If you see a gas station advertising $8.88 a gallon, find another place to fill up.
As gas deliveries to the left half of the United States catches up with demand, many people shopping around for a place to fill up saw gas stations flashing $8.88 or $9.99, no matter what grade of gas. According to Patrick De Haan, stations showing this price are not selling at this price. Instead, they are signaling to customers they’re unable to sell you gas because they either ran out or have a station malfunction.
Stations that are out of fuel may show a price of $8.88 to signal to motorists they are out of fuel so they don't bother pulling in. This is a common, you may see people posting pictures thinking the station is charging that when they are trying to let consumers know to move on
— Patrick De Haan ⛽️? (@GasBuddyGuy) May 12, 2021
Greensboro, N.C. residents where so concerned when someone came across that price, they tipped off WFMY 2, their local news.
As WFMY 2 says, high prices aren’t out of the realm of possibility but would clearly violate most state’s anti-gouging price laws. Rules for each state are easily found online and, as a consumer, it’s your duty to report violaters. (Where you stand on anti-gouging laws is for another post entirely.)
It’s also worth noting i gas prices are readily available on apps like Gas Buddy, itself powered by self-submitted user reports. Reporting prices yourself can go a long way in helping others in the middle of a fuel crunch.
So, if you see $8.88 or $9.99, don’t freak out, it’s just the station attendant telling you they can’t serve right now.