Cheapest gasoline in your area!

[Mucker]

Gotta love the web and this link
Gasbuddy

m

 

[Balthazar]

If you ask me, this is a GREAT idea. Maybe if we can see before we fill up where is cheapest we can force SOME sort of reasonable competiton into the mix.

If a station loses business because everyone is filling up for $.3 cheaper two blocks away, maybe they will drop accordingly. And when it equals out, free market economics MIGHT take over and they will do like everyone else in this country does and get involved in a good old fashioned price war.

I'm gonna put the pipe down now and come back to reality.

 

[Mucker]

Nice Balthazar, you sound like Steve Martin as the York, the medevial barber...LOL.......

m

 

[sjwaste]

Are you under the impression that gas stations are marking up prices? Please, don't make mention of economics till you go out and research the real factors at work. Gas is expensive because of a combination of increasing demand and a perceived expectation of unstable supply. The way the system is structured, you're lucky if the gas station makes a nickel on each gallon of gas. The gas tax itself in most states is many times more than the profit by the station on a per-gallon basis. Also, many states have laws against selling gas below a certain margin, so the price war would also be illegal depending on where you live.

 

[Buz2b]

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Are you under the impression that gas stations are marking up prices? Please, don't make mention of economics till you go out and research the real factors at work. Gas is expensive because of a combination of increasing demand and a perceived expectation of unstable supply. The way the system is structured, you're lucky if the gas station makes a nickel on each gallon of gas. The gas tax itself in most states is many times more than the profit by the station on a per-gallon basis. Also, many states have laws against selling gas below a certain margin, so the price war would also be illegal depending on where you live.

Nice post; simplified economics for those that need it. The only other thing I would add in as a factor is supply. Since we currently rely so much on others for our source, we find ourselves dependant upon their output and pricing. Can we say "increase the domestic supply?"

 

[silverbullet555]

I agree that gas stations are not making huge margins off of the gas. Gas companies are turning some very large profits and taking advantage of the instability by raising prices much faster than they drop as futures prices change. If certian states are regulating prices on a minimum price than that needs to be addressed on the state and local level.

There is also a site called dieselbuddy.com for those of us that burn that in our vehicles. It has some information, but not nearly the info that gasbuddy.com has.

 

[Marauder-]

Originally posted by: Balthazar
If you ask me, this is a GREAT idea. Maybe if we can see before we fill up where is cheapest we can force SOME sort of reasonable competiton into the mix.

If a station loses business because everyone is filling up for $.3 cheaper two blocks away, maybe they will drop accordingly. And when it equals out, free market economics MIGHT take over and they will do like everyone else in this country does and get involved in a good old fashioned price war.

I'm gonna put the pipe down now and come back to reality.

If the gasoline station two blocks away were actually $.3(0) cheaper than that other gas station, I think it would steal all the customers in the entire neighborhood away! Maybe even the city till they run out of supply!

 

[sapiens74]

AAFES all the way for me

 

[rcraig]

Gas stations in Macon, GA, can vary as much as $.10/gal within site of each other and still people are buying gas at the expensive stations. For some people, when the employer is paying for the gas, convineience outweighs saving money for the company. I don't understand this. They are decreasing company profits which means less money for possible raises/jobs. They are also helping the expensive stores stay in business which shows the cheap stores they can afford to raise their price which means they pay more when they have to purchase gas for their personal vehicle. I guess people just don't understand economics or competition and don't realize they are cutting their own throat.
Usually, in Macon, the cheapest gas is at Sam's Club for members. I have seen as much as a $.13/gal difference in Sam's prices and stations a few blocks away.

RCraig

 

[Thump553]

I never heard of state's regulating a minimum price for gas (other than the general rules prohibiting selling products below cost). I've heard of this for tobacco products, drugs and alcohol but never gasoline. Prices here in CT vary greatly from station to station, or more significantly, area to area.

 

[UDT89]

i need minimum 91 octane.

i usually can only find 93 and pay $2.30

Its going down lately, say one place for $2.19

Im in Long Island, NY

 

[b0mbrman]

Originally posted by: Buz2b

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Are you under the impression that gas stations are marking up prices? Please, don't make mention of economics till you go out and research the real factors at work. Gas is expensive because of a combination of increasing demand and a perceived expectation of unstable supply. The way the system is structured, you're lucky if the gas station makes a nickel on each gallon of gas. The gas tax itself in most states is many times more than the profit by the station on a per-gallon basis. Also, many states have laws against selling gas below a certain margin, so the price war would also be illegal depending on where you live.

Nice post; simplified economics for those that need it. The only other thing I would add in as a factor is supply. Since we currently rely so much on others for our source, we find ourselves dependant upon their output and pricing. Can we say "increase the domestic supply?"

I'd rather decrease domestic demand...it's way more elastic

 

[cougr]

While this is a pretty cool resource, most of the stations near me are around the same price, so driving out of my way to save 3 cents isn't worth the gas consumed to get there.

Also, most of the cheaper gas stations sell just that, cheap gas. It was nice to see Shell and Sunoco in some of the lists, but I'd rather pay the 3 cents more for them than get some no name gas that has more dirt and particles in it, than the name brand.

 

[grappa]

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Are you under the impression that gas stations are marking up prices? Please, don't make mention of economics till you go out and research the real factors at work. Gas is expensive because of a combination of increasing demand and a perceived expectation of unstable supply. The way the system is structured, you're lucky if the gas station makes a nickel on each gallon of gas. The gas tax itself in most states is many times more than the profit by the station on a per-gallon basis. Also, many states have laws against selling gas below a certain margin, so the price war would also be illegal depending on where you live.

I agree with you for the most part. However, when I moved to the Detroit area, I found one vendor in particular -- Speedway -- likes to jack up their prices around .15 for one day of the week. Then, 'miraculously', the price goes back down the next day. You'll see gas at $1.93 one day, then suddenly that evening it'll be $2.09, then by the next afternoon it's back down to $1.93.

I'm still waiting for GasBuddy to have other octane listings -- I need at least 89 octane.


G

 

[wetcat007]

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Are you under the impression that gas stations are marking up prices? Please, don't make mention of economics till you go out and research the real factors at work. Gas is expensive because of a combination of increasing demand and a perceived expectation of unstable supply. The way the system is structured, you're lucky if the gas station makes a nickel on each gallon of gas. The gas tax itself in most states is many times more than the profit by the station on a per-gallon basis. Also, many states have laws against selling gas below a certain margin, so the price war would also be illegal depending on where you live.

In minnesota here they have to makie 7 cents a gallon at least, or else they get fined, weird law, but I guess it keeps gas stations in business longer? i'm not really sure

 

[SolderSucker]

Originally posted by: rcraig
Gas stations in Macon, GA, can vary as much as $.10/gal within site of each other and still people are buying gas at the expensive stations. For some people, when the employer is paying for the gas, convineience outweighs saving money for the company. I don't understand this. They are decreasing company profits which means less money for possible raises/jobs. They are also helping the expensive stores stay in business which shows the cheap stores they can afford to raise their price which means they pay more when they have to purchase gas for their personal vehicle. I guess people just don't understand economics or competition and don't realize they are cutting their own throat.
Usually, in Macon, the cheapest gas is at Sam's Club for members. I have seen as much as a $.13/gal difference in Sam's prices and stations a few blocks away.

RCraig

This is one of the funniest posts i have ever seen.

 

[Androck99]

If you don't see very many stations in your area with Gasbuddy, try Gas Price Watch it's always worked for me...

 

[breweyez]

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Are you under the impression that gas stations are marking up prices? Please, don't make mention of economics till you go out and research the real factors at work. Gas is expensive because of a combination of increasing demand and a perceived expectation of unstable supply. The way the system is structured, you're lucky if the gas station makes a nickel on each gallon of gas. The gas tax itself in most states is many times more than the profit by the station on a per-gallon basis. Also, many states have laws against selling gas below a certain margin, so the price war would also be illegal depending on where you live.

I live in CA.....so yes I am under that impression. when I see an AMPM selling for $1.99....and a few miles away another AMPM selling for $2.09. then I take a trip to vegas and the price at that AMPM is over $2.50. As far as the minimum fine rule, I had never heard of that....it makes sense not encourage a gas war, but I wish they could discourage gouging