Line Up for Cheaper Gas at Costco or Walmart?

[Amethyst]

I have to really need/want something, to wait in line at all.

I usually buy gas at a convenience store near the gym I use. The price is about average for town. There's a cheaper station a mile away, but it's out of my way and a pain to get to.

Every 6-8 weeks, I fill up at the BJs 30 miles from me as part of a routine shopping trip. This morning, I was there fairly early, and found an empty stall. But it was definitely more crowded than I've seen before.

 

[Amethyst]

A friend who's 64, has dropped hints that they are worth well into 8 figures. Yet she told of turning around from a $5.00 gallon of milk, in order to drive to a store where it would be cheaper.

I

I know plenty of people who feel differently. One relative who is 80 and sitting on 7 figures will drive to Costco to save the $2 even if it takes him 30 mins extra. Or he’ll return two $0.74 cent screws he bought at Home Depot. That alone isn’t worth the gas or time. But I guess it’s a mentality. Or maybe at that age that is what he likes to do to keep busy.

I think you've hit on the secret. Makes him feel clever and useful. Also is probably how he was raised.

 

[Badger]

Whenever I am running errands, grocery shopping, or have a Dr appointment and see that I am at 1/2 a tank of gas I look for the most convenient gas station on my route and on my side of the road that is the least expensive and fill up. No waiting in lines or making an extra trip for me. If it is 10 cents more than another gas station and I need 10 gallons then the $1 doesn't bother me.


Cheers!

 

[11522914]

I don't wait in line. Amazed that people do.



My go-to for gas is Harris-Teeter or Kroger gas. Usually get $1.00 per gallon off due to points. No waiting.

I hope you're just buying the sale items at the "teet".

Sure, you're saving a $ on gas but paying 100% to 200% more for many groceries than Aldi's.

But they do have a much larger variety of products plus I love their steaks.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

A friend who's 64, has dropped hints that they are worth well into 8 figures. Yet she told of turning around from a $5.00 gallon of milk, in order to drive to a store where it would be cheaper.



I think you've hit on the secret. Makes him feel clever and useful. Also is probably how he was raised.

Warren Buffet has spoken of similar actions. I recall him mentioning that he enjoys his daily McD's breakfast and thinks it's of great value to him.

 

[threeonesix]

I'm lucky to live in a place where we haven't seen gas lines since the 70's. At most you might have to wait on two people in front of you. I filled up with premium (91) today at $4.19/gal - $1 fuel points discount = $3.19/gal. Gas card gets me 2% back.

 

[TrvlBug]

Decided to gas up at my weekly Costco run this morning even though I wasn't quite at .5 tank when we gas up. Living in EQ country we never let the tanks get below half. Got there at Costco opening time and was surprised at the gas line. They had 4 control people to keep things flowing and prevent line jumpers. 10 minutes total wait time for $5.60 premium gas. Forgot to check what the stations on my way home were priced at but they are always substantially higher than Costco.

 

[braumeister]

The nearest Costco is a 30 minute drive for me, so I don't get there often; once a month at most. But I always go right when they open so I can avoid crowds. At that time there is never a line at the gas station so it's easy to fill up when I'm there.

But on a trip last month I happened to go past a Costco in Colorado Springs and decided to get gas there. It was the first time I ever saw such a mob. They had so many pumps and every one of them had 20 cars in line for it. Changed my mind in a hurry.

The most I can put in my tank is 11 gallons, so any price difference is hardly worth putting up with the aggravation.

 

[foxfirev5]

Brings back memories. In the 70's I had a travelling sales job with a company car. With odd/even rationing my boss dug up a pair of magnetic dealer plates that covered my needs for every day. The downside was that the company car was a Pinto. The senior guy got a '68 Cadillac and made out like a bandit.

Now I don't wait in line for anything. Anyway an extra dime for a gallon of gas when I only need four is nuts.

 

[Beldar]

I haven't waited in line for fuel since the 70s. Here, DW & I use our grocery card points (sometimes up to a dollar off a gallon) and Discover card for 5% cash back) at the Shell station. The MX5 has a high compression engine so it's the high test button for us. I can't do anything about the pump price so why worry. We only fill up once a month.

Plus, we get a kick out of the "supplemental stickers" at the pump


_B

 

[athena53]

Brings back memories. In the 70's I had a travelling sales job with a company car. With odd/even rationing my boss dug up a pair of magnetic dealer plates that covered my needs for every day.

Ah, I remember those days. I hope they never happen again. At least odd/even rationing and minimum fill-up requirements kept a lot of the idiots who were topping off their tank every time they saw an open station out of the gas lines and the lines soon dwindled.

I'd rather pay extra than not be able to find it at all.

Next time Costco has along line I'm going to check nearby stations- great advice!

 

[rk911]

Drove to Costco today with the intent to fuel up. Took one look at the long line around the block and kept on driving. Would have liked to save some $ on gas but just didn't have the patience to wait half an hour or more to save a few bucks.

Wonder if anyone here has the patience to wait in line at Costco or Sam's Club to save on gas?

Edit: Not sure if this thread belongs to FIRE & Money. Mods: please move it elsewhere as you see fit.

we saw the same thing the other day. we elected to go elsewhere. our timeis worth more than a few $.

 

[SJ1_]

Drove to Costco today with the intent to fuel up. Took one look at the long line around the block and kept on driving. Would have liked to save some $ on gas but just didn't have the patience to wait half an hour or more to save a few bucks.

Wonder if anyone here has the patience to wait in line at Costco or Sam's Club to save on gas?

Edit: Not sure if this thread belongs to FIRE & Money. Mods: please move it elsewhere as you see fit.

NO Hate lines as cheap as I am would of went somewhere else.

 

[aja8888]

The last time I was in line for gas was in the 1970's and that will be the last time. If there's a line, I will find another station without one.

 

[jollystomper]

Drove to Costco today with the intent to fuel up. Took one look at the long line around the block and kept on driving. Would have liked to save some $ on gas but just didn't have the patience to wait half an hour or more to save a few bucks.

Wonder if anyone here has the patience to wait in line at Costco or Sam's Club to save on gas?

Half an hour or more? I have never had to wait more than 10-15 minutes (or 2 songs on my car MP3 player ) at Costco. The line outside the gas area is long, but once it gets to within the gas area it fans out to 10 different lines, so it moves fast to get you into the area. Second, as I have mentioned in other threads, the majority of cars has the gas cap on the drivers side, so the lines with the pumps on the drivers side are always the longest. Many folks do not want to, or cannot, stretch the hose over/behind their car to reach the gas cap. So I look for lines with the pumps on the passenger side of the cars. Those lines are always shorter (and seem to move quicker), at least at the Costco in my area.

Being retired, one day if I (a) really need something to do and (b) want to revive my memories of queuing theory and systems, I might hang out at Costco and observe and measure arrival rates and service times and build a waiting line model . I doubt I will do it. But if someone was to pay me... even I have a price .

 

[Time2]

I don't see any brag in my comments.

OK, You said, "Costco (12 mi from here) is $4.14. Nearby is a WaWa at $4.19. The WaWa up the street is $4.29."
You got it for $4.10, calling it a brag was a joke, as in wtf, gas is $4.10 a gallon!!!

 

[rk911]

I haven’t seen lines yet but I agree with you. Time = money. But say you save $0.20 a gallon. That’s like $3. For a 20 minute wait you are valuing your time at $9 an hour. No way! **

I work hard and value my time (off) much more than this.

**Although I understand that if someone earns very little this might be a trade off they might be ok with.

I know plenty of people who feel differently. One relative who is 80 and sitting on 7 figures will drive to Costco to save the $2 even if it takes him 30 mins extra. Or he’ll return two $0.74 cent screws he bought at Home Depot. That alone isn’t worth the gas or time. But I guess it’s a mentality. Or maybe at that age that is what he likes to do to keep busy.

that may be why your relative is worth 7-figures.

 

[luckydude]

Half an hour or more? I have never had to wait more than 10-15 minutes (or 2 songs on my car MP3 player ) at Costco. The line outside the gas area is long, but once it gets to within the gas area it fans out to 10 different lines, so it moves fast to get you into the area.

The Costco near my house has a relatively small parking lot (compared to others I've been to) and the pumps are located in front of the store next to street ingress/egress. This means there's usually a big traffic jam as cars getting gas are mixed with cars going to the store. Also cars can drive up to the pumps from both street/ingress as well as the parking lot, so it's common to see cars cutting in lines and honking at one another. Lately it's just been a real pain in the a** with lines getting longer and longer and drivers' temper seemingly shorter and shorter that I just don't have the patience to deal with it anymore no matter the savings.

 

[teejayevans]

Then there’s the problem that the fuel doors are on different sides and hoses seem to be shorter these days, so you’ll have to turn around and now have cars leaving from both sides. Makes for a confusing and stressful entry and exit.

 

[braumeister]

Then there’s the problem that the fuel doors are on different sides and hoses seem to be shorter these days, so you’ll have to turn around and now have cars leaving from both sides. Makes for a confusing and stressful entry and exit.

Costco pumps have hoses long enough to reach the far side of a car so that's not an issue. Entry to the pumps is always from just one side.

 

[audreyh1]

Assuming a 20 gallon tank, why would someone wait in line to save $2? What is you time worth?

I needed gas.

My plan was to get gas next time I went to Costco.

We got to Costco before they opened, and I had 15 mins to kill.

Why would I drive to another gas station?

 

[Another Reader]

Costco lines here are horrible. Except when the station opens at 6 AM. The nearby Safeway is usually 10 cents more, but your club card rewards can be used to offset some or all of the difference. The gas is of the same quality, from the same tank farm.

All bets are off if the shortages of the 70's return.

 

[SJhawkins]

Lines at our Costo have always been hit or miss for a number of years, they did add more pumps a year or so ago, that helped but it can still be a goat show. If the line is long I just pass. The good news my daily driver has the fuel door on the less common side I think, that side of the pump is more frequently open

 

[audreyh1]

When I do an RV trek, I usually preprogram my route to include Costco as a stop during the day. When you are topping off a 55-gal tank of a gas guzzler that delivers a fuel mileage of 8 mpg, a difference of $0.20/gal becomes real money.

Besides, I need to have a break from driving, and we also want walk inside the store to stretch our legs and see what different goods they have. That's how I got reindeer sausage when in Alaska.

Ha ha, we always used a truck stop in our big rig. I can’t imagine trying to go through a Costco station! I don’t think we would have even been able to turn left from the pump!

Besides we needed diesel.

 

[Chuckanut]

Costco pumps have hoses long enough to reach the far side of a car so that's not an issue. Entry to the pumps is always from just one side.

Yes, that long hoses are one of those little things that Costco does right and keeps me coming back.