Price Gouging Impacts Families
August 5, 2008 by Karen Weideman
Filed under automotive, financial matters
I’ve been told for quite some time now that gas companies are only allowed to charge a certain amount above what they pay for the gas. The Department of Energy even has a site where consumers can report price gouging on gasoline.
A recent trip to Wal-Mart left me questioning what is going on around here. Murphy Express is selling gas for thirty cents less per gallon than the other gas stations. Thirty cents!!!! Unbelievable! Yes, it is definitely worth driving the few extra miles for the savings.
Needless to say, the competition has been great and other gas stations are lowering their prices as well. A little competition is always good for the pocketbook.
What do you think about all this?
images by Karen
I am really getting tired of needing to take out a small loan to put gas in my car each time!!
)
I live in the land of Quick Trip (QT), and they are the cheapest near me, and always the first to change their prices, so you know when it is going up or down!
my gas is $3.59 a gallon right now on average so I am completely happy. I can’t believe I just said that
Wow, OUr gas in Western NY is averaging 4.15. A month ago we where anywhere from 4.25 to 4.36.
I find that Murphy’s has always got the cheapest price on gasoline. And if you use your Walmart Credit Card (Or get a loaded Walmart gift card) you save 3cents per gallon more!
(…If you are talking about the Murphy’s run in front of Walmart stores…)
That is significant, but I can’t help but wonder what is going on, and think it is something more nefarious on Murphy’s part.
In most cases, the stations themselves make only pennies on a gallon, leaving very little wiggle room. I can’t help but wonder if Murphy’s is trying to sell at a loss to drive away (or out of business) some competitors. (Or they figure, if you drive all the way there for gas, you “might as well” stop in Wal-Mart to do a bit of shopping as well.
At first I wondered some of the same things. But now, other gas stations in the area are lowering their prices too. It makes me wonder if the mark-up rules we’ve heard are really true.