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It’s not just drivers who hate high gas prices. So do gas station owners
Independent station owners say higher wholesale fuel costs, credit card fees and delivery charges are leaving many with only pennies a gallon or losses, NACS said.
- Small business gas station owners across the country face severe margin pressure as rising wholesale fuel costs cut deeply into profits, with some considering shutting down fuel sales entirely.
- Beyond rising fuel prices, credit card fees and labor costs—elevated since 2022—compound the squeeze. Jeff Lenard, spokesperson for the National Association for Convenience Stores, notes these stores sell about 80% of nationwide fuel.
- In Sonoma Valley, California, Chris Bambury sold gas for $6.29 last week, below the $6.36 county average; Harry Singh in Nutley, New Jersey reports customers now request smaller fill-ups of $20 or $30.
- Lonnie McQuirter, a Minneapolis owner who will mark his 21st year in business next month, faces declining fuel volumes that impact his bottom line. "If your fuel volumes are dropping and you're getting squeezed on margins, you really have to watch your pennies," he said.
- Retail prices often lag behind wholesale fluctuations as owners slowly recoup lost profits. Bambury, whose family business employs 37 people, noted that owners pay more for existing inventory, delaying retail price cuts even when wholesale costs fall.
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By Chris Isidore, CNN. Chris Bambury's family has been selling gas in Sonoma Valley, California, for more than 100 years, but never at prices like these. The price at his two stations was $6.29 for a gallon of regular gasoline last week, which is actually cheap for his part of California — AAA put the average price in his county at $6.36. Gas station owners are struggling with rising gas prices just as much as their customers. The vast majority …
·Idaho Falls, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources10
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution90% Center
Bias Distribution
- 90% of the sources are Center
90% Center
C 90%
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