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Oh my God, gtahvit, I hate to be this blunt, but saying the gas station owners are gouging is by far the most incorrect statement someone could possibly make concerning gas prices. Most gas stations make a few cents profit per gallon at best. Often they actually lose money selling gas, and just use it as a loss leader to get people into the convenience store. They make their profits on the food, drinks, and auto-services. Gas prices follow crude prices, but usually lag a little bit. Every gas station will try to keep prices down as long as possible, because raising your price first means no one will come to you. They'll hold out until the increasing losses force their hand, then they'll raise their price. Please, please don't insult the people taking losses just so you can get cheap gas. Those kinds of ignorant statements are just plain rude and inconsiderate.
As far as record profits at the gas companies, the absolute size of their profits go along with the absolute size of the companies. They are the largest companies in the world, and their profits are actually disproportionately small for their size. What I mean is they actually have razor thin profit margins, but due to the quantities they deal with those margins go farther. They make about an 8% profit margin, whereas Google makes about 25% profit margins. Do you really expect them to intentionally take a loss just so you can get cheap gas? What gives you that right? That's the problem with most Americans. They expect everyone else to take a hit just so we can get the artificially cheap energy we "deserve". Give me a break. And there is nothing stopping you from getting a share of those huge profits. Just go buy stock in the gas companies. However, given their low margins you might be better off investing in companies that have far higher margins.
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