Just for reference, I captured this set of prices around the corner from my house in San Francisco. On the rare occasions I buy gas I don't actually pay this much. It is possible to find gas for 20 or 30 cents less. But there are many stations in this range; I wonder why anyone buys at them? I wonder why the existence of cheaper stations doesn't force these prices down?
Lexington, Kentucky. Out there in horse country, gas looks pretty cheap to me. Cigarettes too, but who cares to asphyxiate themselves?
Zanesville, Ohio. Still below the magic $3.00 figure.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Still looking low. The first commercially successful oil well the country was drilled in this state in 1859. Until 1901 when oil was found in Texas, Pennsylvania was responsible for over half the world's oil production. Think of it, we've been only been hooked on the black gooey stuff for less than 150 years. That gives me a kind of hope.
Buffalo, New York. Prices creeping up.
Chilmark, Massachusetts. Okay, this is on an offshore island, but the price sure shows a coastal jump. Prices on the mainland are 40 cents lower or so, still higher than in the Midwest locations.
We don't get our petroleum much from within the U.S. -- so why are far inland prices so much cheaper? Inquiring minds want to know....
$3.15 for self-serve regular in Hartford yesterday. But my Citco Station has changed hands, so I must look for another: I hope that's not a sign of a trend.
ReplyDelete