Why don't we have fuel price hikes in the West? What's going on?

-- snorky dorky (snorkydorky@aol.com), February 05, 2000

Answers

Snorkel:

Here in the Midwest, it is 6 cents a gallon lower than that at name brand stations. Lower yet at cut rate places. You are being ripped-off.

Best wishes,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), February 05, 2000.

snorky dorky

Link please?

-- justwondering (justwondering@sparemeplease.com), February 05, 2000.

Z1X- I'd sure like to be in your part of the midwest. This week in Twin Cities price was hiked again from $1.54 for Unleaded Plus to $1.59. When you figure in the cost of a pack of Tums, it's even higher.

-- Gia (laureltree7@hotmail.com), February 05, 2000.

Gia:

May be taxes or other things. This is Mid-Missouri. Here it went from 1.06 to 1.27 overnight. It has been dropping since then. Who knows? But don't tell anyone, we are overwhelmed with people moving here. Mostly people escaping California. We don't need anymore. With 0.8% unemployment we are a people magnet.

Best wishes,,,

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), February 05, 2000.

Yesterday I stopped and filled my tank at $1.36 with 87 Octane. I asked why the increase. The answer was that this has just begun. He says that we will see $1.50 by spring and that he may not have a full load next delivery.

-- Curt (weathermountain@blue ridge.com), February 05, 2000.

Kinda looks like the price increases are only in the east.

Sudden cold weather, refinery problems, transportation difficulties and even the price per barrel (but that would effect us out west too, wouldn't it?).

I don't mean to minimize the impact, but it's not unlike my days as a produce manager. California would have a rainstorm and lettuce would jump from 19 cents to 79 cents a head. WHY THATS A 400% INCREASE!

Two weeks later it was back down to normal.

Our solution was easy. We just didn't eat lettuce for a couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, the poor folks on the east coast cannot stop using fuel, so they go cold or pay through the nose.

Randers

-- Randers (coyotecanyon@hotmail.com), February 05, 2000.

Z1X4Y7,

"People escaping California"

for what? Missouri?

yeah right

dork

-- Peter Starr (startrak@northcoast.com), February 05, 2000.

Peter Starr--

Californians are also escaping to South Dakota, gobbling up old farmsteads.

Two weeks ago gas was 1.26 a gallon, same price since late September. Last week it was 1.32. Yesterday it was 1.39.

-- Sam Mcgee (weissacre@gwtc.net), February 06, 2000.

gas in north ga (majors) is 1.19 gal for 87 octane. kerosene 2 weeks ago was 1.29. today it's 1.65, if you can find it. most service stations are out of kerosene. (probably because of back-to-back ice storms).

-- ribbitt (kermitrbt@aol.com), February 06, 2000.

Local supplies vary, so local prices will vary. Plus, gasoline is not in very short supply (yet) but is expected to be in the spring. Right now it's distillates (#2, diesel, kerosene) that are in demand, and mostly in the northeast (but also Texas and other locations.)

I rode by three diesel stations (Massachusetts) yesterday and got three very different prices: 2.00, 2.10, and 2.20. Obviously, all three are high - higher than ever, in fact. But 20 cents is a lot of overhead to pay for buying it at the 2.20 place.

But gas prices do the same thing. From one station to the next it could vary by 20 cents, depending on who they buy from and what kind of services they offer at the station. The 2.20 was from a full service place, and so was the 2.10. The 2.00 was from a self serve. There is the difference, probably.

Spot crude was alomst 1.75 in NY Harbor Friday, so that tells you something huge is going on. It takes time to filter down to the retail level, though, but it will in time. If we kept paying 1.75 for crude on a regular basis they'd have to charge maybe, what, 3 bucks a gallon for gas? I don't know but it would be ugly.

-- paul leblanc (bronyaur@gis.net), February 06, 2000.

In June 1979, we moved back to northern New England from central Nebraska (don't ask). It was the week that the shah fell and Iranian oil suddenly disappeared from the market. All the way across the country and into western NY we had no problems with gasoline prices or supplies. As soon as we crossed the border into Mass., we started seeing lines at the gas stations on the interstate and in local towns. Prices went up 20 cents a gallon in 400 miles and six hours. By the time we hit eastern Mass, gas stations were closing off the turnpike and limiting customers to $3 each on the pike. All the talking heads were screaming about the new energy crisis, but our friends back west never saw a sign of it. Seems that's what we're seeing today as well.

-- Cash (cash@andcarry.com), February 06, 2000.

The Kennedy's and now no heating oil, people in Mass have it rough, or maybe they are getting what they deserve. Socialism gone amuck.

-- Squid (ItsDark@down.here), February 06, 2000.