Good News For Consumers on the Gasoline Front
Saturday, May 31, 2014 @ 12:03 PM
Prince George, B.C. – Interesting what a little competition will do when it comes to carving out a slice of the retail gas market pie.
At 7:30 last night we told you that 12 service stations in town were selling their gasoline at $145.9 a litre of regular, one was charging $135.9, twenty-two outlets had their price at $134.9 and Costco had the low price at $131.9.
About 15 hours later, stations charging the high price, $145.9, have dropped by half, from 12 to 6. Five stations are charging $139.9, one is at $135.9, twenty-four are now at $134.9 and Costco retains the best price of $131.9.
Comments
anyone know what time costco gas bar is open until today?
I will say that Costco’s presence has stopped the lockstep price increases of all the stations in town. I remember all stations changing their prices to the same level within an hour.
There actually seems to be a little competition out there now. Only thing is, people are still filling up at the more expensive stations when they could cross the street and save money. Are those lame Esso Extra points really worth paying that much more?
costco open until 7 PM Saturday
8-6 Sundays
“Only thing is, people are still filling up at the more expensive stations when they could cross the street and save money”
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Maybe they want a car wash, maybe they are only topping up their tank and don’t think the savings are all that significant, maybe they want to avoid the lineups. Who knows.
It’s probably the same phenomenon as why people shop at Save-On Foods when they could save $40-$50 bucks every two weeks by shopping at Superstore.
Or, why people buy vehicles in PG when they could go to Kamloops, Kelowna, Edmonton or Vancouver and save a couple of grand.
“It’s probably the same phenomenon as why people shop at Save-On Foods when they could save $40-$50 bucks every two weeks by shopping at Superstore.”
I’d rather pay more than shop at Super Store. Save Ons staff is way more friendly and you don’t have to bag your own groceries. Not even a close comparison to pump you own gas.
I’d pay more for customer service any day. See how the new car dealer treats you on warranty work when you buy your ride from out of town then get it serviced locally.
“Maybe they want a car wash, maybe they are only topping up their tank and don’t think the savings are all that significant, maybe they want to avoid the lineups. Who knows.” ..
You don’t get many huge lineups at Costco anymore unless there has been a price increase.
“It’s probably the same phenomenon as why people shop at Save-On Foods when they could save $40-$50 bucks every two weeks by shopping at Superstore.” .. You haven’t shopped at superstore lately have you? No savings there. Costco is still the best ticket in town, just have to buy more of one thing, for things we don’t want to bulk up on we use save-on because they don’t price gouge on welfare day like superstore. (its the principal, we aren’t on welfare)
“Or, why people buy vehicles in PG when they could go to Kamloops, Kelowna, Edmonton or Vancouver and save a couple of grand.” .. not everyone necessarily gets more expensive vehicles in PG.
I patronize Costco for several reasons.
They have by far the best meat in town except local farm grown. The fact that their gas is cheaper is a bonus but really showed the true colors of the locals, and unless I have no choice, I will never buy gas anywhere in PG again except Costco.
I just picked up an iPad mini worth $320 from Save On for shopping there. Worked out to about 4 months of points. I figure the price for most things is less than superstore or costco, so it works for me. Costco bulk is a little cheaper but hardly worth the up front cost… I buy some stuff there too. Super store is good for canned goods mostly.
Btw I read an article on zero hedge that claims American gas usage has dropped nearly 75 percent since 1998. They claim huge reserve and no place left to store… Price is manipulated by bankers with futures contracts… And that it is about to change. As reality catches up with supply and demand verse market makers. They claim true US recession is responsible.
“Are those lame Esso Extra points really worth paying that much more?”
Of course not. Save On More Rewards at Chevron are the bomb. Not that’s savin’! You can get an iTunes cards with 10,000 points. Woohoo! (sarcasm off)
Don’t know how credible the Internet site I am quoting from is but…
In an article titled; âGas War! Did Costco Reveal Gas Price Fixing In Prince George, BC?â, dated: September 19, 2013; northernstar-online.com suggests there is gas price fixing between the Husky Oil Refinery and the local gas stations here in Prince George. It states the reason why Costcoâs gas is lower, is because Costco gets its gas shipped in from outside the area.
This site also suggests gas price fixing in Prince George has gone on for years, with the Husky Oil Refinery and local gas stations pocketing millions and millions of dollars over the years. Just scroll down a little to read the article.
http://northernstar-online.com/gas-price-war/
NMG: “Maybe they want a car wash, maybe they are only topping up their tank and don’t think the savings are all that significant, maybe they want to avoid the lineups. Who knows.”
Who knows indeed. Save on Foods is a rip off too, but lots of people continue to shop there.
The two stations up here at the corner of Austin and Hart hwy are still at 145.9. The price differential is absolutely ridiculous between College Heights and up here. Ever wonder why Esso is the first to raise prices and the last to put them down. Its been like this practically all winter. I’m all for supporting the locals but there comes a point when you draw the line when being ripped off. So I buy Costco gas and if you use their Amer. Express credit card you get a rebate once a year, probably more then enough to pay the next years dues for membership.
Costco does have good meat but so does Rogers on First Avenue, There bacon is the best in town, and there free range chickens are full of flavor.
I just wish Costco would have put in a diesel pump.
I wish Costco had windshield squeegees.
I don’t get my Save On points at Chevron. I would rather have the savings up front at Costco. I use to go to Canadian Tire for the 4cents back deal, but it works out better at Costco now. For Save On I mostly shop there when they have the 5000 points if you spend $200 deals, and then buy the things like case lot and diapers that are already on sale and often save 30-40% on my final bill on top of the 5000 points. I honestly think its the best deal out there. Only Costco competes with Save on for food and produce quality.
I used to work at a retail store in PG and we sold a very popular item for $189.00 and provided excellent customer service.
Another place in town sold the same items for $289.00 and also provided excellent customer service. This place, however, would often provide customers a 20% discount. We did not.
People, on occasion, would come in be very perturbed that we wouldn’t match the 20% discount and so they left and bought the item at the competitor.
Our price? $189.00. Their price with discount? $231.20. I could only conclude that we had smarter customers, LOL.
Well, i think this is just a “duck and weave” strategy thats played out several times since Costco started selling gas. A few of the stations make a ridiculous price hike like 10 or 11cents per litre. The other stations stay the same or raise the price 2 or 3 cents. After a few days, the high priced stations drop their prices and we all breath a sigh of relief… we dodged THAT bullet. After a few days, everybody goes up 2 or 3 cents but we are so relieved its not the 10 or 12cent jump that we’re actually happy about it. Just like the frog in a pot of water when the heat is turned up slowly. Anybody want to bet that this time next week all the stations will be at 1.37 – 1.39 ?
BTW, an earlier post on a similar topic touted the savings to be realized from an electric vehicle. If EVs ever reach a critical mass, there’s no way the government will tolerate the loss in fuel taxes and they’ll slap road tax on the electricity used to fuel your EV so you pay your share. How? A wireless smart meter installed in every EV. Whether you fuel up at your own home or at your aunt’s place in Edmonton, the fuel charges plus taxes get charged to your account.
We get the shaft every work day morning. Gas goes up 6¢ – 9¢ per litre every work day during rush hour. At around noon, they all drop back to similar pricing.
Magically the morning hose job doesn’t occur on weekends.
“Who knows indeed. Save on Foods is a rip off too, but lots of people continue to shop there.”
Like I said in a previous post, I will gladly pay for customer service. No such thing at Superstore.
It will take a very long time for EV’s to get to that point if it happens at all. Besides you can through a couple of panels and dodge the tax when charging at home. When your car is charged you can dump the excess on the grid. You can already get charging panels for the Volt made by a company called Envision.
http://cleantechnica.com/2010/10/19/envision-solar-to-debut-chevy-volt-charger-wednesday-in-san-diego/
Throw
The morning hose job is following the same principle as the electricity price increase during periods of high demand – the greater the demand, the higher the price.
I’ll also gladly pay more for customer service (within reason), BUT only if it’s for expensive items that need maintenance, purchases where the sales staff help educate me about the product, etc. I also don’t mind paying a little more to have a great shopping experience.
Run of the mill groceries or consumable household items? I honestly could not care less where I purchase a can of tomatoes or deodorant. Just give me the best price. These products are a dime a dozen and I’d rather save money buying them so I can spend a little more at the butcher getting a steak I’ll actually enjoy eating.
I can see paying more for better produce and meat and in PG you are pretty stuck with produce. Costco does have good meat, but I tried to shop at Rogers or Homesteader as much as I could when I lived there. For seafood, I went to Anchor’s. It was more expensive, but far superior to the other options IMHO.
To me, gas is simply an afterthought. I figure it costs me about 15 cents to drive a KM. If it’s cheaper right across the street, that’s one thing. If I have to go 10-15 minutes out of my way each direction, there is a good chance it’s costing me more in fuel than the savings I would earn from paying the lower price.
NoWay: “Like I said in a previous post, I will gladly pay for customer service. No such thing at Superstore. “
I’ve never needed customer service while shopping for groceries. I know where everything is and I buy it. I guess I’m not a high maintenance customer. :-)
We are paying roughly 6 bucks a gallon for fuel most days.
10 to 15 minutes of driving at city speeds is 12 km or so. At 15 cents a km that is a buck 80. Fill up at 40 litres for 10 cents cheaper a litre is four bucks.even driving clear across town or from the Hart to Costco at the savings of 10 cents a litre you are saving money plus you can shop at Costco while you are down there. Win win
Well, I can definitely see wanting to get out of the Hart for a break, LOL ;)
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