How Lubbock Gets Ripped Off On Gas Prices

Some people will do anything to cheat you out of a buck.

I do understand supply and demand. I understand rising costs. There's still something wrong with any business that instantly raises their prices the minute they're given an excuse.

Here's the core of my beef with gas stations: a price was paid for the gas they already have in those massive underground tanks. Just because the owners know the next batch they get is going to be more expensive is no reason to spike the price on what they already have on hand. It would be great if they were just raising it a little bit now so they didn't have to raise it so much later, but we both know they're still going to ride that margin when the new tank comes in.

Let's look at this in simpler terms. Let's say a gas station makes a 10 percent profit on gas. A lot of businesspeople will stay on that 10 percent. They're going to do cost + 10 percent. I find it really funny in the middle period of time where they up that percentage between their old and new supplies.

So what am I on about? Well, right now you can drive down the street in Lubbock (at the time of this article's publication) and find gas for $3.01 at one station, but one block over it's $3.29. It sure sounds to me like the latter is taking advantage of this situation because that gas has already been manufactured and delivered.

I encourage you to find yourself a nice gas app so you can shop just a bit (without burning gas while shopping around). I would also encourage you to participate in gas-saving promotions wherever you can find them. We're all going to feel a pinch from world events and we don't want to reward those who might take advantage of us.