Make Those Gas Pumps Work Harder For A Dollar
Here’s an easy way to make a buck, or even $1.80: Next time you get a tank of gas, instead of paying $1.19 or more, buy it for $1.07 a gallon instead.
You just have to stop at one of the several stations in the Valley that are underselling others by as much as 12 cents a gallon (as of Tuesday.)
A couple of gas stations on Pines, Sprague and Mullan have it for $1.07. Many others, particularly on Sullivan Road, charge $1.19 or more.
For a 15-gallon fill-up, that’s a $1.80 in your pocket without much effort; maybe some rerouting on your way home. If you don’t want the money, you could treat your rig to some premium juice for the same price as regular at other stations.
How can the higher-priced stations get away with charging so much more? Why aren’t people lined up at the cheaper outlets?
Any number of reasons, it turns out.
A lot of us, as a casual survey at some Valley gas stations indicates, really don’t pay much attention to gas prices, even though they’re usually advertised on 20-foot-tall signs.
The decision to stop at or avoid a particular station has a lot to do with convenience to our route, credit card options, ease of access, ease of pump use (if the nozzle doesn’t have a lock-on feature, for instance, I won’t bother with it), and the price of items in the convenience stores attached to just about every gas station.
In fact, convenience store sales are a major part of gas stations’ revenues, says Ed Sharman, spokesman for the Inland Automobile Association (AAA) and follower of gas price trends.
“Most places are Quick Stops. They want you to buy milk and don’t profit that much from gas,” he says.
The folks who set the prices at the local level aren’t very talkative about how they decide on prices, except to say, in a word, competition.
Retail outlets are paying about the same wholesale price (that price a deep, dark industry secret), and so any differences in price are due to the station trying to find just the right niche in the price environment of their area.
“If competition is selling it at $1.12 and people are stopping, why would you sell it for $1.10?” Sharman asks rhetorically.
Sharman’s weekly spot checks show a five-week trend of gradually falling prices, with the average at $1.16 last week. This is after a recent increase attributed in part to seasonal factors and an interruption of the Yellowstone pipeline, which brings much of our gasoline supply from oil fields in Canada.
Looking ahead to gas prices later this summer, Sharman doesn’t see any impending increase, and there may be a seasonal decline at the end of summer.
A bright-red hot deal
Maybe you’ve seen the classic fire truck advertised for sale alongside I-90 near Park Road. It’s probably chased its last blaze, but is still in good running condition and the pumps could be made to work, according to seller Tim Gmeiner.
He says he doesn’t need a fire truck anymore.
It’s a 1949 General and was originally a Spokane Fire Department vehicle. Gmeiner’s father, Dan, bought it from the U.S. Forest Service and did a lot of restoration work on it.
It only gets about 2.3 miles per gallon, and it redlines out at 47 mph. But you’ll be traveling in style and getting a lot of truck for the best offer in the $6,000 to $15,000 range, Gmeiner says.
, DataTimes MEMO: On Your Way is a Valley Voice column focusing on commuter lifestyles and issues. Your views on any of the topics discussed are invited. Please write: On Your Way, The Valley Voice, 13208 E. Sprague, Spokane, WA 99216.