Pantagraph.com | Business | Gas prices jump in B-N

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

to "blah" wrote on Jun 1, 2006 4:08 PM:

" You need to get out more and learn how the real world works "

oil down wrote on Jun 1, 2006 3:28 PM:

" http://www.bloomberg.com/energy/ "

gas today wrote on Jun 1, 2006 3:26 PM:

" gas prices in southern illinois today went down 2 cents, in the chacigo area it stayed the same as yesterday. are we here in central illinois getting better gas then they are or are we getting hosed? "

Gov't is loving it! wrote on Jun 1, 2006 9:49 AM:

" Gov't coffers are profiting from the higher prices like never before. There are various 'road maintenance' tax % built into the price consumers pay at the pump. The higher the price, the more tax money gets sent to Springfield. I, for one, better see some serious road improvements happening! Or, here's a concept - states could pool all this extra money and give it to car manuf. for developing a vehicle that does not require petroleum products at all! How about vegetable oil or animal manure? It's POSSIBLE. "

blah wrote on Jun 1, 2006 8:03 AM:

" So they've basically admitted it's NOT supply-demand driving price. I thought when everyone who sells a product, choses the same price as thier competitors.. that was price fixing or something like that? Oh, and has anyone else noticed that the BP in Downs, and Leroy are consistantly .35 higher? While gas was 2.6x in Bloomington, it was 2.99 at BP. "

To Walking wrote on Jun 1, 2006 7:43 AM:

" This is not a "crock" as you call it. It actually makes perfect sense and you'd do exactly the same thing if you stopped to think about it for a moment. If you were to open a gas station, you'd fill your tanks and set the price per gallon at something that would make you a profit, as well as let you pay the costs of doing business...including saving to fill those big tanks back up when the time comes. So you fill your tanks today and set the price, tomorrow you hear from your supplier that it's going to cost you more to fill the tanks next week then you just paid. Do you keep your price the same for the next 2 weeks because you've already paid for it? Only if you're an idiot...you raise the price NOW so you actually have the money to fill the tanks LATER. Basic economics. "

UK ex-pat wrote on Jun 1, 2006 7:37 AM:

" Back in the UK Gas prices are now pushing $8 a gallon, so we're still paying a lot less here, but at least over there price fixing is illegal !!!!!! "

To the person from Hawaii wrote on Jun 1, 2006 7:34 AM:

" Your entire economy is different there, and thus cannot be compared to the midwest. Plus, you have beaches rather than cornfields. Maybe YOU should be happy, not us. "

To: jelangw@hawaii.rr.com wrote on Jun 1, 2006 6:49 AM:

" That may just be the price you pay for living in paradise. We all make choices. Don't chastise us for yours. "

We need the real story wrote on Jun 1, 2006 4:09 AM:

" I agree with "here we go again," why don't you do a real story on gas prices here. There has to be some sort of collusion the way they go up and down (mostly up) in unision on such a frequent basis. Interviewing industry spokespersons just doesn't do it. "

jelangw@hawaii.rr.com wrote on Jun 1, 2006 3:11 AM:

" our gas in hawaii is 3.29 in honolulu for cheap gas the outer islands are much higher. we dont even have hiways here so we can check out the hiway gas mileage. our main hiway is h-1 and it is almost always a parking lot. be happy. "

Jeff wrote on May 31, 2006 11:26 PM:

" Illinoisgasprices.com Shop competetively "

Stop blaming big oil wrote on May 31, 2006 11:21 PM:

" Big oil companies don't set local pump prices. Big oil has nothing to do with the refined gas you buy. If it makes not sense then there is probably something going on. You see all these politician calling for investigations? Yeah all on big oil companies. Who ask the all the local stations and thier suppliers? Who raised the price? Ask the right people the right questions we just might find out the truth. "

Walking wrote on May 31, 2006 9:19 PM:

" What I can't understand is how they raise the price of gas when the gas currently in the underground tanks at the station is already there and was made at a lower cost. It takes approx. 2 weeks for a barrel of oil to be refined into gasoline and then reach the stations. If the price of crude oil goes up, the price increase shouldn't be reflected at the pumps for 2 weeks. It's currently happening right away, and also going up on rumor, conjecture, maybe's and possibilities. Could be a hurricane in September? We best be raising the price of gas now then, just in case. What a crock. It smells, folks. Smells bad. "

weds. night prices wrote on May 31, 2006 9:15 PM:

" champaign 2.69 Walpella - caseys 2.68 Pekin - bp 2.73 Naperville - thorntons 2.73 Springfield - hucks 2.66 Decatur - thorntons 2.73 Joliet - bp & thorntons 2.82 Rockford - shell 2.82 Bloomington - freedom 2 darn high "

FREE GAS??? wrote on May 31, 2006 9:12 PM:

" How many of our elected officals, State, City, and County ride around town and the state on gas taxes payers pay for? They know who they are but and maybe this is the reason nothing is done to help us that have to pay for our own gas. People who drive to work everyday pay for their own gas why can't the elected officals do the same?????????? "

out of gas wrote on May 31, 2006 8:21 PM:

" It's not just in B-N. The Rockford/Freeport markets also jump .15-.20 from morning to afternoon. "

All in it together wrote on May 31, 2006 6:37 PM:

" The station across the street raised prices so I will too. Does anybody keep their price low or just drop it ten cents to attract customers. Nope. Let's say that there are four stations at an intersection, one on each corner. Seems to me that if one place just dropped the price of gas ten cents they would get the business of all four stations. We don't get that kind of competition for our money. We get one raising and the others follow suit. Do they take turns raising the price? Not one gas station want's to bring in business by lowering the gas price. Why not? "

Chuck in Normal wrote on May 31, 2006 5:23 PM:

" Bla..bla..bla.. 10 Billions in profit, bla,bla..4oo Million retirement Package, bla, bla..The gas prices here are running $.15 - $.20 higher than Chicago, Morris and Joliet... The local stations are making a killing along with the Big Oil Companies. How do I know. I'm there every day. And why do they ask Springfeild? Because Lincoln Land Oil is from there and they own all the "Quick n Easy's" At least give us a kiss with what you are doing to us here in Bloomington / Normal, but don't give me the "Poor pitifull me story!" "

TO BN backwards wrote on May 31, 2006 5:21 PM:

" It's all about who the supplier is. For instance if a tankfarm/pipeline in southern IL is cheaper a buyer may get the fuel mix there or it may be cheaper to get the fuel from the IL river terminals, in some cases. Mainly it depends on the supplier and the cost to get the product to the pumps. As you know, trucks deliver the fuel to the stations and currently there is a 10-15% fuel surcharge for the delivery of the fuel to the station. As for the "collar counties" around/including Chicago they are mandated to use cleaner fuels to combat pollution and are taxed higher for roads/fuel tax in general. "

BN Cynic wrote on May 31, 2006 5:20 PM:

" Hey, oil company execs have to eat, too! "

Here we go again - Part 2 wrote on May 31, 2006 5:11 PM:

" Also, note that Fleishli says "WITH OIL AND WHOLESALE PRICES GOING UP, there had to be restoration in the market." Sykuta says, on the other hand, that "it was just a matter of time" before prices rose after "competitive pricing drove down the cost." (I think he must mean "price.) So Fleishli is saying higher cost is impacting the price now (actually oil has been in a tight range the last couple of weeks) and Syuta is saying price competition between retailers is letting up. My summary: These guys are just blowing smoke. The retailers like to play games with the B/N market. "

Here we go again - Part 1 wrote on May 31, 2006 4:57 PM:

" Pantagraph, these two guys you always interview always come up with a reason to fit the scenario after the fact. They don't always make economic sense. Just a week or so ago you interviewed Fleishli. He talked about supply being in balace with demand. That dosen't jibe with the "there had to be restoration in the market" comment given now. Furthermore, Sykuta says "competivie pressure drove down the COST...it was a matter of time before PRICES rose again." Cost and prices are two separate issues. I'm all about the free market, so I'm not here to bash the major oil companies. My point is that no other communities like ours have these kinds of price swings by local retailers. I'd love to see you do a story on the NATURE of the price changes and why it happens hear and not elsewhere. These stories are just like interviewing the local head of the Board of Realtors who, despite the statistics, always tells citizens that the housing market is doing great or looking up, etc. "

Question wrote on May 31, 2006 4:48 PM:

" why does the pantagraph always ask the people in springfield that are paid by the gas stations why the price went up? do you really think they are going to give you a honest answer? i know you will not print this but you could answer it if you are really into honest news!! "

bull wrote on May 31, 2006 4:44 PM:

" at 4:00 this afternoon the hucks on hershey and the thortons on hershey and rt9 still had gas at 2.64. must not have been to big of deal to raise the price. the hucks in heyworth raised their price this morning because the freedom down the street raised theirs. then they only took their up to 2.84. this is all just cr@p. "

Last line wrote on May 31, 2006 4:39 PM:

" The last line in the article says it all. Get ready for higher prices as the gas companies use hurricanes as an excuse to raise prices. "

B-N Backwards wrote on May 31, 2006 4:17 PM:

" It is funny. Every time I go to Bloomington you can pay the same price for gas at a Speedway as you do a Shell. Most other places in the state Shell sells at a premium over a lower end gas. Also, gas is usually $0.10-$0.20 cents cheaper. However, I always attributed this to EPA fomulation rules. Does anyone know where the formulation boundaries are along I-55. I believe Chicago has its own blend, Bloomington has its own blend, Springfield has it own blend, and St. Louis has its own blend. Then supply and demand force in these areas drive the price of gas. Thus gas prices are higher in Chicagoland, followed by St. Louis, Springfield, and Bloomington. Can someone explain this??? "

dang wrote on May 31, 2006 4:16 PM:

" guess i should've filled up last night... never fails... gauge hits E and prices jump! "

Chelly wrote on May 31, 2006 4:12 PM:

" Baloney: I agree with ya. Kinda sad when at 8:15 AM gas was still 2.64, but by noon it was 2.89. "

baloney wrote on May 31, 2006 4:05 PM:

" I don't know why anyone listens to anyone from the industry; they all poor-mouth and they're reaping obscene record profits and still they poor-mouth. If the price at the pump is what we have to pay, then I guess we don't have much choice, but please spare us the insult of the industry bellyaching. That's such an insult to us all! "

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