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

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  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    I can give you this answer, but you may not believe me, or like it. I know this only because my dad's best friend owned gas stations for 40 years.

    A lot of people complain that the fuel in the holding tank is paid for, so why does the price go up daily on the same fuel? And that is true, the delivered fuel is already paid for. Here's the reason the price changes: the price at the pump reflects what it will cost the service station to replace that fuel. And since gasoline futures can change daily, even hourly, pump prices will often change to match. This is also the reason prices don't come down as fast as they rise... the service station owner can't take the chance that a brief downturn will last until he places his next order.

    kcram - Pickups Host
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    And you're right, I may not like it :)

    But it DOES have a sort of perverted logic to it.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    It really does in that context!

    The Sandman :sick:
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    Gas station starts on July 1 at $2.049 per gallon. Station sells 300 gallons per day. On July 2, August futures go up 2 cents per gallon. Gas station can't raise the price 2 cents... has to go up four cents because the money taken in on July 1 will not cover the replacement cost of that day's sales. And it just snowballs from there as the futures price goes up.

    Some stations with high sales volume and fuel turnover can afford to lower prices when futures go down. Most of them can't make that bet, because they may lose sales if the price is too high, then they have no means to recover that revenue.

    kcram - Pickups Host
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    and that's why I've been referring to this commodity as ghastly ever since 1979! It's not gasoline to me, it's ghastly!

    My wife will attest to the very fact that I now just call it ghastly. Always. No kidding.

    If that explanation in the above post explains gas gouging...I...I mean pricing and station owners dilemnas to you guys, great. To me it sounds too much like the stock market, with speeches affecting it one moment and an oil refinery fire in Brazil swaying it the next hour and an explosion in a refinery in Anacortes, WA, two years ago still pushing those prices up there, even now! Who's the judge and jury here and why have they been smoking crack so heavily the last 25-odd years! What a crock!

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    The price at the pump is completely controlled by emotion at this point rather than supply and demand. Just think back on recent news items. I recall OPEC announcing that they were going to increase output quotas, which is news that SHOULD mean higher supply levels. But what news story follows?... traders and "analysts" ignore that and come out with a line about refinery capacity (which is the core of the problem if you ask me) and they drive the prices up.

    It really feels like the traders a MAKING the market instead of trading in it. Look at all the attention paid to a lone analyst saying how oil COULD go to $100/bbl... yea, if ALL the things that need to fall into place actually happen, then he'd be right. But sure enough, traders act on EVERY news item.

    I used to think that doing something like just deciding not to drive or fill up TODAY could actually have an effect. If everyone got organized and decided to NOT buy gas tomorrow, just for one day, it would cause a backup in supply, yada, yada... but actual supply and demand really aren't controlling pricing anymore.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    "It really feels like the traders a MAKING the market instead of trading in it."

    You've hit the nail on the head. I wonder if they are compensated by oil companies to speculate wildly and drive prices up, too. Higher prices means more money for big oil and small trader. Claimed record input prices and record profits, nice mix. Supply and demand are theoretical in this market.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Just saw $2.82 for premium in San Francisco....we're headin' for $3. I'll be the first to report it.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Hmmmm....looks like I may have been too late for $3 a gallon...I'll shoot for $3.25....
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    I put a few bucks in today...$2.73 for premium in Bellevue WA

    $3 will be reality all too soon
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    you're in about the snootiest city in Washington, that Bellevue. You will probably pay more in that town for ghastly than any other in Washington state.

    And what is with Mr.Nate McMillan? Come on, Nate. Portland? I thought you were a lifer in Seattle.

    Oh, ghastly in South Dakota? Haven't paid attention of late. I think I paid around $2.15/ gal for 87 no-lead last fill-up. I'll get back to y'all on SD ghastly, OK?

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    15 cents less than Bellevue in downtown Seattle. And I don't go to a freeway-side station either. Makes no sense.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Jumped to $2.29 on Saturday.

    Thinking about the explanation we have here for pricing at the pumps and another question or two comes to mind. If it's based on the replacement price (and therefore the futures) then are the stations monitoring those markets? Or is there a higher level that's sending pricing down to them. That makes more sense (I can't believe I used that term...LOL) because ALL the stations are changing at the same time it seems.

    And WHAT markets are setting the price? U.S. commodities markets? Overseas trading? The more I find out about this, the less it seems based in ANY kind of reality. The amount of gas we actually buy seems to have no direct impact on the price. I'm willing to bet that the price at the pump going from $1.89 to $2.29 DOES have an impact on demand for fuel. I know it does for me. Not that I'm giving up anything, but I will combine two errands into one trip, or put off one errand until the next day when I can combine it with another if I can. I'm sure others are doing the same. But the traders seem more influenced by anticipated demand rather than what's actually happening.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Just filled my truck at Costco. They claim to beat the competition and looks like they do. $2.399 for regular $2.579 for Premium. ARCO station across from Costco is $2.469 for regular. Funny the ARCO where I get BP ULSD low sulfur diesel has held the line for weeks now at $2.539. They are the cheapest diesel around and very popular with the delivery van people. Too small of a station for semi trucks. They give you a plastic glove to keep your hand clean while pumping. It will be interesting to see if unleaded regular gets more expensive than diesel. My diesel station was at $2.299 for regular two weeks ago with diesel at $2.539. Regular at that ARCO has gone up to $2.499 and diesel has not gone up. Shell, Mobil, Texaco, Chevron, Exxon all well past $2.50 a gallon.
  • ray_paray_pa Member Posts: 10
    Regular $2.359 near Franklin Mills
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    at $2.25 yesterday here 45 miles west of Atlanta. That was for regular 87 octane.
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    Sneaks, it usually comes from the regional distributor... the people who actually dispatch the tankers and take the replacemntn orders from stations. A computer alert will usually come to the station from the distributor, and the station makes appropriate adjustments.

    Unleaded gasoline futures are traded on the NY Mercantile Exchange - you can watch them here: http://money.cnn.com/markets/commodities/ - light crude is the barrel price you hear on the news, unleaded is the 5th listing on that chart.

    kcram - Pickups Host
  • kernickkernick Member Posts: 4,072
    you: But the traders seem more influenced by anticipated demand rather than what's actually happening.

    me: but the traders "anticipated demand" is based on the fact that there will be some decreased usage with increasing price. Therefore if there is a steady supply and less usage eventually there will be a glut. A smart trader will anticipate this, also.
    More importantly than anticipated demand IMO, is that traders realize that there are hundreds of combinations of places and events that can disrupt supply - Iraq pipeline damage, refinery fire, strikes, political instability. The odds of 1 or more of them happening any given month is fairly high.

    The advancement of economies and lifestyles of people around the world, combined with the population growth, combined with our environmental regulations on developing energy sources, has put us in the current situation that there is more energy demand than supply. We created this situation. Unfortunately people will be hurt by this, and it will be first felt by the poor, or those who drive a lot for a living. $2.50/gal for 93 octane in NH.
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Filled up at Hess locally at $2.059 for 87 late on Friday afternoon. By early Saturday afternoon, the price had gone up to $2.139. Just a few hours later, it was up to $2.199! Fourteen cents in 24 hours, has to be a personal record!

    But I guess we've still cheap relative to the rest of the country (except Georgia of course).
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    That's the kind of thing that still has me scratching my head about how the pricees come out at the pump. If the pricing at the pump is THAT sensitive to futures markets, why doesn't it change multiple times every day as the markets fluctuate?? And with world markets, I'm not even going to get into the fact that the double bump took place on a Saturday.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...Sunoco Ultra is a ridiculous $2.629 at the station on Roosevelt Blvd. near Welsh. There's a station called Lukoil that has been popping up all over the Philly region. They mostly occupy old Mobil sites. I hear they are Russian. Did the Russians buy Mobil? I know thw Chinese have their eyes on Unocal.

    What is going on? Back in June, I recall the price of regular at the Hess station near my workplace falling from $2.21 to $1.97. Now it's like $2.29!
  • 210delray210delray Member Posts: 4,721
    Exxon and Mobil merged a few years back. But the stations still say "Exxon" or "Mobil" (not ExxonMobil as the company is called). I would assume that some of the old Mobil stations were sold to Lukoil. I don't know if Lukoil is Russian-owned, but I would suppose not.
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    I'm happy that I paid only $2.319 for diesel today at the Sunoco truck stop in Palisades Park NJ.

    Wasn't all that many years ago I was paying 87.9 cents at that very same station...

    kcram - Pickups Host
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...Ultras is now $269.9! It went up 7 cents since last Sunday! Well, you can get it a few cent cheaper if you go into the 'hood, but you might not come out with your ride. What's the difference between Philly and South Jersey? Fuel was always cheaper over there and they pump you gas for you.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    $2.67 for premium at Chevron in Bellevue WA, this morning. Relatively steady for the last 3 or 4 weeks.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    we paid $2.09 for regular today. Not bad when they were $2.24 for regular last week here west of Atlanta.
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    My usual Sunoco truck stop in Palisades Park, NJ. This place normally has low gasoline prices because of the high volume of diesel...

    87 - $2.299
    89 - $2.399
    93 - $2.499
    94 - $2.539
    diesel - $2.299 (yayy!)

    kcram - Pickups Host
  • smittynycsmittynyc Member Posts: 289
    Lukoil is indeed Russian-owned. They've bought old/unused stations from all the major US retailers. I know part of the ExxonMobil merger resulted in their selling off low-performing locations, so that may account for why you're seeing Lukoils pop up where they're used to be Mobils.

    The Lukoil nearest to me (the Bronx) is a bit of an oddity -- it's only full-serve, it has a full-service independent mechanic, and in their spare time, they seem to sell some cars. Their prices tend to be 4-5 cents less than the Sunoco and BP nearby, but the fact that they have only two pumps and no self-serve seems to kill their business.
  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
    The stations closest to me (Addison/Ashland) are running about $2.51/2.61/2.71.
  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
    The stations closest to me (Addison/Ashland) are running about $2.51/2.61/2.71.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    Up about 10 cents here since the last time I bought gas, $2.79 for premium, Bellevue WA
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  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    My usual Sunoco truck stop, Palisades Park NJ

    87 - $2.339
    89 - $2.439
    93 - $2.539
    94 - $2.579
    diesel - $2.299

    kcram - Pickups Host
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    ....are getting absolutely ridiculous! The only thing more frustrating than watching these prices skyrocket is watching our governmental leaders do absolutely nothing about it :mad:
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,673
    on Monday, I think, it was around $2.369 per gallon for 87 octane, at one of the cheaper stations around. Thankfully I haven't had to fill up any of my big old 89+ preferring guzzlers lately! :surprise: And on the plus side, my stock in Shell is up around 11% :shades:
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    The only thing more frustrating than watching these prices skyrocket is watching our governmental leaders do absolutely nothing about it

    Why don't YOU do something about it? I walk to work. ;)

    On topic: I don't know what the current gas prices are in my area as I haven't bought gas for three weeks. I am going to have to fill up tomorrow though, for a weekend trip. :)

    I don't know just what our government could do about gas prices... cut fuel taxes? (not likely)... invade another middle-east country? (Saudi Arabia is next)... but that's all off topic. :P

    james
  • kernickkernick Member Posts: 4,072
    you: ... watching our governmental leaders do absolutely nothing about it.

    me: well it'll probably take a few years for any changes in laws to allow for more exploration, production and refining if that were an action taken. But many people aren't willing to make those environmental sacrifices.

    In the meantime the market is functioning fairly well. Higher prices will decrease demand. But as in many places in the world, not everyone can afford a vehicle and the gasoline to run it. There are already people in this country who can't, and that number may possibly grow. That's our system of competition, and who gets the gasoline and Bentley/Maybach/cigar-boat.

    Regular is $2.35 - 2.40/gal here in NH.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    89 unleaded kick of late. It's around $2.35/gallon here now, and 87 no-lead is running about $2.45/gallon. This from Pierre, South Dakota, where we're enjoying 85-90 degree "colder" days lately, down from around 95-105 degree days of a week or so ago.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,673
    coming home tonite I happened to see the sign at the Shell station...$2.579 per gallon for 87 octane. $2.679 for 89 and $2.779 for 93. I was going to drive my Catalina tomorrow, but at these prices, I might just take up jogging or riding my bike to work! :cry:
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    oregonboy

    Almost every time someone complains about the price of gas, someone like you suggests walking or riding a bicycle. Truth is, when you live 10 or more miles from work and you have to travel busy roads to get there, walking or bicycling are just not viable options.

    kernick

    You mentioned only part of what our govermental leaders should be demanding. The other part is raising EPA mileage standards for the auto industry to a point that it forces them to start producing more alternative powered vehicles. The world can't stop commuting, and we can't commute forever on dino fuels.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,673
    I've heard that they've sweetened the pot on that tax break for SUV's over 6000 lb GVWR used for business purposes. So help is coming, just not the kind of help we need! :confuse:
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    That's exactly the wrong kind of help. The use of gas hogging vehicles should be discouraged and most people know that way too many vehicles are used by one person for nothing but driving back and forth to work. This is exactly why gas prices are skyrocketing as they are.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    The SUV tax break is just more reverse socialism

    I can't wait to see gas prices when I buy $10 or $20 worth tomorrow! We'll be edging towards $3 for premium here I am sure.
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    Almost every time someone complains about the price of gas, someone like you suggests walking or riding a bicycle. Truth is, when you live 10 or more miles from work and you have to travel busy roads to get there, walking or bicycling are just not viable options.

    That's why, when I was house shopping last fall, I tried to limit my search to within 5 miles of my workplace. Fuel prices are only going to increase. People need to plan for that when making major purchase decisions (homes, cars, big-toys). I fully expect fuel to hit $5 before the end of 2006.

    I filled up last night in Graham, WA for $2.559/gal. regular. It was the first time I've ever spent over $30 to fill my Toyota Tacoma. I see $50 fill-ups in the not-too-distant future. (yes, I know that a lot of people are already there).
  • bottgersbottgers Member Posts: 2,030
    I don't think we'll be seeing $5 a gallon anytime in the near future. Our economy simply cannot support prices that high. OPEC and big oil companies don't want to bite the hand that feeds them hard enough to draw blood, but just hard enough to leave marks. If they tank the money machine that generates all the money that goes into their pockets, so goes all their profits.
  • kernickkernick Member Posts: 4,072
    me: You mentioned only part of what our govermental leaders should be demanding. The other part is raising EPA mileage standards for the auto industry to a point that it forces them to start producing more alternative powered vehicles.

    you: many of the same people who vote and press for legislation are the same people who buy high-powered large cars, PU's, SUV's, and minivans (which are no misers themselves). There is not a majority of people who have pushed for higher mpg. Though I don't advocate it, what would be more effective is a high tax on vehicles as they increase in weight and hp.

    Another point is that I'm sure that there would still be loopholes in any legislation - business vehicles that wouldn't be included in any increased-mpg legislation. I myself run a small part-time business (horse boarding) and if I wanted to could require a business-vehicle. Anyone could do this If they wanted to, and get around any legislation that was passed.

    I read on a few sites where gas will be going up another $0.10/gal. by Labor Day.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,131
    "and big oil companies don't want to bite the hand that feeds them hard enough to draw blood, but just hard enough to leave marks"

    Big oil needs to be bitten back

    Personally, I think the $3 region will be all the economy will support. Much more than that will cause havoc. The picture out there isn't really as rosy as the governmental suits and talking heads want people to believe.

    Personally, I support a SUV tax and an old MB exemption, but that's just me. I am glad I always keep my tank around half full...a 24 gallon fill up in the 126 would make me wince.
  • 2zmax2zmax Member Posts: 140
    Has anyone even noticed that the recent oil price rise is a pure speculation by the oil companies and the wall street morons? $0.6 per gallon rise in 1 year? All they keep feeding us is bull. They say that Demand in China is causing this, then it is the refinery fire in Philly, then it is the hurricane - do they think that everyone is so dumb as to believe this crap!?
    The truth is that the oil companies have significantly increased their profits, paid off their debt (unlike most of us, who are more in debt thanks to our housing market and high gas prices), and are sitting on a huge pile of cash - paying out dividends to the elite mob. Once the gas is $3 and higher, there will housing bubble burst to follow, after that - major recession. Maybe then the gas will be cheaper, as most people will be unemployed and will not be commuting. :cry:
    Meanwhile our government produced a 1,750 page energy bill, which will do absolutely NOTHING to help this crisis. As usual they spent more energy on this bill, than it is worth. – Very Sad
  • 2zmax2zmax Member Posts: 140
    you: Why don't YOU do something about it? I walk to work

    me: Unlike you, most of us are not as lucky, if you fill up only once in 3 weeks, you should not even be on this forum. I have to drive 35 mi one way - are you going to carry me to work?
    I didn’t think so.
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    at $2.49 for regular 87 octane. Found a Kroger with gas for $2.41 with the Kroger Plus card. This is about 30 miles west of Atlanta.
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