Gas Price-Zone Price

Gas stations & convenience stores (AM/PM, 7-Eleven, etc.)
storewanderer
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Re: Gas Price-Zone Price

Post by storewanderer »

Alpha8472 wrote: August 6th, 2022, 7:54 pm Costco in the San Francisco Bay Area has reached $4.59 a gallon. I am surprised as competitors are in the $5 range and brand name gas stations such as Chevron are $5.79 to $5.99.
Costco seems to be leading this gas price war. I wonder what they are doing. I am also noticing I keep seeing incentive offers for new memberships, $10 off through channels I never saw before, etc.

Sam's has been doing a lot of basically free membership promotions for quite some time now. I wonder if Costco's way of attacking Sam's for doing that is to do this thing where they underprice gas, force Sam's to counter to meet them and cause Sam's lose a ton of money both on the gas sale and on giving out free membership. While Costco is just losing money on the gas and not giving out free memberships like product samples.

With that said in Reno, Sam's is just getting busier and busier. Their traffic is easily double-triple what it was about 4 years ago when I thought the store was at risk of closing (top shelves were emptying, etc.). Now this store is overflowing with products and full of customers from open to close.
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Re: Gas Price-Zone Price

Post by Alpha8472 »

Sam's Club used to be very empty in the San Francisco Bay Area: Concord and Vacaville. It has become very busy in the past few years. I first became a Sam's Club member when they offered the $45 free egift card on your account a few years ago. Then they lured me into a Plus Membership by giving me a free gift card equivalent to the upgrade in membership. I liked the free curbside pickup, free online shipping, and paying on the mobile app. You do not need to wait in line for a register.

The Sam's Club gas in Vacaville is $4.98. So Costco is trying to lure Sam's Club customers back with lower gas. However, Sam's Club keeps doing the practically free membership deals.

Some Sam's Club Membership counter people will make deals and give you a gift card to keep you as a member for another year. You just have to ask. It is like getting another year's membership for free.

Update: Most Costco gas stations have gone up Sunday to around $4.99. The Costco in San Ramon went to $4.79 to match an independent gas station in nearby Dublin, California.
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Re: Gas Price-Zone Price

Post by storewanderer »

The Reno Costco and Reno Sam's have increased their gas price to 4.85-4.86 now. Funny. Meanwhile other stations prices are falling.

Tonight in Carson City I found gas at just 4.54 (Quik Stop; save .03 with Kroger loyalty so 4.51 but must pay inside to do that). No card fee of any kind. The cash Sinclair was also at 4.54 (credit 4.64). Maverik at 4.59. Even Chevron was only 4.69.

Just a little ways to go to get the price down to the 3.79 or so it was in Carson City area back in April... high fives all around for allowing the price to bloat then getting it down so much so fast. I am sure this is a record price decrease in a record amount of time that will be considered a major accomplishment for years to come.
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Re: Gas Price-Zone Price

Post by Alpha8472 »

The problem with Costco customers is that they are so used to Costco being the lowest priced gas that they don't compare the prices to other nearby stations.

Costco could raise their prices and most of the customers will still pay it even though it is higher than competitors.

Costco and Sam's Club are just trying to take advantage of this.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Costco is still the lowest around at $4.75 a gallon. There are competitors that are not much higher.
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Re: Gas Price-Zone Price

Post by veteran+ »

Here Costco is $4.59

Arco and Sinclair at $4.69
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Re: Gas Price-Zone Price

Post by mjhale »

Alpha8472 wrote: August 20th, 2022, 2:01 pm The problem with Costco customers is that they are so used to Costco being the lowest priced gas that they don't compare the prices to other nearby stations.
In the area that I live in gas stations close to Costco, Sam's and BJs are often within 10 cents of the warehouse club prices. I always get a good laugh at the people waiting in 20+ car deep lines at Costco for gas. Sure I'd wait if I could save 30/40/50+ cents but not 10 cents or even 20 cents. There is a value to my time as well. Costco should be happy it has such loyal customers that they don't price compare and just shop Costco instead.
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Re: Gas Price-Zone Price

Post by veteran+ »

mjhale wrote: August 21st, 2022, 10:29 am
Alpha8472 wrote: August 20th, 2022, 2:01 pm The problem with Costco customers is that they are so used to Costco being the lowest priced gas that they don't compare the prices to other nearby stations.
In the area that I live in gas stations close to Costco, Sam's and BJs are often within 10 cents of the warehouse club prices. I always get a good laugh at the people waiting in 20+ car deep lines at Costco for gas. Sure I'd wait if I could save 30/40/50+ cents but not 10 cents or even 20 cents. There is a value to my time as well. Costco should be happy it has such loyal customers that they don't price compare and just shop Costco instead.
Exactly!
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Re: Gas Price-Zone Price

Post by storewanderer »

mjhale wrote: August 21st, 2022, 10:29 am
Alpha8472 wrote: August 20th, 2022, 2:01 pm The problem with Costco customers is that they are so used to Costco being the lowest priced gas that they don't compare the prices to other nearby stations.
In the area that I live in gas stations close to Costco, Sam's and BJs are often within 10 cents of the warehouse club prices. I always get a good laugh at the people waiting in 20+ car deep lines at Costco for gas. Sure I'd wait if I could save 30/40/50+ cents but not 10 cents or even 20 cents. There is a value to my time as well. Costco should be happy it has such loyal customers that they don't price compare and just shop Costco instead.
The Sam's Club gas station in Reno is located in the middle of an area with very high priced gas stations, same scenario with the Costco gas station in Sparks. However the Reno Costco station is located near many other stations that price within .10-.15 almost always (the past couple months were different....).

I know many people who do not even compare gas prices at all but just go straight to Costco because it is "always the lowest price." Many of these folks live 10 miles from the Costco Store. It does not make sense. It makes sense to cross the street to save .10 per gallon, but not drive 10 miles JUST to save .10 per gallon. But if they plan to shop there already, then why not? Personally even if I was shopping there I would not wait in that long gas line. I am fortunate there is a Costco station in Carson City and if I wanted to use that one, it rarely had any major lines. But other stations in Carson City are within a few cents of it, so no use. That is probably also why it rarely has any major lines.
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Re: Gas Price-Zone Price

Post by Alpha8472 »

I only get gas at Costco if I am passing by late at night. There are some local stations that are very close in price. There is a very busy Costco gas in Concord, California but the lines are insane even at closing time. They have to turn cars away before the gas station even closes. I estimate wait times for gas could be 35 minutes. Just waiting in line wastes too much gas.
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Re: Gas Price-Zone Price

Post by BillyGr »

Alpha8472 wrote: August 21st, 2022, 1:45 pm Just waiting in line wastes too much gas.
Only if you run the vehicle while waiting, which isn't needed much of the time.
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