Gasoline.

It is very interesting to see how gasoline prices can fluctuate between gas stations even in the same neighborhood. Ok, so I am obsessed with gas prices. The reason is that right now they are more visible than let's say the price of beef or chicken. There is a gas station on every corner, or some intersections have even four.

We drive a half a mile, and the prices are rarely the same as seen before. Yesterday we did see price differences as much as 30 cents a gallon. That is a lot, at least as I see it. I don't understand what governs gas prices. Probably as in any retail the cost of running the business. I read somewhere that the rent has a lot to do with it. This I can understand. 

There is a gas station on a NYC parkway who has probably the highest prices in the City. The owner claimed that the City is charging him enormous rent and that forces his prices up. This is probably through but it does not make it right. These locations are not boutiques. They are not on 5th or Madison Avenues. They are just plain gas stations. So why the big price difference?

I also did notice that prices change in the course of a day. One time I bought gas out on Long Island and when I drove back, on the way home I noticed that the price was lower than what I paid. So, I went in and questioned the owner. He told me that while I was away he received a delivery thus the new price. So every time a tanker truck pulls up to fill their tanks they can change the price of gas to reflect the latest situation.

This is only fair to the operators and certainly not to the drivers. Good country, America!?