When an online retailer makes a pricing error, it usually has a chance to cancel orders before they ship. But when a gas station accidentally sells fuel for nearly 75% off the retail price, oodles of drivers will line up to fill up before someone fixes the mistake.

And that’s exactly what happened at a Conoco station in Texas last night, where a glitch led to gas being sold at only $1.00/gallon.

According to KTRK-TV, news of the discount fuel got out quickly and was even being spread among local folks on Facebook. A clerk at the store told reporters that the station actually ran out of gas.

We don’t quite know how that happens without someone at the station catching on and turning customers away. After all, having no gasoline sales for a few overnight hours is better than taking a mammoth loss.

Yesterday, AAA announced a small dip in the national average for gas price. But overnight, the Energy Information Administration’s numbers for the week ending April 9 showed virtually no change from the previous week. Both organizations show the national average at more than $3.90/gallon.

Computer glitch leads to $1/gallon gas in Pasadena [KTRK via fuelfix]

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