Supply and demand... and gas prices

[nadinbrzezinski]

Well, yesterday I went to cover a fire in Lakeside, a pretty rural rural area of the county. And I filled my tank...

You see I am paying close to four and a quarter on the coast. Did I mention I am five miles, worst case, from the main distribution center and there are quite good roads? Well, if I paid cash (no shit sherlock) it ran me 3.85... even if I hit the credit card, that was 4.01...

Lakeside is not near the distribution point and the roads are not always easy to get to...

Oh and they have as much demand as the rest of the county, since people do live in Lakeside and work downtown.

This is when the you got to be kidding me with gas prices hits you over the head.

Oh and it's been a while since I filled my tank for less than forty on the truck.

[Egalitarian Thug]

1. U.S. gas prices are a great example of the efficacy of the Big Lie theory.

They've been lying for so long that most people have either accepted that we're always going to be ripped off, or have just given up thinking about it.

Just another "Big Money does whatever the hell it wants and nobody's going to stop them" piece of the American Myth.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. I also filled up at a LOCALLY owned station

But yup, pretty much

[rox63]

3. Most stations in my area are between 3.45 - 3.60 for regular unleaded

But two side-by-side competitor stations I pass every day on my commute are selling it for 3.23-3.25. What, did they get some deal that no one else got? Of course, I am stopping there when I fill my tank.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. That's even more dramatic

here the further you get from the distribution center, the cheaper it is... go figure, except Julian of course, tourist trap and all.

[zappaman]

5. Yes, gasoline costs money.

And the price changes.
Thank you for letting us know.

[MadHound]

6. Supply and demand only has a tenuous connection to price when it comes to the gas biz.

Much of it is driven by speculation, regulation and location. Speculation, we see that all the time, in fact it was speculation that drove this latest price increase. Regulation has to do with the various different blends of gas required by different states. Location has to do with where you are in relation to the supply, and those logistics are so crazy that I don't think the oil companies even understand them. For instance, you say you're close to a main distribution center and are paying 3.85. Me, I'm nowhere near a distribution center, yet I'm paying one of the lowest prices in the country at 3.25.

Sometimes I think that the gas industry just pulls out that old dart and throws it at the wall

[Hangingon]

7. Gas in Corpus Christi is about $3.30 +/-

CC is where the refineries are and they are always asking for tax incentives. Gasoline 40 miles out of CC on the way to the Valley is about $3.13. One of the biggest CC refineries belongs to Hugo Chavez.