes along with the theory a lot of consumers have that something that costs more must be better. This fits with Shell's marketing its gasoline additives, which in many (maybe most) cases are added at the loading rack to the very same gasoline that is selling down the street at your friendly Alberton's, Costco, etc. That is, they market their gasoline as cleaner than the next guy's gas, and just to prove it, see, it costs more.

And then you can get a discount card from them that, if you buy there a lot, knocks the price back down over time to just above what you're paying everywhere else.

It should be noted that this form of marketing was put in place when gasoline was in the $1.50/gal range. I often wonder how its working for them now.

[Left Is Write]

10. If I remember correctly...

In Minnesota, gas stations within a certain distance from each other were prohibited by law from having a difference in price of more than, say, five cents (I don't remember the exact number).

That doesn't seem to be the case here, and I don't even know if it's the case in MN anymore.