If you ask a gas station owner how much they make on a gallon
of gas, you will get variable answers. I have been told from
1 cent to 10 cents per gallon and that without the convenience-store
sales, they would not make it.
I
can’t quite believe there is that much profit in the
quick pick items such as: milk, bread, beer and soda. No matter
what the station owners make, I don’t find fault with
a person wanting to make a profit. Why else would they make
the major investment to sell a product so direly needed?
I
understand cost and mark-up, but I just can’t figure
out how they make it.
I had reason to travel around Huron County last week and
I wondered who actually sets the gas prices. I purchased
fuel
in Pigeon at $4.09, drove to Elkton and saw the same brand
for $4.03 which would have been a $1 savings on a single
fill-up. As I continue into Bad Axe I saw prices ranging
from $4.19
to $4.25. In some cases, they were the same brand and all
were regular, unleaded.
The highest price I saw that day was $4.29 a gallon. What
I want to point out is the variation of prices could add
up to
$2.60 for 10 gallons of fuel.
The very next day I drove through Caseville and saw a price
of $3.99 a gallon. This same brand was $ 4.09 in Pigeon
and $ 4.03 in Elkton the day before.
I’m
not trying to point out any one brand is the problem. The
variation in prices were mixed among
numerous
brands.
My conclusion is when one refinery in the country
goes down, almost
all brands of gas go up throughout a major portion
of the country. Recently, due to this fact, Michigan
was
recorded
as the highest
for fuel in the country.
The difference in the fuel itself is little more than the
possible addition of a few additives and distance traveled
to haul the
gas to the various stations.
As I see it, the cost of gasoline hinges on the amount
the station is willing to profit per gallon. You do the
math. See
if you, like myself, figure out there can be a difference
of as much as $5 for a 20-gallon fill-up.
Maybe we should all start checking the price at various
stations before we head out or at the half-a-tank mark.
If we burn three
tanks a week, we can save enough for a nice dinner, movie
or even several more gallons of gas!
There
has to be a reasonable explanation about the differences
in price in our county. Until
I hear
one, I’ll try to
shop to save, especially if it’s not
out of my way.
If
we all buy at the best price we can find, I’ll
bet the higher priced sellers will come
down to reality. Considering
volume, they can still make a good profit
and perhaps we can all save a little money.