It's a Gas

I had driven to Las Vegas for CES, so not long after arriving I of course had to fill up my car.  After topping off at a pump for $3.04 a gallon, I saw another station near me the next day that had been that same price the day before, but had since dropped to $2.97.  Forgetting for a moment the shock of seeing the price at a pump actually drop, there was that natural angst you feel when you recognize you could have gotten the gas for less.  Yes, I know it's just a whopping seven cents a gallon, but still.  (I suspect that most people tend to think that way.  Hey, over the course of the year, that could pay for a couple of nice lunches.  Or buy half a dozen copies of A Christmas Carol 2.)

The larger point is that having now driven back to Los Angeles, I went to fill up the tank up this morning.  And here, gas was $3.81.  Why in the world gasoline would cost almost 30% more than in Las Vegas, I have no idea.  I'm sure someone know, whether or not the reason is justifiable.  But my best guess is that in Las Vegas, they make it low so that you'll come into the station for gas, and then gamble...