Gas just hit 4.00 a gallon in Orlando..

[daisy2013]

My friend took this picture in Downtown Los Angeles yesterday:

View attachment 654071

There is always one station that is ridiculously high. We have one near us that is always a dollar or more higher than the next guy. He doesn’t actually want to sell gas but has to in order to keep the brand name. He makes his money on repairs but from what I hear he is not that great at that either

 

[RedAngie]

There is always one station that is ridiculously high. We have one near us that is always a dollar or more higher than the next guy. He doesn’t actually want to sell gas but has to in order to keep the brand name. He makes his money on repairs but from what I hear he is not that great at that either

That reminds me of two stations on Semoran Blvd just outside the entrance to Orlando airport. They were consistently about $2-$3 higher per gallon than those further away.

But they WANTED to sell gas to unwary tourists returning rental cars. Their price signs were obscured by shrubbery and most people didn’t notice until they were at the pumps and it was too late to search elsewhere.

When Wawa and a few other stations opened several blocks away they lowered their prices to “only” $1 higher.

 

[snappy]

$4.33 per gallon in Orlando the last couple of days at the station near the Boardwalk at WDW.

 

[mrodgers]

Serious question because these comments also were constant back in the previous 2008/9 gas price spike...

Do you all really see the gas prices as the edge of the cliff for going on vacation? Our longest trip was Disney at 1100 miles. At our lowest in decades of around $2.29 just to make the math simpler, compared to currently $4.29 for my area, that increase would give a $68 one way difference to the trip.

We spent $2200 on the booking which is extremely cheap compared to what you spend now, had food costs budgeted, a hotel stay for the trip down and had a hotel in reserve for the ride back (we ended up driving straight through). Is $130ish enough to cancel when it's not much of a percentage of the over all trip when you're spending so much?

Obviously give or take depending on the mileage your vehicle gets (my numbers is 32 mpg), but if you're driving around daily at 18-20 mpg after you've managed through the 2008/9 and complaining about gas now, I don't have any sympathy for you (talking to you, huge SUV and/or massive truck owners who are being the most vocal at whining and crying) but most drive something that should be getting close or better than 30 on a long highway trip.

 

[kdonnel]

Serious question because these comments also were constant back in the previous 2008/9 gas price spike...

My neighbor did/does.

She cancelled her spring break trip this year because of gas prices. They were going to fly to Las Vegas and then drive a bunch, Zion, Grand Canyon, ski Brian Head, etc. She said it just wasn't worth doing with the increased gas costs for the rental car.

The entire trip was going to cost $4000. The additional gas was going to be $50-$75 dollars.

The price of gas can really affect some peoples financial anxiety. To them it makes complete sense, to outsiders it makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Serious question because these comments also were constant back in the previous 2008/9 gas price spike...

Do you all really see the gas prices as the edge of the cliff for going on vacation? Our longest trip was Disney at 1100 miles. At our lowest in decades of around $2.29 just to make the math simpler, compared to currently $4.29 for my area, that increase would give a $68 one way difference to the trip.

We spent $2200 on the booking which is extremely cheap compared to what you spend now, had food costs budgeted, a hotel stay for the trip down and had a hotel in reserve for the ride back (we ended up driving straight through). Is $130ish enough to cancel when it's not much of a percentage of the over all trip when you're spending so much?

Obviously give or take depending on the mileage your vehicle gets (my numbers is 32 mpg), but if you're driving around daily at 18-20 mpg after you've managed through the 2008/9 and complaining about gas now, I don't have any sympathy for you (talking to you, huge SUV and/or massive truck owners who are being the most vocal at whining and crying) but most drive something that should be getting close or better than 30 on a long highway trip.

Gas prices tend to cycle into everything - food will go up, hotels will go up, tickets will go up...so whatever the gas increase of your trip is, you probably need to budget 3-4x that overall increase into your vacation budget change...that starts getting hard for many folks...

So, if it costs $100 more to drive to the mountains, it might actually cost $400 more for the whole trip. When a trip like that may only be $1500 to start, that's a big hit to a budget for someone who may decide they need that increase for their groceries bills (which will also go up)...

Energy price increases ripple through everything and thus start impacting people who make choices to get rid of or cut back non-necessities 1st...like vacations...

 

[mom2rtk]

Serious question because these comments also were constant back in the previous 2008/9 gas price spike...

Do you all really see the gas prices as the edge of the cliff for going on vacation? Our longest trip was Disney at 1100 miles. At our lowest in decades of around $2.29 just to make the math simpler, compared to currently $4.29 for my area, that increase would give a $68 one way difference to the trip.

We spent $2200 on the booking which is extremely cheap compared to what you spend now, had food costs budgeted, a hotel stay for the trip down and had a hotel in reserve for the ride back (we ended up driving straight through). Is $130ish enough to cancel when it's not much of a percentage of the over all trip when you're spending so much?

Obviously give or take depending on the mileage your vehicle gets (my numbers is 32 mpg), but if you're driving around daily at 18-20 mpg after you've managed through the 2008/9 and complaining about gas now, I don't have any sympathy for you (talking to you, huge SUV and/or massive truck owners who are being the most vocal at whining and crying) but most drive something that should be getting close or better than 30 on a long highway trip.

You're looking at it in a vacuum again. Lots of reasons why this isn't the same as 2008.

1) Gas isn't the only thing going up in price. People are also dealing with rising prices in almost every other part of their lives, especially home heating and food. Vacation is probably the first place many will look to try and save some money.
2) People planning a trip aren't buying gas at today's prices. They are deciding whether to go in a volatile price climate and it could be much higher by the time they actually go.
3) We're coming off a 2 year pandemic. Some are doing fine financially, but others have had employment changes that affected their finances detrimentally.
4) Disney prices in general are all way up (as are prices in other destinations).
5) Lots of uncertainty about travel and experiences not being the same as they were pre-pandemic, but costing more.
6) This isn't the place to ask your question. Most here are upper middle class and not likely to let the price of gas affect whether they will go.

 

[GiaR]

Serious question because these comments also were constant back in the previous 2008/9 gas price spike...

Do you all really see the gas prices as the edge of the cliff for going on vacation? .....

Not so much if inflation was only isolated to a gas, and only at an increase of a $1 or 2. And you can always trim the trip to make it work within your budget. But many will eventually skip if it keeps getting worse.

 

[MillauFr]

My neighbor did/does.

She cancelled her spring break trip this year because of gas prices. They were going to fly to Las Vegas and then drive a bunch, Zion, Grand Canyon, ski Brian Head, etc. She said it just wasn't worth doing with the increased gas costs for the rental car.

The entire trip was going to cost $4000. The additional gas was going to be $50-$75 dollars.

The price of gas can really affect some peoples financial anxiety. To them it makes complete sense, to outsiders it makes no sense whatsoever.

Was she drinking a $7 coffee shake from Starbucks while complaining about the price of gas?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Serious question because these comments also were constant back in the previous 2008/9 gas price spike...

Do you all really see the gas prices as the edge of the cliff for going on vacation? Our longest trip was Disney at 1100 miles. At our lowest in decades of around $2.29 just to make the math simpler, compared to currently $4.29 for my area, that increase would give a $68 one way difference to the trip.

We spent $2200 on the booking which is extremely cheap compared to what you spend now, had food costs budgeted, a hotel stay for the trip down and had a hotel in reserve for the ride back (we ended up driving straight through). Is $130ish enough to cancel when it's not much of a percentage of the over all trip when you're spending so much?

Obviously give or take depending on the mileage your vehicle gets (my numbers is 32 mpg), but if you're driving around daily at 18-20 mpg after you've managed through the 2008/9 and complaining about gas now, I don't have any sympathy for you (talking to you, huge SUV and/or massive truck owners who are being the most vocal at whining and crying) but most drive something that should be getting close or better than 30 on a long highway trip.

IDK you (and a few others) have made it very clear your sympathy towards people hinges on weird arbitrary lines so I'm really not certain how genuine you are in your curiosity.

However in addition to some very good points already made take into consideration where people may be vacationing. While it's a large increase in my direct area if I were to go to CA for example for vacation that's several dollars more per gallon than what I'm paying now (if going off of some of the posts here) as that average in my metro is $3.80-ish. If I'm doing a lot of driving not only do I have the large increase in my costs back home in comparison to what it was but now I've got an even larger increase where my vacation is.

IDK what to tell you but look beyond your own prejudice of people to the bigger picture

 

[TippyThomas]

Serious question because these comments also were constant back in the previous 2008/9 gas price spike...

Do you all really see the gas prices as the edge of the cliff for going on vacation? Our longest trip was Disney at 1100 miles. At our lowest in decades of around $2.29 just to make the math simpler, compared to currently $4.29 for my area, that increase would give a $68 one way difference to the trip.

We spent $2200 on the booking which is extremely cheap compared to what you spend now, had food costs budgeted, a hotel stay for the trip down and had a hotel in reserve for the ride back (we ended up driving straight through). Is $130ish enough to cancel when it's not much of a percentage of the over all trip when you're spending so much?

Obviously give or take depending on the mileage your vehicle gets (my numbers is 32 mpg), but if you're driving around daily at 18-20 mpg after you've managed through the 2008/9 and complaining about gas now, I don't have any sympathy for you (talking to you, huge SUV and/or massive truck owners who are being the most vocal at whining and crying) but most drive something that should be getting close or better than 30 on a long highway trip.

When you're driving an RV that gets single digit miles per gallon you certainly do.

 

[hhisc16]

In 24 hours in SC, I saw the same gas station jump yesterday morning to 4.19. This morning it was 3.87. Did oil prices drop overnight?

 

[TwoMisfits]

You're looking at it in a vacuum again. Lots of reasons why this isn't the same as 2008.

1) Gas isn't the only thing going up in price. People are also dealing with rising prices in almost every other part of their lives, especially home heating and food. Vacation is probably the first place many will look to try and save some money.
2) People planning a trip aren't buying gas at today's prices. They are deciding whether to go in a volatile price climate and it could be much higher by the time they actually go.
3) We're coming off a 2 year pandemic. Some are doing fine financially, but others have had employment changes that affected their finances detrimentally.
4) Disney prices in general are all way up (as are prices in other destinations).
5) Lots of uncertainty about travel and experiences not being the same as they were pre-pandemic, but costing more.
6) This isn't the place to ask your question. Most here are upper middle class and not likely to let the price of gas affect whether they will go.

That's true - the 7.9% inflation Y over Y was without any Russian war effect - that was just based on all the stuff from the prior 12 months...now we have a Russian effect speeding inflation/oil prices up even more, so folks probably are considering the possibility of 10-20% inflation for the summer, if the war doesn't wind down...

 

[TwoMisfits]

In 24 hours in SC, I saw the same gas station jump yesterday morning to 4.19. This morning it was 3.87. Did oil prices drop overnight?

China is locking down hard for Covid and shutting a lot of their industry in the short term...so, their usage has cratered in the short term, bringing down energy prices with it (b/c they are a huge user)...

 

[sheilafri]

In 24 hours in SC, I saw the same gas station jump yesterday morning to 4.19. This morning it was 3.87. Did oil prices drop overnight?

My corner station was similar. It went up .20 overnight last week and is now back to where it was before the increase.

 

[MillauFr]

In 24 hours in SC, I saw the same gas station jump yesterday morning to 4.19. This morning it was 3.87. Did oil prices drop overnight?

The price of oil is dropping like a rock. Down from $130 to $95 A barrel in one week.

 

[MillauFr]

Oil price now plunging below $95 a barrel. It is a blood bath out there today in the oil pits. I wonder if Randolph and Mortimer Duke are involved in this?

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Was she drinking a $7 coffee shake from Starbucks while complaining about the price of gas?

And burned a gallon in the line too?

Oil price now plunging below $95 a barrel. It is a blood bath out there today in the oil pits. I wonder if Randolph and Mortimer Duke are involved in this?

GET BACK IN THERE WILSON AND SELL!!! SELL!!! SELL!!!!

 

[mrodgers]

6) This isn't the place to ask your question. Most here are upper middle class and not likely to let the price of gas affect whether they will go.

I asked here because that's where I read it. I'm not hearing much about canceling vacations because of gas prices on the too-poor-for-vacation-but-I-go-anyways forums.

In 24 hours in SC, I saw the same gas station jump yesterday morning to 4.19. This morning it was 3.87. Did oil prices drop overnight?

I read yesterday that oil dropped to below $100/barrel.

 

[disneyseniors]

My corner station was similar. It went up .20 overnight last week and is now back to where it was before the increase.

I heard on the news 2 days ago that the price per barrell was down under $100.00 again. It hit a high of 125 a while ago and the gas prices soared.
I hope that means lower gas prices now. Ours has not changed to lower prices yet.