Gas Station Bashing

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

If you want to bash BP, Shell, Citgo, Exxon, Mobil, etc., do it here.

Gas prices, the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989, and the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion of 2010 can also be subjects to bash here as well...

[ynkeesfn82]

I'll bash BP and Shell for usually being higher in price than the other stations.

[zonemad96]

I'll bash BP and Shell for usually being higher in price than the other stations.

So is Exxon I want to know what makes their gas so damn special.

[BillyGr]

So is Exxon I want to know what makes their gas so damn special.

Probably more expensive to buy all those X's - they are an uncommon letter after all. ;) ;D

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

So is Exxon I want to know what makes their gas so damn special.

Probably more expensive to buy all those X's - they are an uncommon letter after all. ;) ;D

...And so is Q!  ;D

[EddieJ1984]

I just go to Wawa for gas or Giant when I have bonuspoints built up to take off 20 cents or so.

[TheFugitive]

I am going to bash my local BP for making me stand at the pump on
freezing cold days playing Twenty Questions with the computer interface.

Do you want to use your Fuel Perks points?

Yes

Key in your 12 digit number

xxxx-xxxx-xxxx

You save .12 per gallon.  Use your points?

Yes

One moment please.....

Method of Payment?

swipe card

Credit or Debit?

debit

Enter PIN number

xxxx

Do you want to purchase a wash?

no

Do you want a receipt?

no

One moment please....

Processing....

Remove nozzle.  Begin pumping


When you get a string of days where the thermometer hangs around
zero that routine gets REALLY annoying.

[MikeRa]

Best state to get gas is in New Jersey, sice they will pump the gas for you.  It's the state law in NJ for gas stations.  Even Wawa has to follow this state law.

[zonemad96]

Best state to get gas is in New Jersey, sice they will pump the gas for you.  It's the state law in NJ for gas stations.  Even Wawa has to follow this state law.

That's good to know, if I am ever driving though new jersey or oregon I will be sure to fill up before I get into the state. Personally I would rather pump my own gas it's quicker, more convenient, and just more satisfying doing it yourself. Then again I guess it does stop all the idiots who like to start pumping their gas then get into the car to drink their coffee. They put the sign "Do not leave pump unattended" up for a reason...

[MikeRa]

Best state to get gas is in New Jersey, sice they will pump the gas for you.  It's the state law in NJ for gas stations.  Even Wawa has to follow this state law.

That's good to know, if I am ever driving though new jersey or oregon I will be sure to fill up before I get into the state. Personally I would rather pump my own gas it's quicker, more convenient, and just more satisfying doing it yourself. Then again I guess it does stop all the idiots who like to start pumping their gas then get into the car to drink their coffee. They put the sign "Do not leave pump unattended" up for a reason...

The gas prices in New Jersey are also cheaper than they are in Pennsylvania.  they are only allowed to change their prices once a week, where in Pennsylvania they can change their prices many times a day.

[BillyGr]

Best state to get gas is in New Jersey, sice they will pump the gas for you.  It's the state law in NJ for gas stations.  Even Wawa has to follow this state law.

That's good to know, if I am ever driving though new jersey or oregon I will be sure to fill up before I get into the state. Personally I would rather pump my own gas it's quicker, more convenient, and just more satisfying doing it yourself. Then again I guess it does stop all the idiots who like to start pumping their gas then get into the car to drink their coffee. They put the sign "Do not leave pump unattended" up for a reason...

The gas prices in New Jersey are also cheaper than they are in Pennsylvania.  they are only allowed to change their prices once a week, where in Pennsylvania they can change their prices many times a day.

Yeah, they do it for you and still charge less than other places.  Of course, some of that is the tax rates.  Also, you have to think it makes it less likely for people to try to leave without paying (when someone is right there in sight).

Always fun when folks from NJ come up here and have to remember that they need to get out and fill their own car (and some that may not be used to how to do it).

[TheFugitive]

The gas prices in New Jersey are also cheaper than they are in Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania recently passed a massive increase in the gas tax.
To fund road and public transit projects, supposedly.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

I also have to bash Shell for giving into Greenpeace's demands to stop selling LEGO-branded building toys in their stores over the Arctic oil drilling issue. Although I do like the idea of protecting the environment, I hate when organizations like Greenpeace ruin it for a toymaker like LEGO. Why did they protest both LEGO and Shell, when they could've just protested Shell directly? I did not think that LEGO needed to be involved in this protest at all.

Greenpeace = Greencrap (GREENPEACE WILL BURN IN HELL FOR THIS!)

That protest killed any future promotions between LEGO and Shell, which is a shame, because they had a great partnership, which goes way back to the 1960s.

At least LEGO has their own fictional fuel brand: Octan.

LEGO also released building sets with the Esso brand in the 1950s, as well as four different Exxon building sets in United States from 1980 to 1985.

P.S. I like the environment. I just don't cram it down peoples' throats like Greenpeace does with their stupid picket signs. They look like a bunch of idiots dressed up as knock-off LEGO minifigs protesting outside those Shell Stations.

[TheFugitive]

The gas prices in New Jersey are also cheaper than they are in Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania recently passed a massive increase in the gas tax.
To fund road and public transit projects, supposedly.

This morning I paid $2.55 per gallon at the Sunoco up the street.

Meanwhile in Cleveland, Ohio, two hours up the road, gas is selling for $1.67/gal.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is making more than the oil companies at this point!

[zonemad96]

The gas prices in New Jersey are also cheaper than they are in Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania recently passed a massive increase in the gas tax.
To fund road and public transit projects, supposedly.

This morning I paid $2.55 per gallon at the Sunoco up the street.

Meanwhile in Cleveland, Ohio, two hours up the road, gas is selling for $1.67/gal.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is making more than the oil companies at this point!

Yeah it's gotten pretty bad.
I live in Maryland and anytime I visited pa I used to go on almost a empty tank and refill up their since it was cheaper, now if I get stuck buying it in pa I'm annoyed the whole drive home.

[giantsfan2016]

There are three gas stations in Southington, Connecticut that are blatantly ripping off their customers because they are located opposite the I-84 Off Ramp. The Shell Station at 655 Queen Street (State Route 10) typically has the highest gas price on Queen Street. They're located right off I-84 Exit 32. The other day they they were still $2.45! The cheapest gas on Queen Street was $2.19 at Cumberland Farms. (Granted their gas is of poor quality).

Over on West Street (State Route 229) There is a Sunoco station and a Mobil station across the street from each other. They're located at the on/off ramp for I-84 Exit 31. The other day one was $2.61 and the other was $2.65!  There are a couple other stations nearby that are much cheaper - a Citgo that was $2.23 and a Valero that was around the same price.

Between Southington and neighboring Bristol there are 4 Shell stations. 3 of the 4 have higher gas prices than other stations. They have always been higher and has nothing to do with them being partners with Stop & Shop's gas promotion. (I only bring that up because people suspect Sunoco has higher gas prices because they're partners with Price Chopper's gas promotion).

[BillyGr]

The gas prices in New Jersey are also cheaper than they are in Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania recently passed a massive increase in the gas tax.
To fund road and public transit projects, supposedly.

This morning I paid $2.55 per gallon at the Sunoco up the street.
Meanwhile in Cleveland, Ohio, two hours up the road, gas is selling for $1.67/gal.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is making more than the oil companies at this point!

Actually it looks like someone in Pennsylvania is making some money too, since the tax difference between the two states is only around 30 cents/gallon, which doesn't explain even 1/2 the 88 cent difference at the pumps!

There are three gas stations in Southington, Connecticut that are blatantly ripping off their customers because they are located opposite the I-84 Off Ramp. The Shell Station at 655 Queen Street (State Route 10) typically has the highest gas price on Queen Street. They're located right off I-84 Exit 32. The other day they they were still $2.45! The cheapest gas on Queen Street was $2.19 at Cumberland Farms. (Granted their gas is of poor quality).

Over on West Street (State Route 229) There is a Sunoco station and a Mobil station across the street from each other. They're located at the on/off ramp for I-84 Exit 31. The other day one was $2.61 and the other was $2.65!  There are a couple other stations nearby that are much cheaper - a Citgo that was $2.23 and a Valero that was around the same price.

Between Southington and neighboring Bristol there are 4 Shell stations. 3 of the 4 have higher gas prices than other stations. They have always been higher and has nothing to do with them being partners with Stop & Shop's gas promotion. (I only bring that up because people suspect Sunoco has higher gas prices because they're partners with Price Chopper's gas promotion).

It is probably the same thing with the Sunoco stations as what you describe with the Shell locations.  Some are just higher (or figure that they can sneak a few cents extra in), others not so - in the greater Albany (NY) area we have lots of Price Chopper stores and lots of Sunoco stations, and it's the same - there are a few here & there that are higher than others in their area, and there are some that are the lowest (or at least equal to) others in the same area.

Then again, this area is like that generally - there are several smaller town areas and sometimes they are cheaper than the stations nearer to Albany, sometimes similar, sometimes more.  And it switches every few months between the smaller towns which has the best prices (sometimes as much as 10-15 cents less in one than the one 7 or 8 miles away, then another time the opposite one is lower).

[TheFugitive]

GetGo installed new nozzles on their pumps, which are apparently supposed to be "environmentally friendly".  They have this big rubber donut at the base of the nozzle which goes up against the spout of your tank.  It creates resistance which forces you to really have to lean hard into the tank to keep the nozzle down in there.  This is supposedly to form a seal to prevent gas vapors from escaping into the atmosphere.

I mean you have to REALLY lean hard into this thing to keep the gas flowing.  I heard quite a few women around me complaining about this.  Not to mention if your tank is empty you are getting pretty tired after that much time having to lean into it with your entire body weight.