How do you choose what gas station to use?
October 15th, 2009 at 04:02pm Thomas V. Bona
Just wrote about Road Ranger’s use of self-supplied gasoline as opposed to linking with Citgo or BP or Mobil.
Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores made some good points:
But brand loyalty isn’t what it used to be, Lenard added, because people shop based on price, convenience and experience. Gas stations differentiate themselves on service rather than the sign out front.
“If they like your store, they’re going to like your gas,” he said. “If they like the customer service, if they like the food offerings, if they like the cleanliness of your store, they’re going to trust you sell good fuel.”
For me, I choose a gas station based mainly where I am when I need gas. I’m the kind of customer that must drive them wild - no loyalty whatsoever. Today, I went to Road Ranger because it was on my route and because I like their coffee … at least compared with the other nearby option. But I’ll go a variety of gas stations depending on the time. What’s inside usually doesn’t matter because I try not to buy much inside … I get my gas, use my card and go.
Road Ranger’s “Top Tier” detergent gasoline is interesting, mainly because Honda is one of the automakers behind Top Tier and I drive a Honda Fit. But my owners manual doesn’t say anything about using specifically that kind of gas … I’ll ask my mechanic but I suspect my patterns won’t change unless he says “Oh heavens yes, use Top Tier”.
What drives your gas station decision? Do you have any brand loyalty?
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized
8 Comments Add your own
1. Art | October 15th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I go the cheapest, closest to home or work, to one not associated with Road Ranger and Sunil.
2. Thomas V. Bona | October 15th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
I’m interested, Art, in the reason for your negative association. Care to say more?
3. Will | October 16th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
I use the ones owned by Johnson Oil. A member of my family works for them so its really a no-brainer. If I have my E-85 vehicle with me I will fill at one of the local stations selling it. Generally speaking the Phillips 66 at Alpine and Sandy Hollow has E-85 cheapest out of the stations in Rockford.
4. Thomas V. Bona | October 17th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Will - which stations are owned by Johnson Oil? Where are they based out of?
5. Will | October 17th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Johnson Oil is the owner of some of the Shell stations in Rockford. South Alpine and American Dr., Harrison and South Main, and they operate the fuel island at Maggio’s Baxter road and I-39 truck stop. They are family owned and their HQ is in Rock Falls.
6. Dave | November 2nd, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Why not use companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil like ARCO, Sunoco, Conoco, Sinclair, BP/Phillips, or Hess.
Shell Oil is one of the biggest importers of Middle Eastern oil.
Use your heads folks. Even if a local company (distributors) is family owned, where do you think the money goes? Shell has been and always will be my last choice.
7. Thomas V. Bona | November 2nd, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Dave,
Sorry but it’s not so simple.
A. As Snopes.com notes, those numbers are outdated … both old, and not taking into account industry consolidation.
B. More importantly, as the Energy Department says, it’s nigh impossible to tell where the gasoline you pump came from:
“This mixing of brands occurs because gasoline from different refineries is often combined for shipment by pipeline, and companies owning service stations in the same area may be purchasing gasoline at the same bulk terminal….
…Even if we knew which company’s refinery produced the gasoline, the source of the crude oil used at that refinery may vary on a day-to-day basis. Most refiners use a mix of crude oils from various domestic and foreign sources. The mix of crude oils can change based on the relative cost and availability of crude oil from different sources.”
8. Chuck | November 17th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Funny!! 95% of all the gas stations in Rockford area come through the same terminal!! Yes a few have different additives for “brands” but the base product is the same.The only gas that comes from a designated terminal would be the formerly Amoco, now known as BP. I try to avoid the M’s amd the R’s in town. It should be a crime to “regulate” the market as these 2 do. There is a Citgo back in town on Riverside near Alpine that trys NOT to follow the “trend” of the big 2 in town.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed