Exxon says the US retail gas station market is “too challenging” and they’ll be selling the roughly 2,220 service stations the company owns. There are 12,000 Exxon/Mobil branded stations in the United States, but about 75 percent are already owned by others.
gas stations
Some Gas Stations Resort To Half-Gallon Pricing
By 5.29.08
To deal with pumps that don’t have enough numbers on them to go above $3.99 per gallon, some gas station owners are selling gas by the half-gallon. Another problem is that pumps with dials on them are wearing out faster as the dials have to spin faster to keep up as the dollars per second coming out of the pump is greater. There is a seventeen-week backlog for replacement pumps that let the price show above $3.99.
Help! My Gas Pump Doesn't Even Go To $4.00!
By 5.13.08
It sucks to be a “Mom & Pop” gas station owner these days. Gas station owning isn’t as profitable as you might think (the oil company gets most of the money) and now it seems that thousands of older pumps just don’t have the ability to charge more than $3.99 per gallon — and also can’t charge more than $99 for the total sale, preventing truck and SUV owners from filling their tanks up all the way.
Faulty Check Valve Sometimes Cheats You, Sometimes Gas Stations
By 4.28.08
Meet the faulty check valve, a little gremlin that lives inside the gas pump. It could be pilfering your pennies. Or it could be pilfering the gas station’s. It really doesn’t care. According to an AP article, a faulty check valve inside a gas pump is difficult to diagnose and often goes ignored. The pricing errors it produces could either be in favor of the gas station or the consumer. How does this work?
Gas Station Attendant Busted For Re-Using Customers' Credit Card Numbers
By 2.16.08
A 23-year-old gas station attendant in Massachusetts has been charged with identity theft after a customer noticed that her card was used to make additional purchases a few hours after she’d been at the station.
Card Skimmer Harvests $10,000 From 45 Victims At California Gas Station
By 12.13.07
Police suspect that a card skimmer installed at a gas station in El Monte, CA is responsible for $10,000 in credit card fraud, says KNBC:
“It looks like the victims were gassing up here and using the outside pump terminals, and their credit card information was compromised,” El Monte police Detective Brian Glick said.
1/3 Of South Florida Gas Pumps Failed State Accuracy Tests
By 10.21.07
More than a third South Florida’s gas station pumps have failed the state’s accuracy test in the past three years. An analysis of state inspections reveals that slightly more than half of the broken pumps err in favor of the consumer. The state inspects all pumps every 12-18 months.
The Sun-Sentinel analyzed state inspection reports from 2004 to 2006. The analysis found 580 of more than 2,500 stations in South Florida had at least one pump dispensing more gas than customers paid to purchase, while 477 provided less fuel than they should.
Gas Station "Skimmers" Steal Your Credit Card Info When You Pay At The Pump
By 6.1.07
In case you weren’t aware, a skimmer is a tiny device that reads your credit card number and delivers it to the bad guys.
Why Is Gas So Freakin' Expensive?
By 5.29.07
Did you know that gas price gouging almost never occurs as prices rise? Rather, it’s most often when dealers keep prices artificially high even as their costs fall.
Protect Yourself From Purse Thieves At The Gas Station
By 1.31.07
To protect yourself, Sheriff Ken Jenne of Broward County, Florida offers common sense advice like
