Gas in California

[maddogchen]

gas prices

I don't get how this gas station makes money. Yeah its near an entrance to the freeway but its not like isn't any other gas stations around there. It consistently charges 60-70 cents more than any other gas station around its area. Yet I often still see cars getting gas from here. Why get gas here when you could drive 3 blocks down and get gas at a 76 for $3.81 for regular? And these aren't even rich expensive cars i'm seeing stopped there. Its like corollas and ford suvs and malibus.

I guess when gas prices hit $4 nationwide this summer, i'll take another picture of this gas station hitting $5.

Crazy!!

 

[Uppsala9496]

maybe some people have a shell credit card and only get gas at a shell as a result?

 

[sdifox]

force of habit, tons of people will not change their routine...

 

[mugs]

Honestly, I don't even look at the price when I get gas. I guess I might look if I were getting off the highway and there were multiple choices nearby.

 

[maddogchen]

Originally posted by: Uppsala9496
maybe some people have a shell credit card and only get gas at a shell as a result?

well...unless that credit card is giving you 15% savings for shopping at shell, its not gonna beat out the savings you get if you just get gas at $3.81.

 

[SpunkyJones]

Some people just drive in and fill up while not noticing the price, they just know they need gas and they want it now.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: maddogchen
gas prices

I don't get how this gas station makes money. Yeah its near an entrance to the freeway but its not like isn't any other gas stations around there. It consistently charges 60-70 cents more than any other gas station around its area. Yet I often still see cars getting gas from here. Why get gas here when you could drive 3 blocks down and get gas at a 76 for $3.81 for regular? And these aren't even rich expensive cars i'm seeing stopped there. Its like corollas and ford suvs and malibus.

I guess when gas prices hit $4 nationwide this summer, i'll take another picture of this gas station hitting $5.

Crazy!!

Where exactly is this station?

MotionMan

 

[maddogchen]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: maddogchen
gas prices

I don't get how this gas station makes money. Yeah its near an entrance to the freeway but its not like isn't any other gas stations around there. It consistently charges 60-70 cents more than any other gas station around its area. Yet I often still see cars getting gas from here. Why get gas here when you could drive 3 blocks down and get gas at a 76 for $3.81 for regular? And these aren't even rich expensive cars i'm seeing stopped there. Its like corollas and ford suvs and malibus.

I guess when gas prices hit $4 nationwide this summer, i'll take another picture of this gas station hitting $5.

Crazy!!

Where exactly is this station?

MotionMan

on el camino in San Mateo, CA

 

[OdiN]

Damn....makes me glad I don't live in CA anymore.

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: mugs
Honestly, I don't even look at the price when I get gas. I guess I might look if I were getting off the highway and there were multiple choices nearby.

This is why gas continues to go up in price. There is no oil shortage, it's just the consumer is willing to pay whatever is demanded of them.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: mugs
Honestly, I don't even look at the price when I get gas. I guess I might look if I were getting off the highway and there were multiple choices nearby.

This is why gas continues to go up in price. There is no oil shortage, it's just the consumer is willing to pay whatever is demanded of them.

Pretty much. If people keep buying, why lower the price? I don't drive any more than I need to, and I only go through about a tank a month. If gas went up to $10 a gallon, I'd do nothing differently. I don't need to look at the price because none of the gas stations I regularly go to price gouge.

 

[PingSpike]

At the rate gas has been going up lately...I wonder if people just get off the freeway and assume that that is what it has shot up to at this point in time. After they fill up, they eventually drive by another station thats 60 cents cheaper but its already to late. And there are enough cars in California that ample prey should be available to fall into this trap, even if they never have and repeat customers.

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: mugs
Honestly, I don't even look at the price when I get gas. I guess I might look if I were getting off the highway and there were multiple choices nearby.

This is why gas continues to go up in price. There is no oil shortage, it's just the consumer is willing to pay whatever is demanded of them.

Pretty much. If people keep buying, why lower the price? I don't drive any more than I need to, and I only go through about a tank a month. If gas went up to $10 a gallon, I'd do nothing differently. I don't need to look at the price because none of the gas stations I regularly go to price gouge.

If the price of gas is over $2.00 it's a gouge, but we are way past gouging at this point.

Consider in 2004 the average cost of gas before the quad hurricanes in FL was still around $1.45 national average. After those hurricanes the price jumped and consumers kept right on trucking. Nothing happened to the supply or infrastructure, but people in FL and parts of the south literally emptied gas stations. Fuel suppies for other parts of the country were re-routed to the south to meet the demand. This caused prices in other parts of the country to jump. People in Chicago for paying $6.00/gal for a few days. By mid 2005 it was about $2.75 national average and Katrina gave the excuse to raise it again. It's been steadily going up since then with no end in site.

Meanwhile the CEO of Exxon is spending his $400,000,000.00 bonus he got in 2006.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: mugs
Honestly, I don't even look at the price when I get gas. I guess I might look if I were getting off the highway and there were multiple choices nearby.

This is why gas continues to go up in price. There is no oil shortage, it's just the consumer is willing to pay whatever is demanded of them.

OK, what do you think I, as a consumer should do? Seriously, what the hell can anyone do? PLEASE TELL ME SO I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: maddogchen
gas prices

I don't get how this gas station makes money. Yeah its near an entrance to the freeway but its not like isn't any other gas stations around there. It consistently charges 60-70 cents more than any other gas station around its area. Yet I often still see cars getting gas from here. Why get gas here when you could drive 3 blocks down and get gas at a 76 for $3.81 for regular? And these aren't even rich expensive cars i'm seeing stopped there. Its like corollas and ford suvs and malibus.

I guess when gas prices hit $4 nationwide this summer, i'll take another picture of this gas station hitting $5.

Crazy!!

Where is this? There was this Shell in SF on 6th and Harrison that charged like 60 - 70 cents more than the Cheveron across the street. SF gas prices are already up the ass, and then add 60 more cents?

It's been gone for a while, but I remember when the cheap gas was $3.39 in say Berkeley or SJ, you had to get it for $3.79 in SF. The stupid Shell was way over $4. Who the hell would go?

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: mugs
Honestly, I don't even look at the price when I get gas. I guess I might look if I were getting off the highway and there were multiple choices nearby.

This is why gas continues to go up in price. There is no oil shortage, it's just the consumer is willing to pay whatever is demanded of them.

OK, what do you think I, as a consumer should do? Seriously, what the hell can anyone do? PLEASE TELL ME SO I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Drive less, buy a more fuel efficient car, move closer to work, plan your trips/routes better, keep your car maintained so it's running at optimal efficiency. Common sense things mostly.

In 2006 I took a job in a neighbooring town to the town I was living in. I drive an SUV so to counter the insane gas bill I was going to have I moved next door to my office. I was now less than a mile from work, I kept my SUV. I literally bought gas every two months unless I drove out of town. My bank, my office, my grocery store, etc were all within 1 mile of my home. I cut my gas bill from around $400 a month to around $30 a month.

See, people aren't willing to make changes. What I did was nothing revolutionary. I am not advocating change for the environment's sake. I say do it for your own financial well being. People are spending $600 a month on gas these days. That's insane.

 

[nakedfrog]

In my experience, if you're willing to drive to a gas station .5-1 mile from a highway exit, you'll get a better price.

 

[SpunkyJones]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
In my experience, if you're willing to drive to a gas station .5-1 mile from a highway exit, you'll get a better price.

But I'm not willing to do that, and I don't look at gas prices. When I need gas, I simply pull into the closets gas station I can find and fill'er up. My father on the other hand, drives around comparing gas prices, its almost a hobby for him.

 

[markgm]

I know when I was on my cross country motorcycle trip we'd get gas wherever we saw it because we weren't sure how much further the next gas station was. In populated areas I never understand this. It's the same way by my house, + $.30 by the highway, normal price .5 miles in either direction.

 

[markgm]

Originally posted by: SpunkyJones

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
In my experience, if you're willing to drive to a gas station .5-1 mile from a highway exit, you'll get a better price.

But I'm not willing to do that, and I don't look at gas prices. When I need gas, I simply pull into the closets gas station I can find and fill'er up. My father on the other hand, drives around comparing gas prices, its almost a hobby for him.

Welp, there's your answer OP!

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: mugs
Honestly, I don't even look at the price when I get gas. I guess I might look if I were getting off the highway and there were multiple choices nearby.

This is why gas continues to go up in price. There is no oil shortage, it's just the consumer is willing to pay whatever is demanded of them.

OK, what do you think I, as a consumer should do? Seriously, what the hell can anyone do? PLEASE TELL ME SO I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Drive less, buy a more fuel efficient car, move closer to work, plan your trips/routes better, keep your car maintained so it's running at optimal efficiency. Common sense things mostly.

1) Drive Less: In >6 months of ownership my car has 2400 miles. ~That's 13.4 miles a day. My Work Commute is 6 miles/day. That leaves only 7 miles a week that I use the car for recreation. I can't drive less.

2) Buy a more fuel efficient car: I currently spend $50/month, so my car is way more fuel efficient than most cars. I fill up once a month. Maybe I should go buy a Prius for an extra $10,000 so I can save a few dollars more a month?

3) Move closer to work: Yeah that makes sense. Spend thousands on relocating myself to save money on gas. Don't be an idiot. People can't just decide to move one day.

4) Plan my trips/routes better: In my case, I live in a straight road to my workplace. 1 street takes me the full way. I also have a handheld navigation that gets me to unknown places.

5) Keep car maintained: It's brand new, and hasn't even reached the point of needing maintenance. Oil has been changed once already for the heck of it.

SO WHAT ELSE YOU GOT? BECAUSE NOTHING YOU SAID SO FAR I CAN USE! C'mon smart guy.

edited to reflect proper mileage.

 

[MotionMan]

This seems apropos to this thread:

Gas Prices




(Yes, it is currently in my sig, too.)

MotionMan

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: mugs
Honestly, I don't even look at the price when I get gas. I guess I might look if I were getting off the highway and there were multiple choices nearby.

This is why gas continues to go up in price. There is no oil shortage, it's just the consumer is willing to pay whatever is demanded of them.

OK, what do you think I, as a consumer should do? Seriously, what the hell can anyone do? PLEASE TELL ME SO I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Drive less, buy a more fuel efficient car, move closer to work, plan your trips/routes better, keep your car maintained so it's running at optimal efficiency. Common sense things mostly.

1) Drive Less: In 6 months of ownership my car has 2400 miles. ~That's 13.4 miles a day. My Work Commute is 10 miles/day. That leaves only 3 miles a week that I use the car for recreation. I can't drive less.

2) Move closer to work: Yeah that makes sense. Spend thousands on relocating myself to save money on gas. Don't be an idiot. People can't just decide to move one day.

3) Plan my trips/routes better: In my case, I live in a straight road to my workplace. 1 street takes me the full way.

4) Keep car maintained: It's brand new, and hasn't even reached the point of needing maintenance. Oil has been changed once already for the heck of it.

SO WHAT ELSE YOU GOT? BECAUSE NOTHING YOU SAID SO FAR I CAN USE?

I didn't spend thousands to relocate. And yes, I just decided to move my family. I planned it well and it ended up costing me less than a thousand dollars, which I quickly recouped by not having a $400/month gas bill.

Yes, you can drive less, you can walk or ride a bike. The answer is, you won't.

It sounds like you want some kind of hand out.

I cut my gas bill from around $400 a month to around $30 a month. Maybe if you used some common sense, you could cut your gas bill also.

 

[isekii]

wow that's high.

Do you have to pump your own gas too ?

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: mugs
Honestly, I don't even look at the price when I get gas. I guess I might look if I were getting off the highway and there were multiple choices nearby.

This is why gas continues to go up in price. There is no oil shortage, it's just the consumer is willing to pay whatever is demanded of them.

OK, what do you think I, as a consumer should do? Seriously, what the hell can anyone do? PLEASE TELL ME SO I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Drive less, buy a more fuel efficient car, move closer to work, plan your trips/routes better, keep your car maintained so it's running at optimal efficiency. Common sense things mostly.

1) Drive Less: In 6 months of ownership my car has 2400 miles. ~That's 13.4 miles a day. My Work Commute is 10 miles/day. That leaves only 3 miles a week that I use the car for recreation. I can't drive less.

2) Move closer to work: Yeah that makes sense. Spend thousands on relocating myself to save money on gas. Don't be an idiot. People can't just decide to move one day.

3) Plan my trips/routes better: In my case, I live in a straight road to my workplace. 1 street takes me the full way.

4) Keep car maintained: It's brand new, and hasn't even reached the point of needing maintenance. Oil has been changed once already for the heck of it.

SO WHAT ELSE YOU GOT? BECAUSE NOTHING YOU SAID SO FAR I CAN USE?

I didn't spend thousands to relocate. And yes, I just decided to move my family. I planned it well and it ended up costing me less than a thousand dollars, which I quickly recouped by not having a $400/month gas bill.

Yes, you can drive less, you can walk or ride a bike. The answer is, you won't.

It sounds like you want some kind of hand out.

Yeah, I am going to walk or ride a bike 7 miles a day...especially when warmer weather is right around the corner. I am sure people at work will love being around me when I am sweating through my clothes all day.

So I'll save gas, but be offensive to everyone around me. Maybe I should request a shower installed in our bathroom?

C'mon dude. For A LOT OF PEOPLE, many of the things you are recommending aren't practical. How hard is it for some people to realize this?

Pale Rider, everything you said would definitely work in an ideal world, but many people couldn't do many of the things you recommended.