Report Your Local Gas Prices Here (retired discussion, please see the new one)

iluvmysephia1 · September 2002

cheese potholes? I have been there twice-in '89 and '96 and in '96 I drove my 1994 Ford Escort station wagon there from Everett, WA north of Seattle. What a memorable vacation! I remember several toll booths coming south to Chicago out of Wisconsin. Chicago has got more brick buildings than you can shake a stick at, too. My wife's family lives near the Brickyard mall in NW Chicago and when I read where you wrote Diversey street it rang one of my memory bells. That was one of the main drags near their home. Great museums near the lake and a free zoo(Lincoln Park Zoo). I remember dodging potholes to the left and to the right. A highlight on the way back to Washington state was stopping at Mt.Rushmore in South Dakota.

nippononly · October 2002

good ol' San Francisco - paying $1.71 at the Chevron for regular unleaded 87 octane. But if I get time to to go to the ARCO, it is substantially less - about $1.43.

ghulet · October 2002

...the pothole situation has greatly improved here, I think because of our milder winters, and insane tax on everything (thank you, Mayor Daley). We still have a million intersections that don't 'line up'; that is, you have to drive ten feet to the left or right to stay in your lane from one side of the intersection to the other. This is seldom improved even if the whole intersection is 'redone'. Quite maddening.

iluvmysephia1 · October 2002

our in-laws have driven us downtown both times I've been there. Hawthorne Racetrack-I'm sure you know that area. We drove our car there for an event and one thing I remember about that day was that it was HOT! Eeek! It doesn't get that humid in Washington state with our mountainy cloudy and seashore-type climate over here. The Museum of Science and Industry and the Field(?)house Museum (can't remember it's name)were very, very cool to visit in Chicago. Loved the "beefy" sandwiches and gyros in Chicago(and their prices!) as well!

ghulet · October 2002

...we Chicagoans love our cheap, greasy food, for sure.

Back on topic. Paid $1.909 (dammit!) for 93 octane the other day at a Marathon (!) station.

iluvmysephia1 · October 2002

regular in Burlington, WA. Now that's gettin' friendlier, eh?

Mr_Shiftright · October 2002

Molokai, Hawaii -- $2.37/gal.

PF_Flyer · October 2002

Down to $1.359 from $1.399 for 87, State College, PA

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nippononly · October 2002

haven't changed here in San Francisco for ages - I think they have been within a nickel or so since mid-June! It is nice, for once...

wilcox · October 2002

PF_Flyer · October 2002

WHY the 9/10's of a cent on the end of gas prices???

Since the link is too long for the board to handle, here's what I found in a Washington Post article...

NowYouKnow : Penny Foolish

Why are gas prices posted in nine-tenths of a cent?

-- Hayley Kaiser, 10, Alexandria

There are a couple of ideas about why gas prices include fractions of a cent. Some say it's because in the days when you could actually buy things for a penny, people were glad to pay, say, 16.9 cents per gallon instead of 17 cents. If they bought 10 gallons, they'd save a whole penny.

Others point out that the gas prices we pay at the pump include taxes that state and local governments charge. Those taxes, which gas stations must add to the price of the gas they sell, usually include fractions.

But neither of those really answers the question. Just because a part of a penny mattered 80 years ago doesn't mean we have to do things the same way today. And no matter what taxes they're charged, gas sellers are still free to set prices pretty much however they like, rounding up or down to the next whole number.

No matter how the tradition began, everyone agrees that nowadays the main reason for nine-tenths-cent pricing is the same reason hot dog rolls are priced at $1.99 instead of $2 or a new car is priced at $18,995 instead of $19,000. It just looks and sounds cheaper. When customers see a sign that reads $1.63 and nine-tenths instead of $1.64, they feel like they're getting a bargain.

Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey of American gasoline prices, says that 9/10 isn't the only fraction you'll find at the pump. "Gasoline is more about the 'odd number' under the next dollar than about the number 9 in particular," she says. Lundberg says that while 9/10 (nine-tenths of a cent) is the most frequently found price, others are used, including 7/10, 5/10, 3/10 and 8/10.

Because there's no way to pay a fraction of a penny -- and no way to get change from a penny -- not everybody thinks it's fair to include fractions in gas prices. (Fuel is the only thing that's priced this way.) People in some states have tried to get laws passed to do away with fraction-of-a-cent gas pricing. (Iowa outlawed the practice for four years in the 1980s.) But the movement hasn't had much success -- not yet, anyway.

If you believe that the whole thing's a rip-off, maybe you could write a letter to your state's governor, your city's mayor, or your congressperson. Just don't try to use one of those 36.9-cent stamps.

-- Jennifer Huget

Something you don't know? Ask us. If we answer your question in print, you'll receive a KidsPost T-shirt. Write Now You Know, KidsPost, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071. Or e-mail (with "Now You Know" in the subject line) kidspost@washpost.com. Please include your name, age, address and phone number.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company

crkeehn · October 2002

you found the same article that I did. How about that.

PF_Flyer · October 2002

Back to the topic at hand...

Still $1.35 and 9/10's in State College!

Join our chat guests on Thursday...

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crkeehn · October 2002

Presently 1.35 9/10 - 1.39 9/10 in Maryland City (Laurel)MD. 1.41 9/10 in Laurel, MD 1.41 9/10 - 1.47 9/10 in Odenton, MD

Love Shells 5c off Thursdays

carnut4 · October 2002

Gas dropped a dime a gallon overnight about week ago. Cheapest [Arco] now 1.25 for 87, Texaco and Chevron 1.27. Hey I like it.
Can't believe those prices in SF Bay Area, and Chicago-not to mention Hawaii!

fezo · October 2002

1.23-8/10 (OK that part isn't serious but I saw a picture not long ago of a pump from maybe the 30s - price was 16-8/10!

Right now we are ranging in town from 1.23 (Sunoco) to 1.32 (Shell, Exxon).

Sunoco is fine!

clamman · October 2002

I have seen $1.24 for 87 around Macon, Georgia. $1.31 for diesel. What is up with diesel?

iluvmysephia1 · October 2002

at the Standard Chevron on College Way. Can't scratch and claw too much about that. Are we spoiled in America with gas prices?

ghulet · October 2002

...(corner of Roscoe and Damen, so called because space enough for one car only between pumps, which restricts ingress and egress), I paid $1.789 for 93 octane today.
Ah, Chicago. Luxury home prices, luxury gas prices, tax on friggin everything, but streets with flowers, trees and sprinkler systems in the medians, and no money for schools, once again. Paradise.

sandman46 · October 2002

The local Citgo has gone up $.07 in the past week, we're at $1.48 for 87 octane? What gives people???

The Sandman :-(

wilcox · October 2002

$1.39 for 93 octane in W. Ga. Thank you Mr. Patel.

wilcox · October 2002

a six cent rise in premium in one day is pretty GD steep! New price $1.45!!

wil

KCRam · October 2002

My truck was in the shop for 4 weeks being restored, and then I spent a couple of weeks off packing and moving to a new home.

My usual Sunoco truck stop, Palisades Park, NJ.

87 - $1.359

89 - $1.459

93 - $1.539

94 - $1.599

diesel - $1.349

Periodically, I will also be adding the prices at the Exxon near my new home in Mt. Arlington NJ

kcram

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iluvmysephia1 · October 2002

for 87 in Burlington, WA's Tesaro gas station. That's a .02 drop in a couple of days.

ghulet · October 2002

I paid $1.879 for 93 octane at our (only) local Mobil station (Lincoln and Seminary, Chicago 60614).

wilcox · October 2002

Unleaded stupid...er, I mean, SUPER (93 octane)...from Mr. Bubba, at Whitesburgh, Ga = $1.39 for past 3 weeks!

Who, in US, can beat that price??????? WHO?? How 'bout you...PF? Ahahaha!

Eat your heart out Mr Patel(@$1.45)...six cent higher and only 1/2 mile down the road! Can't do better than that. Can you?

wil

PF_Flyer · October 2002

Can't beat that price on 93 around here. Paid $1.379 for 87 tonight.

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lariat1 · October 2002

Prices up here in Alaska have been steady for about 2 months, the cheapest is $1.48 and the average is $1.51 for 87 add $.10 and $.20 for 89 and 91 respectively. Good thing I live next to the largest petroleum reserve in North America otherwise gas would be $3.00 a gallon up here.

perry40 · November 2002

$1.51US per US Gal. = $2.36Cdn per US Gal ($2.82Cdn per Imp. Gal.) or equivalent to $0.62Cdn per litre.
St. John's, Newfoundland = $0.82Cdn per litre ($3.72Cdn per Imp. Gal.) or $1.98US per US Gal.

Funny, here in Nfld. we are sitting on top of some very significant oil & gas reserves yet our prices are still amongst the highest in Canada??

fezo · November 2002

At least in our annual Southern Ontario trip we're usually looking at .64 -.66 Cdn per liter. More than NJ here in te states but not crazy expensive!

ghulet · November 2002

...on the north side of Chicago, we're still paying $1.789-1.999 for 93 octane, which apparently is about forty cents a gallon higher than anywhere else in the U.S., at least if reading this board is any indication.

lariat1 · November 2002

We cant even get 93 octane up here all we get is 87, 89 and 91. Today I looked and 91 was $1.73 so if we did get 93 it would be $1.83.

KCRam · November 2002

Diesel snuck up to 1.379 at PalPark, gasoline unchanged.

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ghulet · November 2002

I think I paid $1.889 at Shell for 93 octane. Unfortunately, that was about six to eleven cents less than I'm used to paying (at a 'Premium' station such as Shell or BP/Amoco).

PF_Flyer · November 2002

87 octane ranging from $1.399 in State College up to $1.439 in York, PA this weekend...

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wilcox · November 2002

$1.19 lowest stations
$1.24 middle
$1.28 highest observation.

Also, W. Georgia "Full Service" stations $1.34 regular. There are still a few around....

alfox · November 2002

Glad to see you weathered the storms safely.

Central MA Exxon:

$1.499
$1.599
$1.699

basically unchanged for a couple months.

KCRam · November 2002

My usual Sunoco truck stop, Palisades Park, NJ.

87 - $1.379 - up 2 cents

89 - $1.479 - up 2 cents

93 - $1.559 - up 2 cents

94 - $1.599 - unchanged

diesel - $1.359 - down 2 cents

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PF_Flyer · November 2002

State College,PA drops to $1.359 for 87... could be that Penn State football team has a road game this week and only the locals will be filling up!

PF_Flyer · November 2002

On Saturday we were sitting at $1.359 for 87...

Sunday morning came and it was $1.299

I must have missed the news that drove it down. Also had a letter to the editor in our local paper regarding gas prices...

Gas-price moves

For weeks on end a couple of months ago, fuel prices at nearly all local gas stations in State College (with the exclusion of Quik Fill) were $1.359, $1.4299, and $1.499 per gallon for octane 87, 89 and premium. The fact that all Uni-Mart, Sheetz and Sunoco stations had the exact same price is either a grand coincidence or collusion.

Then, crude oil prices rose a couple of dollars per barrel. Prices at all stations moved up to $1.439, $1.4699 and $1.5399 per gallon. Again, all at the same price.

Then, oil prices dropped by $5 per barrel. Did gas prices drop? Prices did not drop even a penny for the next couple of weeks. Not at any station. Again, either this is a grand coincidence or collusion. Prices finally were reduced at local stations on Nov. 13 to the familiar $1.359, $1.4299 and $1.499.

Perhaps there is a legitimate reason that the gas stations do this. Someone ought to look into this to determine if local residents and businesses are victims of price fixing.

Price DO move in curious ways around here!

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kenjabi · November 2002

As I was driving around this weekend, I noticed a lot of stations that had 89 octane the same price as 93. And with one exception, it looked like all the stations bumped the 93 price down to 89 levels, not vice versa. Since my car uses premium, I'm not complaining!

The cheapest I saw this weekend (and thankfully, close to my home too):
87 - $1.379
89 - $1.419
93 - $1.419

wilcox · November 2002

Down to $1.36 for premium at Mr. Patel's. Mr. Bubba still at $1.39.

Both Mr. Bubba (the good ol boy) and Mr. Patel (Indian nationality) are dealing $1.19 per gallon for 87 octane. (It should be $1.01 at this time of year!)

ghulet · November 2002

Though I don't remember exactly what I paid last time, the north side of Chicago has been stuck around $1.80-1.899 for Premium (93 octane) for quite some time. The lowest I ever pay is about $1.649, with some 'premium' stations going up to $1.99 at some times.

KCRam · November 2002

Mt. Arlington Exxon, Mt. A, NJ

87 - $1.479

89 - $1.619

93 - $1.699

diesel - $1.519

kcram

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wilcox · November 2002

$1.14 for 87 octane on most corners now. That almost can justify a drive from Chicago with a tank truck to fillup at a retail station.

ghulet · November 2002

...I have seriously contemplated moving away from Chicago to a smaller metropolis (maybe St. Louis again?) just to save fifty cents a gallon on gas, a couple hundred bucks a month on rent, money on some groceries (despite the fact that we're in the midwest, full of cows, milk is still three bucks a gallon here). We have tax on bloody EVERYTHING. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it does add up. Fortunately, I don't smoke, as cigs here are $4.30-5 a pack, and usually $5.50 at bars.

And I paid $1.85 again for premium gas last night (my 98hp manual transmission Accord, much to my dismay and surprise, cannot manage to get more than 15mpg city).

iluvmysephia1 · November 2002

and 'da Cubs, though! ROTFLCDF! That does sound pretty high for gas. I buy regular unleaded for my Sportage here in Washington state and the price per gallon at my last fill-up was $1.31 I do believe. It varies everything single visit, though. Mostly in a good downward trend of late.

wilcox · December 2002

Hiram Ga. $1.11 per gallon at Race Track. $1.13 per gallon at Amoco/Shell/Citgo/Chevron/etc...all around Hiram.

Marietta Ga. reports of $1.07 per gallon of 87 octane.

Our town it's still around $1.18....we're too dang close to Alabama I guess. They flock over here to play Lotto and get gas for 5 cent cheaper per gallon. I'd like to have a station on the Alabama-Georgia line. Beer and wine, Lottery, and cheap gas...things the folks in Alabama counties close by cannot get unless they go to Georgia! No kidding. The owners are making out big just on those 3 commodities.

iluvmysephia1 · December 2002

...on my...prices tonight for regular unleaded were $1.21/gallon at the AM/PM in Burlington, WA. Heading back towards normal indeed.

woody72 · December 2002

in northwest Calif, been a steady $1.83 for 87 for months. The rest of the country may fluctuate where here its just plain high and remains there. You are not alone Chicago, we are frustrated and angry here too!

Report Your Local Gas Prices Here (retired discussion, please see the new one)

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