A lot of Alberta drivers dread when their gas tank lands on empty these days as the price of gas is higher than ever.
But there are some deals to be found out there and that has some tapped-out drivers wondering why they can pay so much less by venturing out of town.
The Smoky Lake Centex gas station offered gas for $1.70 per litre Tuesday. A significant savings when you compare that to pump prices in the City of Edmonton, which are hovering between $1.86 and $1.88 per litre.
The owner of Smoky Lake Centex Didi Taylor said people call her daily looking for a deal.
“I do get phone calls of people asking me what my price of diesel or regular is in a day and… they say, ‘Oh that’s a good one, I’m coming,'” Taylor said.
Taylor added that she does lower her price to be fair to customers in hopes that they will spend the money they saved inside her store.
“I’m not entirely sure why other gas stations are charging what they’re charging. When I receive a tanker full of gas, I get notified of what I’m paying for that gas and I mark my gas up accordingly,” Taylor said. “I have no say in what I’m paying. I have all the say in my price at the pump.
“I can put my prices at whatever I want.”
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While some drivers might question why other stations are more expensive, Concordia University economist Moshe Lander said there’s no conspiracy.
“There’s no price gouging that could be going on because the only way that could exist would be with collusion, and if collusion were ever found out, the fines that would come with that would be so substantial,” Lander said.
Lander added there are a lot of possible reasons for the difference in gas costs between rural Alberta and the big cities.
“It could be something as simple though as the rural cities are engaged in a price war at this particular moment,” Lander said. “That $10 to $15 might be spent at the local grocery store, might be spent at local restaurants, and that type of thing could be a great way to boost tourism.”
Lander also thinks places like Esso or Petro Canada assume drivers won’t go the extra mile.
“Maybe they’re banking on that no one is willing to drive all the way out to rural Alberta to save $10 to $15 on a 100-litre tank,” Lander said.
Some drivers have found some cheaper spots in the city as well. On Tuesday, The Spot in Forest Heights had regular gas listed at $1.76 per litre.
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