Gas For Under A Buck

Friday the 13th was a lucky day for Spokane motorists.

Customers at the Exxon at Sharp and Hamilton grinned as they filled their tanks with unleaded gasoline for 99.9 cents per gallon.

“I think it’s great,” said Wayne Martrildonno as he topped off the Plymouth’s tank. “It’s about time something went down around here besides wages.”

Prices for unleaded fuel have dipped below $1 a gallon at a number of stations.

“Enjoy it while it’s here,” said Exxon manager Jerome Stark. “It’s just a gas war.”

Though prices were higher at outlets in North Idaho, Spokane was not the only place with low gas prices.

A worldwide glut of crude oil and fierce competition among retailers have pushed down gas prices all over the country.

In Southern California, unleaded gas also is selling as low as 99.9 cents per gallon. In Oklahoma City, it’s down to 90.3 cents and in Atlanta, 90.7 cents.

The overabundance of fuel is due to increased production by the 11-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Decreased demand in Asia, where a financial crisis continues, benefits American motorists as well.

Average prices in the region haven’t been as low as this since 1989, said Ed Sharman, spokesman for the Inland Automobile Association that conducts an informal price survey of local stations. As recently as December, the average cost for unleaded fuel was about $1.25.

Judy Reickard manages the Chevron on the 1700 block of East Francis, where unleaded sold for 99.9 cents on Friday. She said the pricing comes from corporate headquarters.

“I get a phone call and they tell me to lower it,” she said. “And we’ve been lowering it for over three weeks.”

Gas at her station is the least expensive in several blocks, but it may not be after this weekend. It depends on the competition.

“If everyone doesn’t turn around and go down to 99 cents by the weekend, we’re going to go back up,” Reickard said.

Saving a few cents on gas may not be the road to riches, but it does appeal to motorists.

“Even though it’s just a few cents, in your mind it makes a difference,” said Ross Quintana, who stopped at the Chevron to fuel up Friday.

Gas prices appeared to be cheapest on the North Side and in the Valley, and slightly higher on the South Hill and downtown.

One exception was the Conoco at Second and Browne, where 15 customers clustered around the pumps to fill their tanks with 98.9-cent unleaded Friday afternoon.

Idaho drivers weren’t so lucky. In Coeur d’Alene the unleaded prices stayed well above $1 a gallon, rising to $1.16 at downtown stations like the Chevron on Northwest Boulevard.

Idaho bargain-hunters stopped at the Flying J Travel Plaza in Post Falls, where unleaded gasoline cost $1.069.

“We normally can go cheaper than anyone else because of the quantity we’re buying,” said Jennifer Griffith, manager of the truck stop and service station.

Though service station operators worry the low prices will eat into their profit margins, they’re enjoying the onslaught of customers and the weird things they do.

Rob Hazen at the Texaco station at Maple and Northwest Boulevard in Spokane has seen a few of his patrons grab their wheel wells to tilt their cars and eke in just a little bit more gas.

“No one knows how long this will last,” he said. “They’re wanting to fill up as much as they can get.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Hannelore Sudermann Staff writer The Associated Press contributed to this report.