Falling Fuel Prices Benefit Retailers

Gas station owners in many parts of the United States are buying fuel at some of the lowest prices they’ve seen in a year, yet many are padding their bottom lines rather than passing along all the savings to motorists, industry figures show.

Nationwide, the profit margin on a gallon of gasoline has widened since the start of the year and now is 20.7 cents a gallon

Antonio Tobar of Takoma, Md., said he was happy to see that regular unleaded had fallen about a nickel this week to $2.33 a gallon at his local Shell station. But it hadn’t occurred to him that the guy selling the gas was also benefiting.

“We have to pay what they say,” said Tobar, a 48-year-old handyman who spends anywhere from $40 to $100 a week to fuel his car and pickup truck. Still, he doesn’t begrudge the owner of the station for pocketing a few extra pennies here and there because “he’s not a rich guy.”

AP