Why do supply and demand not seem to apply with gas stations, with such varying prices and “that really cheap place!” phenomena?

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I have never, ever understood this. Gas is for the most part is a simple commodity. Sure, some prefer a premium brand (like Shell) to a cheaper one (like ARCO), but I can’t for the life of me figure out why there is such a wide variance even within a single mile or two of a city (and amongst the same brand!) I would think that supply and demand would reign supreme here. It’s the same stuff.

You get that one gas station that charges $0.10 less than all the others in the area and the lines are out to the street.

So where are supply and demand?

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33 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Gas stations make no money on gas. They make their money on you buying stuff inside the store. And gas stations are often franchised so while they are part of a larger chain, they may be individually owned. So they may choose to take a bigger loss on fuel to get people in.

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