I'm one of those people that have no idea how gasoline prices are determined. I find it interesting that all the gas stations sell it for the same price (within a few pennies) per gallon. If one place will raise prices 20c per gallon, so will the place across the street.
When I worked in a gas station, our price was always 1c more per gallon that the place across the street. The prices were set by telephone, where a mystery voice would call us and tell us what our prices should be. But I digress.
Today was one of those days where everyone raises their prices. They had been $1.999 per gallon everywhere, and today all the stations raised their prices to $2.159 per gallon. Except one place. As I was leaving, I noticed that they were at $1.999. Throughout my daily travels, I noticed that every place else was at $2.159. I didn't buy it at one of those higher-priced places, hoping to get it for $1.999 on the way home. Sure enough, the place that didn't get the call was still 16c cheaper than all the other places. I ended up saving a whole $1.84.
But as I said, I am so trained to expect that unrelated gas stations (owned by unrelated companies) will all raise and lower their prices simultaneously. The fact that one place didn't stay in step makes me wonder and assume that it was only a mistake that caused them to not raise their prices. If they really meant to sell gasoline for $2.159, then am I stealing from them?
2 comments:
No, I don't think it's stealing. Last Sunday, for the first time ever, I paid more than $2 per gallon for gas. It was $2.069 at the Shell station at OH 32 and Elick Lane. Usually, the Thornton's just down the road is one cent cheaper than the Shell station, but last Sunday Thornton's was also at $2.069. When I have Sunday Forum at the church, I'm usually out at about 7:30am to get gas. When I don't have Sunday Forum, I usually go to the Eastgate Marathon, which doesn't open until 8:00am (which seems ridiculously late to me, but I digress). They are usually about the same as the Shell station. Usually, the BP and Exxon stations at Clough and Mount Carmel-Tobasco are cheaper than the Eastgate stations, but not always. Sometimes they will be higher, and I have no idea why. Also, the Marathon at Clough and 8 Mile is usually about the same as the BP and Exxon in Mount Carmel, but again, not always. In other words, I also have no idea how gas prices are set.
-- JES
Being thrifty isn't stealing.
Gasoline in the Munich area usually costs more than gas in the rest of Germany, but here goes:
Normal: about 1.119 euro per liter
Super: about 1.159 euro per liter
Diesel: 0.959 euro per liter
Diesel has been up at around 0.999 euro per liter for the last week. It's always cheaper than gasoline.
As for brand, the most common in the Munich area are:
Aral (owned by BP) -- the most stations
Shell
Jet -- always the cheapest
Agip (Italian)
OVM
Esso (this is the same as Exxon)
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