Here in the DFW area people are freaking out. There are long gas station lines, stations are running dry, and prices are high. One station I heard about has only 93 octane and is charging $4 per gallon for it. The price display was turned off so you wouldn't know how much it costs until you start pumping. People are filling their vehicle tanks and gas cans. Local news stations reported that a shortage was likely, so everyone went out and made a shortage happen.
How are things in your area?
Just fine, no shortages what-so-ever. Some stations raised their prices into the $2.50s per gallon for 87 octane, while some are still in the 2-teens.
83 is in the 2.30s....so I think it's just a local problem.
I wonder why it's affecting us first. Maybe it's because we're closer to the refineries, so we're first in line for whatever happens. San Antonio news reports indicate shortages, but they aren't reported in Austin's paper.
Analysts say that stations that run out should be resupplied in a few days. Since most people don't need to buy that frequently, it seems like if we didn't have panic buying there may not be a shortage at all.
You guys might have shortages down there, but we've got our own refineries up here (3 around Chicago) that get crude oil from different places (Alberta crude oil is common here). I sincerely doubt we'll ever see those kinds of shortages.
No issues in California other than the typical high prices, we have our own refineries as well.
Philly area prices jumped at least 20 cents in the past couple of days...but no shortages that I've heard.
I read a claim, made by a random person online, that something called the Ohio River Network is well supplied and is sending fuel this way. I really think the actual severity is a lot less than the immediate problem. It's similar to when stores run out of food before a two-day ice storm (that happens here).
If there's any issues in Texas, they may be isolated issues. Gasbuddy is showing the Houston area overall still having some of the cheapest prices in the nation.
I did see some stations near me in NJ jump about 10 cents a gallon.
If a station has their signs turned off, now everyone that pulls their cell phones out ready to record every cop waiting for it to be the next viral sensation should be pulling them out to show that.
The Texas railroad commissioner, who has nothing to do with railroads but is in charge or regulating the oil business, says that about 3 million barrels per day of production capacity is down, and that due to normal operations there are currently about 230 million barrels of gasoline in storage around the country. While there are delays in deliveries due to having fewer places to fill delivery trucks, there is no shortage except that caused by excessive buying. Gasoline futures are up 26 cents just today, and have been rising for days. Prices are likely to jump, but it sounds like the shortage shouldn't spread and should be alleviated here once we get deliveries and everyone already has full tanks.
Ya'll are spoiled. You know that, right? My neighborhood: $3.13 for regular. But at least no shortages.
Quote from: Brandon on August 31, 2017, 03:25:03 PM
You guys might have shortages down there, but we've got our own refineries up here (3 around Chicago) that get crude oil from different places (Alberta crude oil is common here). I sincerely doubt we'll ever see those kinds of shortages.
No, but you'll see the price increases. The oil companies will jump at any excuse to stick it to their customers. And you can bet the gas stations will collude on prices.
Quote from: hbelkins on August 31, 2017, 04:40:13 PM
Quote from: Brandon on August 31, 2017, 03:25:03 PM
You guys might have shortages down there, but we've got our own refineries up here (3 around Chicago) that get crude oil from different places (Alberta crude oil is common here). I sincerely doubt we'll ever see those kinds of shortages.
No, but you'll see the price increases. The oil companies will jump at any excuse to stick it to their customers. And you can bet the gas stations will collude on prices.
This too. Prices are quick to rise and slow to drop.
Wednesday gas was $1.999 at a Circle K in Ruston. The price jumped 25 cents today. Should go up another 10 cents tomorrow.
Btw...what happened to the cents symbol that keyboards used to have?? I sure would like to see one again.
Quote from: kkt on August 31, 2017, 04:07:08 PM
Y'all are spoiled. You know that, right? My neighborhood: $3.13 for regular. But at least no shortages.
Spoiled? Nah not really. Just livin in the right place (can't be helped).
Quote from: JJBers on August 31, 2017, 02:06:03 PM
83 is in the 2.30s....so I think it's just a local problem.
83? That is your octane level? Y'all are getting robbed at the pump moreso than anyone!
They've gone up bigly here. One Haffner's that is normally medium-cheap and slow to change in
both directions suddenly shot up from 2.29 to 2.49.
Quote from: cjk374 on August 31, 2017, 05:02:36 PM
Btw...what happened to the cents symbol that keyboards used to have?? I sure would like to see one again.
Option-4, if you're on a Mac.
Some stations in South Jersey have raised their prices 22 cents since Monday morning.🕖
It's like another Christie Tax hike.
And say goodbye to that 2.30 price, I didn't realize, but just in the last day, prices have gone up 10-20 cents.
Quote from: cjk374 on August 31, 2017, 05:02:36 PM
Btw...what happened to the cents symbol that keyboards used to have?? I sure would like to see one again.
The only keyboards I ever recall seeing with ¢ keys were on typewriters–frequently above the 6 on electrics or paired with another symbol in the space of the nonexistent return key on manual models.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww-03.ibm.com%2Fibm%2Fhistory%2Fibm100%2Fimages%2Ficp%2FN781083W30030P65%2Fus__en_us__ibm100__selectric__selectric_1__620x350.jpg&hash=d9069dd0c3825528b5a0bac78b622943afe538f8)
We've had prices in the Richmond, VA area jump 30 cents since Tuesday morning. I pass by a Wawa on my way to work and it was $2.09. On my way home from work it was $2.25. Now it's $2.35.
Still normal up here in the Susquehanna Valley. Gas prices range from $2.30 to $2.50 here, and nothing's really changed ever since Harvey began.
AFAIK Dallas is only having problems because people panicked and rushed to the pumps to fill up whether they currently needed to or not. If everyone waited until they needed gas to buy it, there wouldn't have been an issue.
This is a common theme in these sorts of post-disaster situations. It's part of why we had the emergency even/odd restriction in the NYC area in the weeks after Sandy. People with 1/2 and 3/4 full tanks were lining up to top them off, raiding the stock of gas stations unnecessarily.
Haven't heard of any shortage issues up here now, though we are seeing prices go up. A week ago the going rate was $2.35-$2.45. Now it's $2.55-$2.65.
No shortages over here. Price is absolutely normal.
Quote from: Duke87 on August 31, 2017, 08:44:12 PM
AFAIK Dallas is only having problems because people panicked and rushed to the pumps to fill up whether they currently needed to or not. If everyone waited until they needed gas to buy it, there wouldn't have been an issue.
This is a common theme in these sorts of post-disaster situations. It's part of why we had the emergency even/odd restriction in the NYC area in the weeks after Sandy. People with 1/2 and 3/4 full tanks were lining up to top them off, raiding the stock of gas stations unnecessarily.
Haven't heard of any shortage issues up here now, though we are seeing prices go up. A week ago the going rate was $2.35-$2.45. Now it's $2.55-$2.65.
There were going to be potential problems already, because of some of the distribution system being down. With fewer places to fill the trucks, there would be delayed deliveries. A few places might have run low, but it wouldn't have been a big deal. The news reports made people go out and start buying in excess, including filling cans, which made it much worse than it needed to be. In my area, there seems to be no gasoline at all.
I love reading the folks who call a 30-40 cent jump abnormal. That's par for the course here. Some asshole working for Speedway in Ohio seems to think prices are too low, and the next day, we see a jump of 30-50 cents. Then it falls back again. It's a gas price roller coaster ride.
Shockingly enough, gasoline is being delivered. Most stations around here are still empty, but since everyone filled every fuel tank, gas can, and milk jug they had yesterday, there's nothing left to fill and there's no run on supplies.
Quote from: 1 on August 31, 2017, 05:38:28 PM
They've gone up bigly here. One Haffner's that is normally medium-cheap and slow to change in both directions suddenly shot up from 2.29 to 2.49.
Quote from: cjk374 on August 31, 2017, 05:02:36 PM
Btw...what happened to the cents symbol that keyboards used to have?? I sure would like to see one again.
Option-4, if you're on a Mac.
Alt+0162 in Windows.
It was fine here in CT until yesterday, when prices shot up 30-50 cents overnight from about 2.35 to one station charging 2.85. State passed a law against price gouging last year. Glad it helped. :rolleyes:
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on September 01, 2017, 04:11:58 PM
It was fine here in CT until yesterday, when prices shot up 30-50 cents overnight from about 2.35 to one station charging 2.85. State passed a law against price gouging last year. Glad it helped. :rolleyes:
Hopefully it sets in sometime soon, or we'll be hitting 3.00's
Gasoline has gone up FORTY cents since Monday morning here in South Jersey. It's worse than a Christie tax hike; that was only 23 cents.
Bizarrely, we have a price war going on between five closely spaced stations in town. Everyone else is $2.55-$2.59, and these guys are $2.18-$2.19!
Quote from: Brandon on September 02, 2017, 12:44:25 AM
Bizarrely, we have a price war going on between five closely spaced stations in town. Everyone else is $2.55-$2.59, and these guys are $2.18-$2.19!
Sounds like a great time to visit your part of Illinois! :)
It bears pointing out here what price gouging is, and what it isn't:
Price gouging is when some basic necessity (such as gasoline) becomes challenging to access on account of a recent disaster, and retailers of it in the disaster-stricken area charge exhorbitant prices, figuring desperate people will pay it and they can line their pockets.
Price gouging is not the price of a basic necessity across the entire country going up on account of a sudden constraint its supply (caused by a disaster in one particular area or otherwise).
So unless you are in an area Hurricane Harvey or its direct remnants have hit, and where a state of emergency has been officially declared, what you are seeing is not price gouging.
Quote from: Duke87 on September 02, 2017, 08:12:23 PM
It bears pointing out here what price gouging is, and what it isn't:
Price gouging is when some basic necessity (such as gasoline) becomes challenging to access on account of a recent disaster, and retailers of it in the disaster-stricken area charge exhorbitant prices, figuring desperate people will pay it and they can line their pockets.
Price gouging is not the price of a basic necessity across the entire country going up on account of a sudden constraint its supply (caused by a disaster in one particular area or otherwise).
So unless you are in an area Hurricane Harvey or its direct remnants have hit, and where a state of emergency has been officially declared, what you are seeing is not price gouging.
There isn't a shortage, though, and prices are jumping up anyway.
Quote from: cjk374 on September 02, 2017, 05:40:43 PM
Quote from: Brandon on September 02, 2017, 12:44:25 AM
Bizarrely, we have a price war going on between five closely spaced stations in town. Everyone else is $2.55-$2.59, and these guys are $2.18-$2.19!
Sounds like a great time to visit your part of Illinois! :)
Unfortunately, the price war ended today. We'll see what happens as these prices never seem to last long. The stations here in town are not just in competition with each other. They complete with the stations in NW Indiana, Morris, and LaSalle-Peru on I-80. If those are lower, then we'll see lower prices again soon enough.
Quote from: Brandon on September 02, 2017, 10:18:53 PM
Quote from: cjk374 on September 02, 2017, 05:40:43 PM
Quote from: Brandon on September 02, 2017, 12:44:25 AM
Bizarrely, we have a price war going on between five closely spaced stations in town. Everyone else is $2.55-$2.59, and these guys are $2.18-$2.19!
Sounds like a great time to visit your part of Illinois! :)
Unfortunately, the price war ended today. We'll see what happens as these prices never seem to last long. The stations here in town are not just in competition with each other. They complete with the stations in NW Indiana, Morris, and LaSalle-Peru on I-80. If those are lower, then we'll see lower prices again soon enough.
There's also a price war in CT: who can raise it the
highest?
It would probably be safe to say that part of that price jump that everyone is seeing is due to the Labor Day Weekend travels. Whether they are using Harvey as an excuse to sneak in another nickel or dime into the annual "Holiday Bump" is anybody's guess.
Western Colorado has seen anywhere from a 20-40 cent bump in prices over this past week.
I was able to buy yesterday in an outlying area, a small town called Morgan, without waiting in a line. Since I was headed that way I though I'd have better luck in a small town. The GasBuddy availability tracker is looking better around the DFW area, but it's still pretty bad. We still have small lines, which could be caused by normal demand being compressed into a fraction of the stations, but not the ridiculous lines we had Thursday. The tracker still looks really bad in Austin and San Antonio, but not as bad as before. Austin at one point was almost completely out.
I suspect it'll take a while to recover since as long as there are any empty stations some people will still buy more frequently and won't use all the excess they have stored in cans.