Why Do Drivers Buy Gas at Higher Priced Stations?

xzins

[xzins]

There will always be better or worse employees, options, etc. The question is this: among those that you like, doesn't it make sense to choose the one that's cheapest to make the others worry about where their traffic went and ultimately, to lower their price.

[Dakmar]

My experience has been exactly the opposite - plus I like them as a company, they never bow down to PC bullcrud.

[aspiring.hillbilly]

Hey its all the same stuff, if you think that some major branded gas is "burns cleaner" than others you are a victim of advertizing,,cause you really dont know what in going in the tank, do you ?

[HamiltonJay]

Ease of access, number of pumps, pay at pump etc... Is it worth someones time to turn left across traffic into a 2 pump selling gas at a penny less a gallon knowing you will have to wait in line and then cut across traffic when you are done?

Or is it worth the extra penny to be able to get in and out as fast as possible. Considering even at $6 a hour a persons time is $.10 a minute and the average car holds 12-15 gallons of gas.. would you spend 5 minutes to pump your gas or 1? If you just save 1.5 minutes you are breaking even on the deal if your time is worth $6 an hour to you...

A few pennies for most people does not generally add up to a significant enough amount. If however you get to a few cents or a nickle a gallon difference, or you have a very large gas tank 30 gallons+ then the extra time is worth it to most people.

[Dan from Michigan]

In East LAnsing, gas is sometimes 10-15 cents higher than at the Lansing Admiral at Kalamazoo and Clippert streets. I either go to the Admiral or the Citgo(1 cent more) across from there if Admiral's lines are long.

[discostu]

It just doesn't make sense if everything else is equal.

But all other things aren't equal. I always put high quality (and therefore usually high priced) gas in my car. It runs smoother and I get better milage (better enough that the higher price pays for itself right there, the lower repair costs are pure profit). Here's the stats I found with my car (92 Nissan Sentra SE) all of these are from full tank to about 1/8 tank:
Union 76 (I think they're going out of business) - 190 miles
Super cheap unaligned place down the street that changes name every few months - 180
The low end at Texaco or Chevron - 210
The medium stuff at Texaco or Chevron - 225
The high end at Texaco or Chevron (there's a Texaco 2 blocks from home, most every other place I go there's either a Texaco or Chevron within 2 miles) - 240.

Thusly why I do not and will not buy cheap gas. Add to that the fact that you can hear the difference when the engine is running and it's plane to see that the cheap gas is only cheap on the front end, eventually it costs more.

Note to anyone that wants to try this on their own, it usually takes 2 or 3 tanks worth to get the old gas out of your car especially bad gas, so you won't notice full benefits right away, but you'll notice some.

[xzins]

We have one guy in our town who gives FULL SERVICE....tank, windshield, oil, etc. He charges about a nickel more. But given all that he does, the relative price of his GAS is a bit cheaper. I sure wouldn't blame someone who bought there. You're buying GAS + SOMETHING ELSE.

[budwiesest]

Do you buy from the cheapest of the QUALITY GAS gas stations?

Since I've stayed with the same brand (Chevron) I am aware of the stations that 'gouge' a bit and will avoid them when it's practical. 244,000 miles and never a problem with the injectors (throttle body type).

[mamelukesabre]

People are stupid enough to beleive that one brand is greatly superior to another. Amaco ultimate gold........give me a break. If they would educate themselves a little it would change things alot.

Why do morons pay $1.00 for a 20 fluid ounce bottle of water? For that matter, $1.00 for a 20 fulid ounce bottle of pop is stupid, but I'm guilty of that one from time to time.

[jigsaw]

One of my main criteria for picking a gas station is the likelihood their underground tanks are in reasonable condition so I'm not going to pump a bunch of their rust into my car. If I pay a few cents more, no problem.

[pabianice]

Two words: opportunity cost. If your time is worth $40/hour, you won't spend 10 minutes getting gas for $1.29/gallon when you can get it at once for $1.39/gallon.

[xsrdx]

"But you have to do your part. Be a smart consumer. Buy the lowest priced, equal quality gasoline that's available to you."

It's a myth that all gasoline is created equal. While most fuel is refined at the same location, petroleum companies add specific additive packages to gasolines that make some gasoline formulas burn cleaner, in terms of combustion products, than others. While Chevron, Exxon-Mobil and Shell may have roughly equal fuel quality, the cheaper stations like Crown, Citgo and similar do NOT have the same qualities, nor do they monitor octane ratings as closely.

Having said that, for 90% of the driving population it doesn't matter because they're driving commuter cars, SUVs and minivans.

If you're driving a performance car or truck, you will benefit from better fuel quality, and it may be worth the extra nickel per gallon to you.

[Ditto]

If it'll get your favorite station to lower their price over time, yeah, why not?

Over a penny? If there were a 20 cent difference, I'd think about going out of my way. But a penny a gallon over a year of driving is probably $5 to me. I always get a kick out of the guys crying about the price of gas as they load up on overpriced soft drinks and snacks while paying for that gas. They could buy those same empty calories at the supermarket for half the price.

[xzins]

The closest refinery to our area is the Ashland Refinery in Ashland, Ohio. When you talk to station owners --- no matter the name brand --- they say that their gas comes from that refinery. I'm not convinced there's that much difference.

[tubebender]

In some cases the cheaper stations are cash only. If you need the record keeping this creates a bookeeping problem. Also it may mean you must use your ATM card for the cash. There are local stations I will not buy from for various reasons. 87 octane is $1.79 in Eureka Ca today. I bought gas in Santa Rosa Friday for $.142.

[hobbes1]

There are some stations I don't go to. I've always had lousy luck with.....

See, you are entirely too bright to be a Democrat!

[cuz_it_aint_their_money]

It just doesn't make sense if everything else is equal.

That’s the kicker right there. Everything else is NOT equal. At least not where I gas up.
The stations that charge a penny or two less, are inevitably, run by pimply faced teenagers with a "Who gives a rat's ass." attitude. That’s even if the twits can figure out how to run the cash registers!

But on a side branch of the same subject,
I can remember back in the late 1970's regular gas was averaging $ 1.55 a gallon. People fail to realize that gas prices are the only thing in this country that has consistently remained the same (or less) for the last 20/25 years! Can you say negative inflation? Try that the next time you go to buy a new car or truck and see how far it gets you.
I'll get off my soapbox now.

[xzins]

Most stations anymore have 8 or more pumps. Some have 3 dozen pumps. Waiting isn't really an issue.

[budwiesest]

cause you really dont know what in going in the tank, do you ?

In truth? I don't. Do you? (and don't tell me it's a 'Tiger'). :-)