Rising gas prices fuel holiday apathy
The cost of gas continues to rise nationwide, possibly putting a halt to the Labor Day travel plans of many.
The price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline hit $1.85 Tuesday at many Logan service stations. The continuing rise in prices seems to be putting gas on the fires that are already burning holes in many people’s wallets.
“I’m a little upset,” said sophomore Dan Bowcutt, an undeclared sophomore. “I drive from Garland every day to come to school.”
Bowcutt said the current price of fuel shakes him up a little bit. He said if the prices continue to rise, he may have to start carpooling to Logan with his wife, who is also a Utah State University student.
While prices have continued to rise pennies a day for the past two weeks, consumers should realize that the retailers have no control over gas prices, said Kevin Bell, owner of Bell’s Chevron on 400 North and Main Street in Logan.
Bell said he believes the price will continue to rise for just a little while longer, which is not a good sign. He said the volume of gasoline sales is currently down 30 percent from normal.
“You cannot change the signs fast enough to keep up with the changes,” Bell said. “I’ve been here for 34 years and I’ve never seen prices this high.”
Bell said his business is making virtually no profit off of gasoline sales now, especially when customers pay by credit card. Credit card companies charge businesses 3 percent of the sale, which is about 6 cents per gallon, Bell said.
“We just hope when they fill up, they come in and buy something else,” Bell said. “That’s how we’ll make a profit.”
Bell said the current situation with gas prices is similar to the oil embargo of the 1970s, saying the prices have more or less gone up overnight.
Logan resident Brent Evans said he and his family have had to shorten their planned Labor Day vacation to Disneyland due to the current price of gas.
“When we planned our vacation gas was only $1.50 [per gallon],” Evans said. “With it so much more expensive, over the course of 300 or 400 miles, you just can’t afford to make the same trips with the same budget.”
Evans said his family will drive their sport utility vehicle to Zion National Park now.
“The high gasoline prices may cause some drivers to think twice about making a holiday road trip,” said AAA Utah spokeswoman Rolayne Fairclough. “In the end, AAA does not expect the price hikes will have a major impact on holiday travel.”
Fairclough said many people have taken time off from work already and made non-refundable deposits on hotel rooms, so many people will continue on with their vacation plans, despite the high cost of driving.
According to AAA, the average price of regular unleaded gasoline throughout the state of Utah was $1.79, the highest average recorded since the association began surveying gasoline prices in the mid-1970s.
-str@cc.usu.edu
Gas prices are jumping enormously around the country and in Logan they are following the same trend. All three gas stations at the intersection of 4th and Main Street have the same supreme gas price. Despite high gas prices, some people are traveling as much as they did when the price was low. (Photo by John Zsiray)