How stupid, the poll.

[Ole Anderson]

So in the "How stupid do they think we are?" thread Moses Yoder posted the question:

So far as the original question, if there is a gas station selling gas for $3.499 and one right beside it selling gas for $3.50 any bets on which one will sell more gas? I have $50 on $3.499, any takers?

Let's do a poll to see how many of you would go for the one tenth of a cent discount per gallon and how many of you, on the principal, would go for the rounded-up-to-the-nearest-penny price.

[John Fabre]

I have never seen fuel priced right to the penny, it's always been priced at 9/tenths.

[Ole Anderson]

I have never seen fuel priced right to the penny, it's always been priced at 9/tenths.

That is the point of the thread. Quit trying to think you are deceiving us with the 99 is way less than 100 marketing.

[Moses Yoder]

This is not a scientific poll by any means. First of all, the respondents are aware of the test and most likely will say it doesn't matter. Second, woodworkers are more intelligent than average and more brand faithful than average. I buy my gas at the BP station at SR 13 and SR 120 in Indiana on the way home from work because I believe it is better gasoline. There is a station just down the road that always has gas 10 cents cheaper and I avoid it like the plague; several people who used to buy gas there have told me it has either ruined their engines or their fuel pump. I am still betting if the average car wsa going down the average road and saw gas on the left for $3.50 and on the right for $3.499 they would turn to the right.

Here is an example of how stupid the average man is. My wife was working the service desk and somebody came in with a receipt for something that the price had been marked wrong so he was charged $3.66 instead of what it should have been, $3.44. My wife examined the receipt and the sales flier and said "Sorry, you are correct," and handed him his 22 cents. He looked down into his hand and said "22 cents!!!! I drove 15 miles for this!!!! I expect some reimbursement!!!" Really, people expect the store to pay them for driving around now? In a way I can understand the feeling, but why not just get your 22 cents the next time you're in town or (gosh) just forget about it? The best thing to do would be to catch it before you leave the store. Maybe he should sue.

[John Fabre]

That is the point of the thread. Quit trying to think you are deceiving us with the 99 is way less than 100 marketing.

Ok, I never look at the prices anymore, I'll pay top dollar for better gas. Yes, there is a difference, even with the same octane rating.

[John Aspinall]

If marketing can convince some people that $3.499 is so much cheaper than $3.50, don't you think that marketing can convince some people that a red label on the gas makes it better gas than a blue label?

That's not to say that I don't believe in "better" and "worse" gas; I've had enough variance in performance after a fill up to know that exists. But there are enough variables in here, that I don't think the label color tells the whole story.
The condition of the individual gas station's underground storage tanks (well maintained versus leaky, high turnover versus low,...) would be my first guess as to an important factor not covered by the color of the label.

[Dan Hintz]

If I'm standing at a pump that has both prices on it, I'm choosing the fractional (cheaper) handle. If I have to so much as drive an extra block out of my way to pay the fractional, I'm sticking with the whole price.

I may save myself a whole 2 cents a fillup with the fractional pump compared to the whole, so even a few extra button presses may be enough annoyance to make me choose whatever is easiest. I'm not fooled psychologically, but I can make a quick risk vs. reward estimate in my head, and saving 2 pennies is not worth hardly any amount of extra trouble.

[Eric DeSilva]

If marketing can convince some people that $3.499 is so much cheaper than $3.50, don't you think that marketing can convince some people that a red label on the gas makes it better gas than a blue label?

I understand what Moses is saying, agree with him, and think your statement illustrates a point that is being missed. It is not that advertising convinces people that $3.4999 is less than $3.50, it is that when they don't think about it, their instinctive reaction is to opt for what their subconscious perceives as cheaper--even if that $0.001 difference is, realistically, irrelevant. The whole point is that they aren't convinced and they aren't thinking. It is a pure appeal to their base gut instincts.

Again, it isn't advertisers convincing us, it is marketers playing to and taking advantage of a known misperception.

[Jay Jolliffe]

You can complain all you want about the price of gas. I pay about .80 more per gallon because I live on an island. Stop your complaining

[ray hampton]

If I'm standing at a pump that has both prices on it, I'm choosing the fractional (cheaper) handle. If I have to so much as drive an extra block out of my way to pay the fractional, I'm sticking with the whole price.

I may save myself a whole 2 cents a fillup with the fractional pump compared to the whole, so even a few extra button presses may be enough annoyance to make me choose whatever is easiest. I'm not fooled psychologically, but I can make a quick risk vs. reward estimate in my head, and saving 2 pennies is not worth hardly any amount of extra trouble.

how many people do you know that will drive 5 miles to buy one gallon of gasoline ? I will try to go to the store first then stop on the way home

[Stew Hagerty]

You don't have a third choice:

"It is inconsequential and therefore does not matter to me"

[Mike Cozad]

You don't have a third choice:

"It is inconsequential and therefore does not matter to me"

I would vote this as well. As a creature of habit I buy gas at the same place weekly. But out of curiosity, to those that mentioned one brand is better than another, can you lead me to some info on which is better? I would love to be a more informed consumer. I don't ever by citgo simply because I have no desire to send money to that raving lunatic Chavez.... Other than that I know very little brand-wise...

[Jay Jolliffe]

Chavez can't be too bad if he's has helped close to 200,000 poor families in 15 cold-weather states -- in every Northeastern state except New Hampshire -- can thank controversial Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for helping them heat their homes this winter.
The Venezuelan-controlled oil-refining company, Citgo Petroleum Corp., donated 45 million gallons of free home heating oil this winter in a move that bought good publicity for the country's socialist leader, who famously called President Bush "the devil" in a 2006 United Nations speech.

I have not received any free oil as we burn wood mostly for heat.

[Dan Hintz]

But out of curiosity, to those that mentioned one brand is better than another, can you lead me to some info on which is better?

I didn't want to post anything earlier to prevent an unnecessary battle, but... I think many would be surprised by just how few sources there are for the multitude of gas station brands. That local mom-and-pop store down the road? They're definitely supplied by a major refinery brand... Shell, Citgo, etc. Often the only difference between one truck and the next is simply what bottle of additives the company requests to pour in before it leaves the loading pumps.

Speaking about the quality of gas is pretty much irrelevant these days since it all comes from less than a handful of major, well-known refineries... now, the tanks that gas is stored in, that's another issue. Filling up at a 30-yr old station? I hope the tanks have a good sediment filter. But what goes in is essentially the same...

[Moses Yoder]

I would vote this as well. As a creature of habit I buy gas at the same place weekly. But out of curiosity, to those that mentioned one brand is better than another, can you lead me to some info on which is better? I would love to be a more informed consumer. I don't ever by citgo simply because I have no desire to send money to that raving lunatic Chavez.... Other than that I know very little brand-wise...

I kept track of my mileage from different stations overa six month period. I know the gas from one tank to the next is not exactly the same level but I found one station which on average was the same price as most of the others gave me about 2 miles per gallon more. It happened to be the BP north of Middlebury, IN, which is right on my way to and from work, so that is the station I prefer now. Yes, I'm biased. I detest filling up anywhere else.