Computerized Gas Station Price War Takes Prices Down To A Few Pennies In Ohio

allheart55 (Cindy E)

allheart55 (Cindy E)

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Gas prices have finally fallen below $2 per gallon where I live, but that’s still a fortune compared to what some motorists in Ohio encountered over the weekend. A computer glitch of some sort made the price at a Pilot Travel Center plummet as low as a few pennies, which attracted opportunistic shoppers. Then the Circle K across the street decided to keep up with their competitors by lowering their prices, too.

Was it all a publicity stunt? Some hackers with very small-time goals? All the travel center’s cashier could say was that there was a computer malfunction, and then the other store decided to keep up with its neighbor and competition.

“I just filled my gas tank up from dead empty for 26 cents,” one customer told TV station WTOL as he pumped gas. “I told her to put ten on it and she only gave me five bucks and now I need to go get my change. That’s too funny.” He could have given the cashier a dollar and still received change back.

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This happened in the wee hours of Sunday morning, so not too many people were driving by to take advantage.

A writer at Cleveland.com did some historical research and found that the last time gas was that cheap locally was about 80 years ago. The actual average gas price this week near Toldedo is about $1.50.

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Gas prices briefly drop to 19 cents, 17 cents in north Toledo [WTOL]
Gas prices temporarily drop under 20 cents a gallon in Toledo [Cleveland.com]

Source: consumerist
 
This happened here a couple years ago. I was on my way home from work. I didn't need gas, had about 1/4 left. I seen a line at a Gas City station I stop at to pick up a coke for on the way home. I got a coke and on my way out had to wait in line to get out of the lot. When I got to the pump I saw the price was 89 cents a gallon. This was when prices were hovering near $4.00 per gallon. I filled up.

The next day as usual the station was empty. I pulled in for my coke and asked the clerk why the price was so low for gas yesterday. She told me it was a nationwide computer glitch that lasted for the whole day before someone caught it. I wanted to ask how much they lost that day.

Last week gas here was the lowest it's been in probably 15 years. It averaged $1.15 per gallon. Now it's back up to $1.40.
 
allheart55 (Cindy E) said:
Does anyone remember the gas shortage of 1979?
Gas could only be obtained according to your license plate.
(Odd and Even days.)
Click to expand...
I remember it happened in 1973. I don't remember any from 1979.

I had a 68 Mustang Cobra and I could only buy 5 gallons at a time. Needless to say that 5 gallons didn't last for the whole night so my cruising was affected terribly. As was my Saturday trip to the drag strip. I combated it by buying my first Harley.

Price per gallon before then was 36 cents for premium 100 octane racing fuel, regular was 28 cents. After racing fuel went to 70 cents and regular 65 cents.
 
After doing a Google search there was one in 1979 also. I don't remember that one because I was married with family and had a Ford Escort wagon as the family car. That thing would run forever on a tank of gas so I wouldn't remember being rationed.
 
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