When there were Exxon stations in my town, one of the owners was quite vocal about getting ripped off by them. After the Mobil merger they were forced to divest their stations, to Valero, and the prices dropped significantly. The “name” stations, like Chevron, are consistently 5 - 10 cents above the Quick Stops and other real independents.
But that isn’t enough to explain the huge gap in the OP. The stations I’ve seen with highly inflated prices are in rich towns, like Palo Alto, which makes me wonder if their customer base is convinced they getter better quality for more money, just like they do in the high priced groceries they also patronize. Or, maybe they have enough money to not want to drive a bit further to a cheaper station.
I’ve noticed that those significantly more expensive gas stations typically have service bays and do repair/maintenance work that the quickie marts don’t. There are also usually one or a few cars getting gas there, either because they’re supporting a full-service station or don’t care about saving a buck or two.
Around the corner from here is a Shell that is always 5-10 cents higher than three of the four gas stations in the immediate area. The fourth stations is… another Shell. Two Shells on the same side of the street, literally a hundred yards from each other. The only thing between them is a highway onramp and offramp.
There used to be a gas station not far from my folks’ house that charged THIRTY cents more than the gas stations across the street from it (a Marathon). It was not a mechanic’s, and it was also an off-brand (not Shell or BP or anyone I had ever heard of before). They were 30 cents above all the prices in the area, but what I found odd was that it literally was just across the street from a normal gas station advertising normal prices. It was just as easy to turn into the cheaper gas station as the expensive one. I could never figure out exactly what was going on.
Eventually, it got new owners and now the two gas stations across from each other charge the same, but it had been around for at least 2 years with the exorbitant prices.
Oh, I’m sure in those places this scenario is pretty probable. If it costs more, it HAS to be better. Besides, their $100,000 automobile DESERVES the best, just as their drivers do
There is one in the nearby town of Baldwyn. Two stations are always relatively close in price, but one is always a cent or two cheaper. The services at these two are practically the same. The third much higher priced gas station does go more for washing cars, changing oil, etc., but they also get gas business because they will pump the gas for you, check your oil, put air in tires and generally act more like stations back before the first oil crisis. My step mother goes to such a station and pays more because she thinks pumping gas is beneath her dignity. :rolleyes:
Because in this case you’re making the fuel yourself. You could just as easily save your cooking oil at home after making french fries and after suitable preparation pour it into your car and drive with it. You already paid for the vegetable oil.
By your reasoning, there should be some type of special “tax” to cover electric vehicles as well. Now since electrical vehicles do not use normal fuel per say, what would you recommend? An extra electrical meter on the charging cable or circuit and having the owner pay a “energy for road use” tax too?
