Ever Wondered Why Gas Is Cheaper In Kamloops? Read On
Monday, June 18, 2012 @ 3:45 AM
When you travel south from Prince George, each time you reach a new community on the way, you get the feeling that we are being had day in day out when it comes to the cost of our gasoline.
Yes it may be an old chestnut that many of us keep trying to beat to death, but when the price of a litre (or if you like to use gallon) of gas changes by three cents a litre or 13 ½ cents a gallon in 72 miles in spite of the fact that the refinery they are getting the product from is located in our city, something is wrong, bloody wrong.
The further south you go on highway 97 the better the price for your gas and yes you will pass transport trucks from our city hauling gasoline to these communities.
Now is the price difference of 17 cents a litre, 76 cents a gallon because they pump more gas? Or is the problem that most of the service stations in this city are company owned and there within lies the problem?
We are being gouged, plain and simple and the few independents that operate here are at the mercy of the major companies. It is a case of play the game or you don’t get the fuel in your tanks.
Now if you have wondered how Kamloops always seems to have the lowest price heading south, here is the reason. Costco.
Costco sells gasoline in Kamloops and judging from the line ups it is easy to see why the rest of the oil companies have had to come on line with a decent price. Just for comparison sake, on Sunday, the pumps at Costco in Kamloops were offering a litre of gas for $1.179 while the gas pumps in P.G. were offering a litre for $1.339.
If we are able to encourage Costco to open up a gas bar on their lot in P.G., just watch the price of fuel drop in this city and the age old excuses will no longer be played out before us.
It is sad indeed to realize that in order to pay a fair price for gasoline we must encourage a US company to set the stage, but the reality dictates and the majors don’t listen to our constant complaining, they only listen when suddenly their holding tanks are full of fuel and there are no customers.
I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.
Comments
I worked for a Shell gas station in the 80’s. We received a phone call on Monday mornings that told us what the price would be, we were also reminded to report back any stations that had a lower price.
I think is was called a gas war………haven’t seen anything like it in almost 20 years.
Something is awfully wrong these days.
C’mon Costco!
Gouged or not you can’t do a thing about it. I’ve pretty much given up complaining about it. I just make sure when I’m on the road I fuel up outside of PG.
I travelled south two weeks ago. The price, other than in Kamloops, was pretty much the same as here and in some place a couble of cetns higher, until we got closer to the GVRD when it skyrocketed even though they were not contributing to the Vancouver transit surcharge.
On the way back it dropped in a few places and it was up and down like a yoyo.
The odd thing was that the price at Boston Bar, which is typically the lwoest, was close to what it was here.
The price showing at the moment in Kelowna is 125.9 which is the same as Osoyoos, with one to two cents higher in Penticton.
Cranbrook 131.9
Nelson 128.9
Dawson Creek 127.9
Quesnel 130.9
Williams Lake 124.9 + 129.9 + 132.9
Prince George 131.9 + 133.9
Nanaimo 135.9 + 137.9
Fort Nelson 144.9
Terrace 131.9 to 134.9
Vanderhoof 132.9
Vancouver City 139.9 + 141.9
Langford Costco 105.9 to 114.9
Kamloops Costco 114.9 to 116.9
Oh, BTW …
Charlottetown = 117.4
Halifax = 124.1
Kingston = 120.6 to 126.6
Thunder Bay 112.0 to 155.9
Gas prices …… voodoo economics …..
I was in Kamloops on the May long weekend
it was 111.9…..
on a long weekend
Sent your request to COSCO, they are reviewing a gas bar on their site.
The city of Pg denied them a building permit! Why? They have to build it downtown.
From what I heard Costco is building a gas station. A cashier verified it more than a month ago. Been anxiously waiting for them to start digging the hole. But where would Costco get this said gas from? The local refinery? If so wouldn’t they be in the same boat as the other gas stations in town? Set this price else we will not deliver fuel to the site! Or are they going to truck it in from somewhere else? Only time will tell.
According to a Business Report comment this morning (CBC) the price of crude has dropped by 25% since February.
There used to be a chain of independently owned gas stations on Vancouver Island called Payless that initiated many gas price wars there. Shell eventually bought them out. But while they were in business they used to buy gas from any oil company refinery that developed a surplus of it. Or was cleaning out their storage tanks. V I garages made a pretty good business of ‘fixing’ engines in the cars of those who regularly filled up at Payless. Simply by draining the Payless ‘gas’ (which usually had a pretty high water content) out of the tank and filling it up with gas from an oil company branded station. Sometimes you get what you pay for.
Totally agreed Ben. I would love to see Costco open up a gas bar here.
I always check gasbuddy.com before I travel and you can also view gas prices in PG by locals (if there is ever a gas war, lol)
CostCo gas stations in Alta has lower prices than other gas stations there too.
Oh,I wish the driving public could join forces and buy gas from only one or two retailers. I know we are too independent (or just plain indifferent) to pull it off- It’s been attempted several times in the past, but I really believe it would force gas retailers to be more competitive in their pricing.
If we think that by Costco selling fuel, the other gas outlets will be forced to lower their prices, the same could be achieved by joining forces and buying fuel as a group. We have the power as the consumers of their product!
Thank you Mr. Ben Meisner for doing the real investigative reporting as I thought I was the only person that thought Prince George gas stations were gouging its customers. Thank you for proving me right.
For awhile there I was beginning to believe that I was living in the twilight zone.
“Gas prices …… voodoo economics ….. “
Bingo. A ‘fair’ price for gasoline would be much, much higher than what we pay now. Many people around the world (and right next door) are being robbed of everything they own so we can save pennies at the pump.
Going west, Burns ?lake and Houston 132,9, Smithers, 133.9, so northern BC are in one pack
The fuel Costco sells in Kamloops is an ethanol blend so some saving are negated by lower mileage and less power. Burning more fuel than non ethanol blends for equal distance.
When traveling to Kamloops I generally buy my gas at the native station outside Savona.
Big Sky Gas Station … generally less expensive than Kamloops, but do recall a couple of times waiting to get there on the way home rather than buying in Kamloops and finding a higher price there.
It’s a nice place to stop. Very clean!!
I thought that a few years back the refinery had to make some major upgrades in order create a product with less sulphur in it. I think that was supposed to be in effect by 2004 across Canada. I recall that was going to cost several millions.
If that is true, perhaps they are still trying to recover that money.
Well if Costco is the solution why cant Superstore break the price fixing. They are not owned by a gas Company. To reduce their price Costco would have to sell enough gas to bring it in from outside rather the using Huskey.
Cheers
The price of gas in Vancouver was as high as a $1.54 a week ago.
Cheers
“The fuel Costco sells in Kamloops is an ethanol blend so some saving are negated by lower mileage and less power.”
Couple of years ago I switched from the discount station where I used to fill up (five cent/liter coupon) to a brand which has ethanol in it (Chevron) and I get better mileage and the car runs smoother, perhaps it even as more power. It may depend on the engine, they aren’t all the same.
“Couple of years ago I switched from the discount station where I used to fill up (five cent/liter coupon) to a brand which has ethanol in it (Chevron) and I get better mileage and the car runs smoother”
I have heard this observation and wonder if it’s more psychological than anything else.
With today’s engines, I don’t think where you buy your gas makes a huge difference (unless you just get a bad tank — and that happens on occasion, even at Chevron), and I’ve driven a lot of different vehicles.
All the regular grade gasoline now has ethanol in it. Up until sometime last year I was buying Esso gas here because it did not have ethanol in it. Ethanol simply does not have as much energy in it. I do not recall the difference I calculated it made in mileage (I seem to remember that at the time I was using about 1/2 ltr less per 100 km on Gas that did not have the ethanol) on my 2008 Sonata but it did more than make up for the discount I received at Superstore —- and as a bonus I was getting Esso points. Now am reminded I should spend those points
“Many people around the world (and right next door) are being robbed of everything they own so we can save pennies at the pump.”
Hunh? Who exactly are these people who are being robbed?
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