how many gas stations will now be price gougers?

[msongs]

most stations are selling gas they have already paid for at lower prices, say from last week or even earlier. so how many of them are gonna jack the price of this lower price already-paid-for gas and blame the hurricane?

haven't headed out into the real world yet this morning but doing so soon. I will read the posted prices and see how much they went up over night, if any increase.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/political-shirts.htm

[growlypants]

1. All of them

[trotsky]

2. Ding! Right answer. n/t

[growlypants]

4. ooohhhh...do I get a prize??? lol

[ohio_liberal]

3. Most gas stations belong to a chain

They don't set their own prices, the corporation does.

[growlypants]

5. so like I said......ALL OF THEM

[ohio_liberal]

7. We've been getting gouged for a year

I guess most people didn't realize it

[growlypants]

8. true.

[randr]

6. How many oil companies have been gouging us for years?

[RoyGBiv]

9. This is not true ...

"Most" gas stations in medium to large cities get gasoline deliveries at least once per day. (I managed one that sold anywhere from 10 to 15 thousand gallons in a day. The trucks at capacity hold ~8,000 gallons.) The window for added profit is usually no more than a few hours, if that due to various averaging factors far too complicated to go into. Further, many smaller gasoline stations, who may have gas in the ground that was purchased at a lower price, don't even set their own gas prices. The tanks themselves are owned by the oil company or a refinery or possibly another company entirely, and the prices are set by the latter with a commission *per gallon* going to the station owner. The "per gallon" is important. It means the person receiving the commission is paid based on how many gallons are sold, not the price of those gallons. Thus, higher gas prices actually result in a lower income for these individuals.

Will some station owners who happen to own their own tanks and who don't sell so much gas it become impractical gouge people? Of course. But those for whom even the opportunity exists are relatively few.

FWIW, the typical profit margin on gasoline for a station owner is typically 1-4 cents per gallon. Some stations with extremely high volumes work on a profit margin of a fraction of a penny. In the store I managed, if we were making a full penny per gallon, it was a good day, but that didn't happen often.

The refineries and loading racks set the price of gasoline.

[A Simple Game]

10. Gas went from $2.82 to $3.32 in my small town this morning.

I went to the "big city" this morning and saw similar prices.

That said, the price charged the customer is based on replacement price, not the purchase price of what they sell. They sell me a gallon of gas that cost them 2.80 for 2.82, but the next delivery will cost them 3.30 so they have to start charging me 3.32 for the gas that cost them 2.80.

That is also why prices go up quicker than they go down.

This is a very simplified explanation!

[leftofthedial]

11. every last one