Gasoline Rip-off

[Edmund]

If you are traveling on I-10 east of Ozona, Texas do NOT stop at Circle Bar Corral for gasoline. It is at Exit 372. I pulled in to fill up to make sure I had enough to reach our destination. The price was $2.99/gallon!!! The rest of Texas is $2.30 or lower and California isn't even that high. I bought 5 gallons and left. I realize this is a free enterprise system but this was awful. If it was WAY off the beaten path I could understand but it was 300 yards off of I-10.

[Lunchbox]

3+ a gallon in Susanville CA!

[TitanMike]

Locally we have two price levels. Shell at just under $3 per gallon and everyone else around $2.50 or less per gallon.

Get the Gas Buddy app for your phone and do some advance research on prices along the road as you travel.

BTW, expect gasoline near freeway exits to run higher than those "in town".

Gasoline is a commodity that everyone needs when traveling. Those that sell it keep the price as high as they can while still emptying their tanks. If they weren't selling it the price would drop like a rock until it did sell.

[JayArras]

+1 on the Gas Buddy app.

[HangDiver]

$3.39/gallon on Hwy 50, Gunnison, CO. $3.79 in Crested Butte, CO. Its cheaper nearby if you know where to search.

[dmac1951]

Why the big increase? 1.95-2.10 in north Alabama

[JayArras]

Originally Posted by dmac1951

Why the big increase? 1.95-2.10 in north Alabama

Those big oil rigs offshore are probably subsidizing the price of gas in your state. A lot of it is taxes in many states.

[Villagerjjm]

Was it BP gas? Someone has to pay for Deep Horizon.... probably not BP !

[Edmund]

Originally Posted by dmac1951

Why the big increase? 1.95-2.10 in north Alabama

That was my question. Everywhere else in Texas it is @ $2.25. That evening I filled up down the road for $2.20, and it was right off the freeway. The gas was Exxon. I usually add a few pennies for Exxon but not 79 pennies.

[Wheels Down]

My first cross country trip with the new TV and TT I was eastbound in that same area of Texas on the I-10. Not being familiar with the gauges I pushed a little too far and was drafting behind a big rig to make it to the next gas stop. The truck driver was not happy and to this day I wish I could have gave him/her an explanation.
Anyway got off at the next town, drove a few side roads and hit the pump. Gauge showed 3 miles left. A little too close for me. Point being, I would have gladly paid $2.99 a gallon. Guess it's a matter of perspective here.
RMc

[Iwannacamp]

..... enter auxiliary gas tank discussion....

[JJaxon]

Last week in Evansville Indiana along I69 Shell station was $2.99 for diesel and everyone else in town was $2.49 or less. Locals say they are always $.50 higher than any station in town. No one knows why. Gas buddy is good in these situations.

[DDC]

You know that saying "if you build it they will come" well it applies here to, "if you buy it they will increase it". Object by not purchasing there that is the only thing that will get through to them.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

BTW, expect gasoline near freeway exits to run higher than those "in town".

Gasoline is a commodity that everyone needs when traveling. Those that sell it keep the price as high as they can while still emptying their tanks. If they weren't selling it the price would drop like a rock until it did sell.

Exactly. We have a couple of gas stations in town that are right off a tollway exit that are always 15 or 20 cents higher than anywhere else. You are paying for the "convenience".

It's also why bread and milk at the gas station 2 blocks from my house are twice the price as what I can get them for at the grocery store that's a 5-minute drive away. Yet there is always someone willing to pay that higher price.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

Exactly. We have a couple of gas stations in town that are right off a tollway exit that are always 15 or 20 cents higher than anywhere else. You are paying for the "convenience".

It's also why bread and milk at the gas station 2 blocks from my house are twice the price as what I can get them for at the grocery store that's a 5-minute drive away. Yet there is always someone willing to pay that higher price.

When most people are traveling along the freeway, when they want fuel they don't want to drive through town to find a station that is selling the fuel for less, especially if towing a trailer. The stations near freeways usually have plenty of overhead clearance as well as better ingress/egress. I'm only 45 feet long in total but the only stations in my town where I can pull my combination in and leave without a bunch of maneuvering are those at our two freeway interchanges.

Just consider the extra cost a "Convenience Charge"

[gondrej]

Ozona is pretty far West Texas. Towns and gas stations get further and further apart.

[Brother Les]

Try living in a 'college town'..... prices go up and down on everything like a yo yo.... depends on the time of year and 'holiday'....