Line Up for Cheaper Gas at Costco or Walmart?

I've never been one to shop for low gas prices and have my favorite station where I fill up. Filled up at about $4.30 a gallon yesterday and thought nothing of it with the realization that I am very fortunate not to have to worry about high gas prices.
 
If we’re going to Costco anyway, we’ll get gas regardless of lines. Otherwise, our local Walmart has pretty good prices.
 
An interesting game, looking for low prices.

Costco (12 mi from here) is $4.14. Nearby is a WaWa at $4.19. The WaWa up the street is $4.29.

When I apply my 5% CC discount to the closer station, I am under $4.10 per gallon, and save a gallon of gas on the drive.

So less can be more, I suppose.
 
I dont line up to save $5/$10 in fuel. Im fortunate where that small amount of money weekly doesnt affect me. If every dollar counted, I would be lining up.
 
Using the gas buddy app lately to compare the price at Sam’s Club vs. BJ’s. A couple days ago the wholesale clubs were only .05 cheaper than some of the neighborhood stations. I don’t mind waiting 15 minutes but I refuse to drive out of my way. I’m doing something productive on my phone while i wait. I also use Penfed card.
 
Made me think... we typically go to BJs and use the BJs credit card that is also our BJs club card and that saves us 10c a gallon off their regular price.

The alternative would be to go elsewhere and use our CitiBank Double Cash card that we get 2%... so if gas gets to $5/gallon then it will be a wash.

Luckily, BJs is close and we go by it all the time.
 
YMMV but I notice that it's hit or miss with the locations of wholesale clubs.

I'm a BJs member, just because it is one mile away. But there is no fuel there.

We don't need much fuel anyways, although in a week we'll drive about a 1,000 miles round trip in a southerly direction.
 
We had a hurricane a little over 3 years ago. I was outside cleaning up and I noticed traffic lined up past my house. I walked up to one of the cars and ask what's going on. They said this is the line to get gas at Sam's. My house is 0.7 miles from Sam's, and I don't know how much farther the line went past where I live.



Exciting time, only a trickle of water for a few days, no electricity for 8 days, no internet for over 3 months, not cellphone (Verizon).

I did have work-arounds, I had a generator, I bought an AT&T phone as they were the only company with service, I tethered it to my computer for internet access.
 
Retireby45ish said:
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! **
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But, the saving is tax-free money, and that's a plus.

When I wait in line (usually for the 'free' carwash) at my local gas station, I bring today's newspaper and read it.
 
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target2019 said:
Yes! And soon we'll have legal marijuana sales.
:greetings10:
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I heard that in New York anyone convicted of a Marijuana crime is first in line to get a Marijuana Sales License. It kinda makes sense to me. That time you spent in prison, well, that's no longer a crime, so here have a license.;-(
Federal Class 1 drug, man the Federal Government moves slow.
70s user, but non user now.
 
Jerry1 said:
While it’s true that the lines were long, they move surprisingly fast at Costco. The good thing at Costco is that it’s just gas. No one going in for a soda or leaving their car for any reason. Gas and go.
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When someone leaves their car parked at a pump while they go into the store for a snack or a bathroom visit I want to key their car if all the other pumps are occupied! Just RUDE.:mad:

Costco is about 10 miles from me so I get gas there only if I happen to need it on a visit. I have a gas-sipping Honda Civic. A fill-up is usually less than 10 gallons. I won't wait in line unless I'm running on fumes or I'm making a highway stop on a road trip and I don't want to waste time getting back on the highway and going to the next exit. I WILL head over to one nearby regardless of price differences. I'm 69. Life is too short to waste waiting in line.
 
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.
 
Read a story about how much an average family could pay in the coming year with increased gasoline prices. Many families will have harder choices.

I remember driving about 75 miles one way for work as a young person. It was a temporary assignment right at the time of the oil embargo. Similar tough times for the commoner.
 
Line up have been a bit longer than average but not too bad. Interestingly, the price gap between Costco and competitors has narrowed significantly with the price rise in both absolute and even more so in relative terms so it is less of a bargain. And stations near Costco tend to have lower prices so it makes less sense to wait at Costco if busy. I find that if I go after the store is closed but before the gas bar closes that there is no waiting at all. This is my usual practice on the way to Thursday night hockey as Costco is on the way. As well, they have more pumps than any regular station so that keeps things moving even when busy. And no one running in to the 'store' as there isn't one.
 
We have enough points at Kroger now to get $1.60 off gas until the end of the month. My "problem" now is we have nowhere to go with cold weather. I will probably split it between 2 fill ups just so I don't lose them. THe most we can can use at one time is $1.00 & up to 35 gal. When we were w**king we would take both vehicles at the same time and fill both or fill to 35 gallons. and save that $35.00 but on the last day of Feb. we had $.90 off and were only able to get 22 gal. in both vehicles because we haven't driven truck much and her Toyota only has a 16 gal tank. This is a good problem to have i guess since we stay home more.
 
luckydude said:
Wonder if anyone here has the patience to wait in line at Costco or Sam's Club to save on gas?
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Folks around here will wait in a line to save a dime a gallon... I've seen that for years... The local HEB is usually a dime cheaper than anyone else in town and there is often a few cars waiting in line. Across the street (just a dime a gallon more) and most of the pumps are available. No lines... Not for me... I may wait in a VERY short line to save a dollar a gallon, but for not a dime. And there is no way I'll wait in a long line, unless all the local stations have long lines. I haven't seen that since the 70's.
 
I'm assuming you checked to be sure they didn't have a gas station nearby? Where we used to live, BJs had no gas station, but you could get BJs prices at a station a couple of miles away. We never bothered, but at least the option existed.

target2019 said:
YMMV but I notice that it's hit or miss with the locations of wholesale clubs.

I'm a BJs member, just because it is one mile away. But there is no fuel there.

We don't need much fuel anyways, although in a week we'll drive about a 1,000 miles round trip in a southerly direction.
Click to expand...
 
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