[kjo]

Not buying your explanation. Too much has changed. How come stations across the street from one another are no more than a penny apart? Yet you go to the other side of town and the price is a nickle less, with two stations there, a penny apart.

It doesn't add up.

[cweese]

Uh, most stations are PRIVATELY owned. Ask the owners of such stations in question. Exxon/Mobil owns and operates less than 1000 of the 165000+gas stations in the US.

[HawaiianGecko]

Not buying your explanation

Well that certainly is your right. But it is exactly the explanation to your question. Your entire argument that competition doesn't exist because gasoline prices are not different really doesn't fly.

Two competing station on opposite corners selling gas for $1.00 wouldn't be competing for your money using your logic. What about two stations selling a gallon for a nickel? Are they not competing?  In fact using your logic, if these two stations were both paying you $1.00 for the privilege of filling your tank they wouldn't be competing.

The fact is that one may be paying more for his product, but he also sells more coffee and Hostess Donut Gems allowing him to match his competitor's lower price.

 

[SteveMcKing]

"How come stations across the street from one another are no more than a penny apart? Yet you go to the other side of town and the price is a nickle less, with two stations there, a penny apart. It doesn't add up."

It makes perfect sense. Transportation is directly related to the price, as is the local activity of where it is sold. It would make LESS sense if the prices were any different between 2 proximal stations.

Your main complaint seems to be not a matter of any principle, but that you don't want to pay for what you take from people.

If the system were overtly corrupt, you would not be raising these objections (ie- moaning), so long as you indulged at the low cost you were paying without the same hardship to your pocketbook.