I know some people won’t cross the street, I see this every day, and even when both the expensive and cheap stations (both brand names) are vacant.
Depends how much cheaper. I won’t switch for a nickel a gallon… the cheapest station on my commute from Grants Pass (Oregon) to Medford makes you go inside to pay for your gas, (and never washes windows) so I avoid them. I think it’s stupid that you have to wait in line just to save the pump guy the trouble of making change or swiping your credit card. (No self-serve in Oregon, thank goodness.) I wouldn’t go there even if it saved fifteen cents a gallon.
The stations I hit most are the two on the route that are have pump dudes that are fast, friendly, and wash windshields. No, they’re never the cheapest. Oil House! U-Save! You guys rock!
-Sue
I am obsessive about this. I watch gas prices religously. I always know where the cheapest gas is within about ten miles of my house.
I will go across the street or around the block or to the place right by work, if it is the cheapest. I started doing this last year when the prices started going up. (Around Memorial Day maybe?) I just decided that I was not gonna give the oil companies not even one more cent than I had to. Now, it second nature and almost sport. People do ask me where the cheapest gas is. (I am getting a reputation.)
I DO NOT have too much time on my hands.
When I’m home, I drive about 20 minutes to the nearby Tonawanda Indian Reservation. The gas there is usually 20-30 cents cheaper because it isn’t taxed. When I’m here at school, I get gas wherever I can no matter what the price, since the nearest gas station is 10 miles away.
If it is considerably cheaper, say, ten cents or more, per gallon, then I don’t mind a bit driving an extra five or seven miles to get it.
However, around here, almost all of the gas stations are within a penny or two of each other, so I just go where I always go…to whichever one of them has a sale going on Marlboros! 
I’ve been going to WaWa for gas about 10 minutes from my house. They have been consistently 3-6 sends cheaper per gallon. I filled up the other day for 125.9 a gallon in NJ
I’ve never really thought about this. I don’t really notice gas prices.
I know it would have to be less than half-a-tank’s worth of gas away. I may be stupid and bad at math, but I got that much figgered out.
The place where I usually get gas is the cheapest in town, but I honestly only go there because its convenient. Its about 5 cents cheaper than the rest, who are all within a penny of one another.
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- I will drive roofing nails into my forehead with a framing hammer.
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- I will pry my kneecaps off with a screwdriver and play hockey with 'em.
- I will set myself on fire with Ronsonol, and jump through a plate glass window into the porcupine exhibit at the zoo.
- I will -uh, , -what?
~ - I saw one of those gas-electric cars a couple days ago. A Honda, maybe? I forget. Anyway, that thing was really small. Like, it was about as big as a CRX, but the windows tilted inwards more, so it had even less interior space than the CRX does. Tiny. I had never seen one IRL before—I was kind of stunned, they want what, like- $35,000 for those things? If I had to drive one, I’d have to pull a Hightower and yank out the front seats and sit in the back.
(-that being, do note, the best scene of the entire Police Academy movie series-) - MC
I used to be a bit obsessive about this till I did the math. Generally, I fill up before I need 20 gallons (I think my tank holds 21.7) and a 5-cent difference per gallon means $1 per tank. I may pay the extra dollar to avoid the bother involved in seeking out a cheaper alternative. I figure my time is worth that much.
Fortunately, there are a number of stations between home and work that are withing a few cents of each other, so I have lots of choices, no matter which route I take.
However, I will not go to a station where I have to go inside to pay. I love pay-at-the-pump! Again, it’s a matter of the value of my time.
You’re all wrong of course, (it’s called petrol ) - anyway, OI never even look at the price, I waste a lot more money on buying stupid computer magazines and stuff that I would save on a few fractions of pennies per litre; If I was serious about personal economy, I suppose I would check the prices, but there are quite a few things that I’d sort out before I got round to that.
I always try to buy at the cheapest price within 5 miles–not only for MY savings, but to reward the station with the lowest price.
I go for convenience. Doing the math show a ten cent difference in the price, knowing I get about 8 gallons about every 10 days, gives me a savings of about $29. And I can’t think of any two places within a large radius that have that big a difference - the usual difference within town being about 4 cents a gallon. Why should I waste time?
When I was younger, (like 3 years ago) I went ALL the way aross town to get gas at .77 a gallon, when by my house it was .80 Now, there is two gas stations I go to, one is by my house and the other by work. Both are about the same price and are .05 cheaper then the people around them.