Gas prices up

[GasSavers_GasUser]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

There's one spot in my hometown that gas is ~50 cents more than anywhere else. Its right off of I-95. As soon as you get off the highway all you see are 4 fuel stations witin 100 yards of the highway, and then trees & nothing else. If you actually drove 1/2 mile down the road gas is much cheaper. Locals don't buy gas there. Those stations survive on traffic coming off of the highway.

-Jay

I-95 is notorious for that in some places. But around here it is the same also. All the stations right off the interstate are high priced. The ones in town are lower. But people driving on the interstate that stop for gas get ripped off because they don't know where the other cheaper gas is when they are not familiar with the area........another form of price gougeing.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I get around this. I check gas prices along my route on gaspricewatch.com before I leave, and plan my fuel stops ahead of time. When I hit my designated fuel stop I buy gas whether or not I need it. This way I always have the cheapest fuel available. I can also check prices using Microsoft Live search on my cell phone.

-Jay

[KU40]

Originally Posted by bowtieguy

absolutely there is! i gas station just outside of the orlando int'l airport was charging in excess of a dollar over avg area pricing.

the question is, what or how much is illegal? people, mostly tourists, ARE continuing to pay it.

It's not illegal. It's only illegal if the entity has a monopoly. It may extend to if the entity has just a vast majority of the market share, too, though, I forget. Other than that, they can charge whatever they want if the people will pay. After all, if there is another gas station a block away that's a dollar less they're just losing business for themselves, so that's their own problem.

[R.I.D.E.]

An example, I have a business that depends on gasoline sales for a significant portion of my profit. My supplier has just told me that I will be lucky to get 50% of my normal supply for the next month, and also expect the price to rise significantly.

Do I sell my inventory at my normal percentage of markup, or raise my price to cover the future loss of income due to my suppliers shortage.

I remember the original gas crisis. One dealer was charging twice the normal price. I think it was $1.69 a gallon in 1973 (old old memories). People were paying the price when it was not available anywhere else.

When you have been in business, you might understand some of the complexities of protecting your income.

The customer has the choice of buying elsewhere, if it is available.

I bought 26 gallons today at $3.549. 16 gallons in gas cans to put in the garage in case it gets tough to get gas, and I live less than 10 miles from an oil refinery.

regards
gary

[bowtieguy]

Originally Posted by KU40

It's not illegal. It's only illegal if the entity has a monopoly. It may extend to if the entity has just a vast majority of the market share, too, though, I forget. Other than that, they can charge whatever they want if the people will pay. After all, if there is another gas station a block away that's a dollar less they're just losing business for themselves, so that's their own problem.

correct! it is gouging either way however.

if after a hurricane, for example, only one supplier has water, and charges several times the normal price, that COULD be investigated as illegal price gouging.

if consumers are ignorant enough to pay above fair market value of a particular product under normal circumstances, that's likely not going to be busted as illegal.

[GasSavers_GasUser]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

I get around this. I check gas prices along my route on gaspricewatch.com before I leave, and plan my fuel stops ahead of time. When I hit my designated fuel stop I buy gas whether or not I need it. This way I always have the cheapest fuel available. I can also check prices using Microsoft Live search on my cell phone.

-Jay

Jay.....yes I realize this. There are several websites for gas prices. But I do not have a laptop or internet on my cell phone.......ok so I am in the technological stone age....... So for instance, I go to Maryland occasionally and can check prices before I go, but with the way they change so rapidly, I just use the places I know along the way and in MD.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I'm very technologically connected. My phone is a Windows Mobile 6 HTC Tilt, and I have an unlimited data package on it. I can surf the internet on the phone, or I can connect my laptop to the internet over the phone. Most often I check gas prices in the morning before I leave. I look and see what exits on the highway offer the lowest fuel prices. For example when I go to Florida I look for the cheapest station in Virginia to start off the trip, then I won't need fuel in NC so I look for the cheapest fuel in SC, which is usually around Florence. Then I need to top off the tank right before the Florida state line because Florida's gas tax is so high. I usually either fuel at the Petro @ exit 3 in Georgia, or the Flying J @ exit 29 in Georgia. I can usually drive around Fl, and come back to Georgia before I need fuel again, and then repeat the same stops as before.

-Jay

[GasSavers_GasUser]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

I usually either fuel at the Petro @ exit 3 in Georgia, .

-Jay

Whenever I get down that way, that's exactly where I gas up in Georgia ......just before going into Florida, and I also stop there on the way back. That exit #3 has the best Georgia prices and there are 5 or 6 places to choose from too.

[itjstagame]

Originally Posted by GasUser

Prices were the same this morning as yesterday. I filled up this morning at $3.59 but I am not sure if they have gone up since this morning.

As a note, they just said on the news that the refinery being shut down is making home heating oil and not gas.......so if that is true, what does that have to do with gas prices???

Bunch of thieves..................

When I drove by Exit 10 it was at $3.69, I wasn't there yesterday but I suspect it was $3.59 or lower because everything else in CP was just above this yesterday.

Where in Upstate are you?

[itjstagame]

As for gouging. Clearly if a station down the street is charging $1 more than average it's just his business choice. If they all do it then it could be price setting or gouging or just price fluctuation.

The 10 gallon limit is there to prevent gouging. I thought the typical usage for gouging would be for the guy that went around and bought all gas in the area and then started to sell it for $2/gal more than usual.

Especially if there's a shortage coming I would definately increase my price like crazy if I owned a business. I'd even go $2/gal higher than the guy down the street because I know that will drive more business to him and more quickly empty his tanks and then I can raise it even higher and people will still pay because it's the only spot to get it. Of course that all only applies to shortage conditions and how greedy of a person I am, too bad I don't own such a business and instead I'll just have to pay whatever they charge .