Ask 13: Why are gas prices always so high at certain stations? - WLOS

Ask 13: Why are gas prices always so high at certain stations? | WLOS

Until Midnight Tues. for most of WNC, all of the Upstate and NE Georgia

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — From East Asheville to south and from south to west, gas prices can be all over the place. It can leave some residents and incoming tourists confused.

There are a lot of factors that go into fluctuating gas prices. Some of those include:

If you notice a station that consistently has higher prices, it could be because of the kind of station it is.

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A smaller mom-and-pop shop will have fewer deliveries versus a big retailer, AAA Carolina Director of Public Affairs Tiffany Wright said.

"So, let's say you and I own a gas station, and we're in a rural area, and we only get our deliveries, you know, once a month, and across from us is a big retailer, and they get their gas deliveries all the time. It's frequent, so they're getting all different kinds of prices when they're buying their gas," Wright said.

The viewer remarked that the price differences don't look good to tourists, but AAA said studies show that higher gas prices have no impact on travel and tourism. Actually, they show that people are willing to cut back on other expenses before worrying about driving further away for gas prices.

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AAA also said to combat this, shop low to encourage lower prices and higher competition. If you feel like price gouging is taking place at a specific gas station, you can contact the NC Attorney General with those concerns.

If you have a question, email us at ask13@wlos.com.