Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The gasoline price-fixing conspiracy
Heh:
I’ve been watching the price of gas drop all weekend. It seems like it’s adjusted on the hour. I’ll never understand how a load of gas the station bought at a higher price last week can sell for less today. I mean, I can understand why they'd charge more for gas they bought last week at a lower price - they're evil and bad. But this charging less for something they bought at a higher price - it makes no sense. Sure, blame it on "economics" or something, give me that ridiculous explanation about how you're actually paying the replacement cost of the next load (yeah, right, that sounds logical) but it’s obvious they’re ungouging us. Well, I’m tired of being unjerked around by these guys. I want the pumps to show what they paid for the load I’m putting in my car, just so I know how many pennies they’re not getting.
2 Comments:
By 
SR, at
Tue Jun 26, 11:43:00 AM:
C'mon TH. you are smarter than this.
Each station is competing with the others. They don't all buy their refills at the same time and for the same price. The ones that paid less can make a profit at a lower per gallon price. The others may suffer in the short term, but they have previously priced this in, don't you think?
By 
, at
Tue Jun 26, 12:52:00 PM:
T-Hawk -
In all fairness, you did a much better job of giving Mr. Lileks his due than Glenn Reynolds did. His quote ended with:
"But this charging less for something they bought at a higher price - it makes no sense."
My thought at the time was, what brain-dead moron wrote THAT? Like, uh, if the gas station next to you is selling gas for 2 cents less a gallon than you are -- and he's got a line of cars stretching around the block -- maybe THEN it would "make sense" to lower your price?
Anyways, not wishing to read any more of such dribble, I didn't click on the link. Here, though, you quoted the entire paragraph and Mr. Lilek's delightful, lighthearted satire came through. So, kudos to you for paying James the respect he deserves.
I still didn't read the article, though, as I don't consider gasoline prices "high" by any stretch of the imagination. Not when it costs less than mere bottled water.
And if the link doesn't make you guys feel any better about the whole thing, there's this:
I get 1 mile per gallon and it takes $900 to fill my tank.
There. I knew you'd feel better.
I live aboard a 40' motoryacht powered by two big-block 454's, and, actually, 1 MPG is considered pretty good for a 40-footer.
For wheels, I own a Pontiac Firebird Formula, eight cylinders, 395 horsepower.
I bought the boat to make all the gas I poured into the Firebird seem cheap in comparison. :)
