I have a question for the group...

[tsar4]

Do any of you have Marathon Gas Stations in your area, and if you do, are the prices really out of line with the other stations?

In my area, there are 3 I regularly pass -

One is showing prices 80 cents/gal higher (more at times) than any other station

Another was more than a $1 higher, but has turned off their roadside price sign (probably because the Shell across from them is kicking their ass price-wise)

The third went as far as to paint over all the Marathon branding logos, apparently going independent in order to stay competitive

I didn't know if this was some area/regional thing, I can't find anything online about Marathon/Ashland Oil forcing their stations to do this...especially when the major brand competition across the street or up the road is that much cheaper.  I guess you can't claim gouging if nobody's buying it.

[Insipid]

Yes, there are a few, and no, they aren't out of line. The one near me is next to a Sunoco, and the Marathon typically has its gas a few cents cheaper, lol

[tsar4]

1 minute ago, Insipid said:

Yes, there are a few, and no, they aren't out of line. The one near me is next to a Sunoco, and the Marathon typically has its gas a few cents cheaper, lol

Yeah, that's the thing - Marathon was always a few cents cheaper/gal, but since the shutdown for Covid, they've been way out of whack here.

[Vamped]

we have them but I dont go to them XD

 

"Get a full tank of freedom" .... kinda cemented me not going there unless I'm desperate 

[scoobdog]

They aren't in SoCal, but, in general, brand has nothing to do with price unless there a gimmick involved (like how ARCO is "cheaper" on average only because they don't pay credit card fees).  In fact gas stations get gas from the same refineries regardless of the brands.

[Seight]

I only know of Marathon from my semi-regular exposure to #MACTION.

I do remember, however, that gas prices are usually based on how much it cost the operator to buy the gas itself, and not everyone gets the same prices because they don't order the same amount. Something like that.

[DeadwingLazarus]

Not in my part of the country, no. Sorry. (Well, I take that back. We might have one or two around here, but they're exceedingly rare.)

[SwimOdin]

I have a Shell near my house that has for the seven years I’ve lived here that is consistently $1.50 more than anywhere else. I can only assume it’s for money laundering or a front for sex trafficking.

[tsar4]

19 hours ago, scoobdog said:

They aren't in SoCal, but, in general, brand has nothing to do with price unless there a gimmick involved (like how ARCO is "cheaper" on average only because they don't pay credit card fees).  In fact gas stations get gas from the same refineries regardless of the brands.

Actually, Marathon owns it's own refineries.  They might sell to other brands, though.

[Seight]

So there's something called Alon, a Kum & Go (lol), and a Shell station at the same exit on my way to work and their prices per gallon today were $4.32, $4.36, and $4.35.

SO CRAZY

[scoobdog]

40 minutes ago, tsar4 said:

Actually, Marathon owns it's own refineries.  They might sell to other brands, though.

In Los Angeles no less, as does Chevron.  And, they do in fact sell to other brands for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is proximity and local fuel requirements.  The point is that multiple stations generally get fuel from the same refinery, which means that cost is shared across multiple stations, making the individual discrepancies localized as opposed to systematic.  Where a station is on a delivery route is a factor, as well as the rent on the particular plot.