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- Area range
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- Typical price
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- the median station
- Over wholesale
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Cheapest nearby
Stations
| Rank | Price | vs median | Per tank | Station | Straight-line mi | Changed |
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The weekly price cycle
Prices here jump together every week or so, then slide back down as stations undercut each other. These charts show that cycle for the stations in your radius.
Price
Shaded band is the cheapest to the most expensive store in range. Dashed lines mark restorations.
Stores at the same price
Share of stores posting the single most common price. Near 100% right after a restoration.
Median price over wholesale
Area median minus NYMEX RBOB gasoline futures, in cents. Covers fuel taxes, freight, and the station's margin; taxes are roughly fixed, so the swings are margin.
Restorations by weekday
Restorations by hour
Restorations
| Started | Stores | Avg jump | Landed on | Landed exactly | First to move |
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Why prices jump, then drift
This is an Edgeworth price cycle, a pattern economists have documented in gas markets around the world.
- Undercutting. Drivers notice a 2¢ difference on a sign, so stations shave a cent or two below each other to win customers. Prices slide down and spread apart.
- A standoff at the bottom. Eventually the markup over wholesale is nearly gone. Nobody wants to raise first, because the first station to raise loses its customers.
- Restoration. One company, usually a large chain, jumps prices sharply. A chain with many stations can afford to lead, since it only loses customers for a few hours.
- Everyone matches. Once the leader is high, staying cheap just leaves money on the table, so rivals match its posted price exactly. Then the undercutting starts over.
Fill up late in a cycle, just before the next jump. Avoid the day after one.
Wawa, RaceTrac, 7-Eleven and Speedway stations across Tampa Bay are tracked. Every number on the page covers the stations within the radius of you (or of Tampa, if your location isn't shared), and the Brand filter narrows them to one chain. A restoration is when at least 30% of stores in range each raise prices by 8¢ or more within about 12 hours.