Why do gas prices vary SO much from station to station?? (San Jose: insurance, credit card)

[sunshinelove0000]

Newbie to CA... Been here 2 months and still cannot get over how gas prices vary from station to station. Some stations are charging near $4/gallon whereas others are $3.25/gallon. I really can't believe how much planning goes into getting gas. My hubby always makes sure to check prices online before filling up. We're used to back home being able to stop anywhere and gas maybe fluctuating 10 to 20 cents (at MOST) per gallon.. We've seen as much as a $1.25 per gallon difference between stations that are just down the road from one another.

What gives? Is this typical in CA? Is there a reason behind it?

I'm on the central coast btw

[shooting4life]

Just the free market at work.

[LoriBee62]

Originally Posted by sunshinelove0000

I really can't believe how much planning goes into getting gas.

That's not a "California thing". I don't plan at all. When I'm low, I go to the station near my house.

My mother, who lives in Oregon, obsesses over where she can get the cheapest gas and will sit in line at Costco to save 10 cents a gallon.

[Mr5150]

Originally Posted by sunshinelove0000

Newbie to CA... Been here 2 months and still cannot get over how gas prices vary from station to station. Some stations are charging near $4/gallon whereas others are $3.25/gallon. I really can't believe how much planning goes into getting gas. My hubby always makes sure to check prices online before filling up.

I'm like LoriBee62. The only time I plan to get gas is when I need it and hit the closest station.

Originally Posted by sunshinelove0000

We're used to back home being able to stop anywhere and gas maybe fluctuating 10 to 20 cents (at MOST) per gallon..

Perhaps there was some price fixing "back home".

Originally Posted by LoriBee62

That's not a "California thing". I don't plan at all. When I'm low, I go to the station near my house.

My mother, who lives in Oregon, obsesses over where she can get the cheapest gas and will sit in line at Costco to save 10 cents a gallon.

I hope that Costco is less than three miles away. Not counting, insurance, license fees, depreciation, the cost of driving a car is 40 cents a mile on average.

[2sleepy]

I shop at Safeway's & about once a month they have a special where you get 40 cents off each gallon of gas if you spend $50 on groceries. Their gas is among the cheapest in the area anyway so it amounts to a pretty good deal. Tomorrow my husband and I will park on opposite sides of the same pump at Safeway and both of us will fill up for $2.09 a gallon. And in case you were wondering, yes I am cheap- I can't help it I think it's just another aspect of my OCD. But I don't go very far to save a few cents on gas because I always calculate the cost of the gas to get to the cheaper station and in most cases it's a wash.

[Volxen]

Originally Posted by sunshinelove0000

Newbie to CA... Been here 2 months and still cannot get over how gas prices vary from station to station. Some stations are charging near $4/gallon whereas others are $3.25/gallon. I really can't believe how much planning goes into getting gas. My hubby always makes sure to check prices online before filling up. We're used to back home being able to stop anywhere and gas maybe fluctuating 10 to 20 cents (at MOST) per gallon.. We've seen as much as a $1.25 per gallon difference between stations that are just down the road from one another.

What gives? Is this typical in CA? Is there a reason behind it?

I'm on the central coast btw

I live on the central coast (Atascadero) as well, and I've experienced the exact same thing. In Atascadero there is a Chevron, Shell, and Fastrip all in close proximity. Their gas prices currently are:

Shell:
Regular: $3.25
Midgrade: $3.35
Premium: $3.45

Fastrip:
Regular: $3.29
Midgrade: $3.39
Premium: $3.49

Chevron:
Regular: $3.39 with cash ($3.49 with debit/credit card)
Midgrade: $3.49 with cash ($3.59 with debit/credit card)
Premium: $3.59 with cash ($3.69 with debit/credit card)

These three stations are all very close to each other, and the Shell and Chevron are literally right next to each other. Yet the Chevron is ridiculously more expensive than Shell/Fastrip, especially considering that they charge 10 cents more per gallon if you pay with a debit/credit card. I'm honestly surprised that ANYONE goes to this particular Chevron, with them being 24 more cents per gallon (going by the debit/credit card price) compared to the Shell that is five seconds away from it. That's just absurd!

Before I moved to the central coast, I used to get my gas exclusively from Chevron. For as long as I live here on the central coast, it seems that I will be getting it now exclusively from Shell.

Maybe it's a central coast thing? I never saw extreme price differences between stations right next to each other back when I lived in the central valley in California.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by Volxen

I live on the central coast (Atascadero) as well, and I've experienced the exact same thing. In Atascadero there is a Chevron, Shell, and Fastrip all in close proximity. Their gas prices currently are:

Before I moved to the central coast, I used to get my gas exclusively from Chevron. For as long as I live here on the central coast, it seems that I will be getting it now exclusively from Shell.

Maybe it's a central coast thing? I never saw extreme price differences between stations right next to each other back when I lived in the central valley in California.

No, it's in Sacramento too, but both Shell and Chevron are way over what other stations charge. At one intersection yesterday:
Chevron $3.29
Shell $3.19
Arco $2.45
By the way, all the gas is the same, my son worked in a refinery- the only difference is formulation of additives that are added at the time they fill the tanker, but all of them get gas from the same refineries - I don't think there are any magic additives that would get me to pay 84 cents more a gallon.

Cheapest gas in the area is Costco & Sam's Club in Roseville @ $2.33

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by Volxen

Chevron:
Regular: $3.39 with cash ($3.49 with debit/credit card)
Midgrade: $3.49 with cash ($3.59 with debit/credit card)
Premium: $3.59 with cash ($3.69 with debit/credit card)

Thats not bad compared to the Shell in South San Francisco that has their regular 87 for 3.79 and premium for 4.19.

The probably assume that California public school graduates are so dumb they can't tell the difference between 3.79 and 3.29.

California students score at bottom of nation in reading, math - San Jose Mercury News

[steel7]

Gas is still too expensive in ca.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by steel7

Gas is still too expensive in ca.

Thats because of CARBOB! (Expensive specially formulated gas only for California) Right now gas is under $2 a gallon in Atlanta.