Pain at the pump: Expect to pay $4 a gallon by next week
If prices at the pump make you want to holla’ and throw up your hands, unfortunately it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
“Motorists can expect prices to increase well into spring, ” said AAA spokeswoman Jessica Brady. “If the trending continues like last year, we could see pump prices peak in May and then start to retreat.”
Since Jan. 1, retail gas prices have risen steadily in metro Atlanta from an average of $3.27 a gallon to $3.79 a gallon this week. The national average is $3.89 and could hit $4 by the first week of April – for the first time in history, according to Brady.
Georgia’s average of $3.79 and Tennessee’s average price of $3.71 both increased 7 cents from last week while Florida’s average of $3.90 increased 8 cents.
While motorists are feeling the pain, so are retailers, Brady said.
Retailer profit margins in Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee average 10 cents to the gallon, meaning the retailer will make less than $1.50 from the fill-up of a 15-gallon gas tank after paying credit card fees. About 76 percent of the cost of a gallon of gas goes to the cost of crude oil, 12 percent to taxes, 6 percent to refineries, and the remaining 6 percent is split between transportation costs and retailer profits, according to Brady. Track gas prices in and around Metro Atlanta. We found a low of $3.71 at QuikTrip, 7390 Jonesboro Rd & Battlecreek Rd. and a high of $4.19 at BP, 3004 Piedmont Rd NE & Pharr Rd.
For my birthday, I’m hoping someone will gift me with a gas card. I’m also cutting back on unnecessary driving to save gas.
What changes have you had to make to adjust to these high gas prices?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
112 comments Add your comment
Nobama
March 29th, 2012
3:01 pm
No worries. I’m a 1%er and can fill up the BMW anytime.
Nobama
March 29th, 2012
3:02 pm
And the Mercedes too!
I HATE REDNECKS
March 29th, 2012
3:02 pm
EVEN IF WE STARTED DRILLING OFFSHORE U.S TOMORROW, THE GAS QWOULD NOT BE AFFECTED FOR YEARS!!!!!! STOP BLAMING THE CURRENT PRESIDENT. THE PREVIOUS 8 YEAR IDIOT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE CURRENT GAS ISSUE! CHECK YOUR FACTS REDNECKS. YOU AARE SO STUPID AND UNEDUCATED. SO WHEN A REPUBLICAN IS ELECTED AND THE GAS GOES TO $5, WILL STILL BE OBAMA’S FAULT??? A$$HOLES!
darkside
March 29th, 2012
3:05 pm
First the prices were higher when bush was in office they were over 4.00 a gallon
2nd i just read article that due to speculators gas is 40% higher a barrel so if you take them out of the equation you have 120 barrel going for 70.00 a barrel 4.00 is back to 2.65 a gallon at most due the math and lets get a law passed that will outlaw these greedy people. once and for and the gas prices will stabilize. for now we can flood the market with all the oil reserves though may when prices start dropping in June and when they get back down some then we can refill the reserves at a lower price it can be done and should be
wondering
March 29th, 2012
3:05 pm
Stop the “will gift me.” The infinitive is “to give.” I gave, she gave he gave. I hope someone will give me a gas card. I hope someone will give me a gas card as a gift. There is no infinitive “to gift.” “He gifted me” sounds as dumbly as “he be done give me.”
Free Enterprise
March 29th, 2012
3:06 pm
@ Ware Eagle Kree….as another poster pointed out some refineries have shut down since Bush left office which means less gas production in the US and higher prices.
Please don’t add to the stereotype about dumb, uneducated southerners cause you make everyone of us look bad.
wondering
March 29th, 2012
3:06 pm
Further – “gift” is a noun. “give” in all of its forms is a verb.
george
March 29th, 2012
3:08 pm
Newt (if elected) will get the price of gas down to $2.50. How he is going to do that is by charging by the HALF GALLON
Kadijah
March 29th, 2012
3:10 pm
How am I gonna fill up my 1999 Ford Expedition truck? Gas prices have got so high. I don’t think I can even drive to New Birth this weekend…and that is just wrong and unchristian.
SuwaneeFox
March 29th, 2012
3:15 pm
@ATL_Native, @not_white,
It is a common fact that while we are drilling more now, it is because of the new drilling permits approved by President Bush. President Obama has given much fewer drilling permits thereby screwing us in about 4 to 5 years.
Wake Up, America!
March 29th, 2012
3:17 pm
The president is doing the only thing he can, trying to convince Congress to cut subsidies to major oil companies. These people make enough money. They don’t need handouts from the American taxpayer. We give them billions every year. Why do we do that?
http://www.wtsp.com/video/1536927094001/1/Obama-on-Repealing-Oil-Company-Subsidies
SuwaneeFox
March 29th, 2012
3:18 pm
@I HATE REDNECKS,
Yes it will be Obama’s fault if gas is high in 4-5 years time because he is issuing less drilling permits now which due to delays will mean far fewer drilling in 4-5 years time. Check the facts!
I am not blaming him for current price costs but weren’t we supposed to have weaned off of the old oil by now, or at least from the Arab-oil?
. o O (Hope and change anyone?)
Jane
March 29th, 2012
3:18 pm
People really need to stop blaming Obama for everything that it wrong it the country. 99% of the issues were set in motion years ago by past Presidents. Do a little fact checking before you want to blame everything that is wrong on the President. He is not perfect and he can only get done what Congress will allow. So if you want to blame someone blame the politicians that don’t have a problem running this country into the ground. This country doesn’t care about the people. The rich want to get richer and they don’t have a problem sacrificing the American people to remain rich. It’s all about the money.
SuwaneeFox
March 29th, 2012
3:19 pm
@Wake Up, America!,
High gas prices has nothing to do with oil subsidies to big oil companies. Arabs drive the oil price.
SuwaneeFox
March 29th, 2012
3:21 pm
@jane,
“People really need to stop blaming Obama for everything that it wrong it the country.”
This is kind of like the pot calling the kettle black.
Bush got blamed for EVERYTHING, even Hurricane Katrina, September 11th etc. Don’t say you didn’t blame him cos you did.
RecentWreck
March 29th, 2012
3:22 pm
Ah, I typically avoid venturing into the comment section of the political blog because a lot of this is mind numbing and much of it is in no way backed by fact. That said, I was pleased to see @darkside’s comment, as it is the closest thing to correct I’ve seen on here.
Unfortunately oil is no longer a “pure” or “physical” commodity and hasn’t been for about 20 years (you could blame H.W. or Clinton more readily than W or Obama) which has led to the greatest amount of artificial inflation in the price. Sure, Econ 101 will teach you that demand drives price based upon supply, but that would be oversimplifying the problem radically since oil doesn’t act like a commodity even being in that market. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued “Bona Fide Hedging” exemptions for investment banks and large institutions in buying oil futures somewhere around 1990 basically allowing them to use oil as an investment vessel- thus creating more speculators than producers/consumers. When panicked investors started to pull their money from typical investment tools following the crisis of 2008, typically they would go towards a security like a bond, but with yields at all time lows per the Fed’s quantitative easing, that wasn’t a very good way to get much of an ROI. Instead they flocked to oil futures.
Ultimately, yes, the Middle East situation affects prices because it’s a speculative market and political unrest (here being an election year, and abroad with Iran) drives civic (investor) unrest. But it isn’t penultimately a supply issue… offshore drilling and even pipelines aren’t going to do much to quell the price, at least not immediately, since US oil only accounts for 9% of world production and couldn’t even gain a basis point with “drill baby, drill”.
brick
March 29th, 2012
3:22 pm
Congress has no interest in lowering oil prices, all of them are filling their pockets will oil company dollars. If they really had an interest in lowering our oil prices they would ban the export of oil from America to our “allies”. American oil companies want high OPEC oil prices, they could care less how much it cost its just passed to the American consumer, but the higher OPEC oil is, the higher they can sell oil that is being pumped out of American soil to foreign countires, thats where their huge profits are coming from, not gas at the pump. To spur our economy all congress needs to do is put a ban on oil exports and control oil prices. Oil companies would still reap huge profits, but not increase by 500% every quarter. But as long as congress has their pockets filled with oil money that isn’t happening and we are getting raped by the oil industry, fossil fuel my arse, thats a lie too.
paulo rodrigues
March 29th, 2012
3:23 pm
Interesting how we bash the oil companies for $ 4 a gallon….we have one of the cheapest price of gas in the developed world! In Europe is almost $8 a gallon and even here in Brazil is close to $ 6 a gallon…
For your information, the oil companies in America make less than in any part of the world! And we keep bashing them…..That’s the world oil market issues nothing else…..Be happy to live in America!
Brian
March 29th, 2012
3:23 pm
We have overseen the largest wealth re-allocation in history: The US has transferred 7 TRILLION dollars to Middle Eastern nations in exchange for oil. These are people that hate us and would like to do nothing more than see us fail…and we keep paying them and making them stronger. This has to stop.
Bobby
March 29th, 2012
3:24 pm
I love how so many are experts at the issues but there still seem to be so many issues. All you experts submit your resolutions to whomever you feel is responsible and see just how much finger pointing gets done. I agree with the few on this comment board that say it’s our problem to solve and not the elected officials. I sold my car in 2005, move 6 blocks from work and got a monthly public transit card. I walk to the grocery store, I walk to the bank, I walk to work and I take public transit for anything not within 7-10 blocks of me. I pay more for my residence but I don’t have the added expense of gas, car paymen, car insurance and taxes, not to mention the parking costs in the city. For the student driving 120 miles daily to and from school. You are spending over $200 in gas monthly. You can’t tell me it would cost you more than $200 to move closer to school. So you live smaller, so you live with fewer things. I am here to say, you can do it and it feels so good. So, stop blaming others for your own gluttony. Take responsibility and make changes in your life.
Richard Hungwell
March 29th, 2012
3:25 pm
Funny how all the democrats made an issue out of it during the last election, but now all of a sudden it is a global issue! $2.21 a gallon when Bush left office. We are looking at a 100% increase in four years! I do not care what color you are Barack Obama is a do nothing piece of crap! If you voted Obama in ‘08 to prove you were not racist, vote for someone else in ‘12 to prove you are not an idiot!
Deirdre
March 29th, 2012
3:27 pm
“So you live smaller, so you live with fewer things.”
OH MY GOD THAT IS COMMUNISM. I MUST HAVE MY BIG TRUCK AND LIVE IN VILLA RICA.
Oh, sorry, I was channeling my inner redneck. I actually agree with you 100%. Isn’t it nice to not be held hostage by this manufactured crisis?
Wake Up, America!
March 29th, 2012
3:28 pm
@SuwaneeFox
If Arabs were the only driving the prices, oil companies would not be making record profits. The point is these people take enough from us at the pump; they don’t need to be given money for nothing! Either give us cheap gasoline (the difference made up by our tax dollars) or lose the billions that we give to you. Oil companies, you can’t have it both ways!
SuwaneeFox
March 29th, 2012
3:32 pm
@Wake Up, America!
If the Arabs charge the oil companies more, who do they pass that on to? Riiiight, the consumers. If you put down the wealth envy pitch fork for a minute you would see that.
Chilly Willy
March 29th, 2012
3:40 pm
Thanks BUSH!!!
Wake Up, America!
March 29th, 2012
3:41 pm
I am not envious of anyone’s wealth, but I don’t believe in giving tax money to people who don’t need it. If you agree, contact your representative and demand that these obscene subsidies be cut!
Deirdre
March 29th, 2012
3:47 pm
As long as we use energy sources that are finite and as long as we keep exporting our fabulous western way of life to the rest of the world, gas prices will keep going up. China, which now has about 100 million cars will increase this number to 200 million by 2020. Each one of those car tanks will compete for the same gas that you pump at the QT in Doraville.
Not
March 29th, 2012
3:50 pm
I love how all the crazy Liberals talk about how the President can’t do anything. It’s more like he won’t do anything, his words. Apparently Obama thinks that oil/gas is the fuel of the past. I guess he doesn’t know that just about every single car, truck, bus and airplane runs on gas. It will be decades before the electric car will have any influence on gas prices…DECADES!!! Stop watching CNN the Liberal lying news network. Gas has NEVER and I repeat NEVER been this high for so long in our HISTORY! FACT! We are not pumping out as much oil as we can because Obama is a DICK! If we were pumping record amount of oil, why would Obama ask Saudia Arabia to increase their oil output? Because we are NOT pumping enough! Driving slower is just stupid or driving less. I’m pretty sure just about everyone is driving less, but you can only cut back so much. How about all the Liberals stop driving and use public transport? That’s what I thought. Liberals are racist who preach hate. When Obama took office gas was $184.00, it’s now $4.00 or more. That’s BS and it is Obama’s fault just like everything else is that is bad in this country, which is just about everything. He has divided this country to the point I don’t see it ever getting back to the way it was. Obama will go down in history as the worst President ever and the sole person that destroyed this country.
Manny
March 29th, 2012
3:55 pm
I bet you didn’t like Bill Clinton either
Steve
March 29th, 2012
3:55 pm
Sure is nice to work from home : )
Jesus Christ
March 29th, 2012
4:06 pm
Praise Obama and praise Allah. Praise the 17 percent unemployment in the black community.
Jesus Christ
March 29th, 2012
4:07 pm
Trayvon Martin is saving money on gas.
David
March 29th, 2012
4:08 pm
Man, whoever posted as @I HATE REDNECKS, obviously is in hate with themselves. Your post is about as REDNECK as I have ever seen. And ignorant to. Must be one of those hysterical far left wing-nuts. Not a stable person for sure.
Skip
March 29th, 2012
4:10 pm
I was right yesterday, 2/3 of the readers have no idea how gas is priced.
HENRY
March 29th, 2012
4:15 pm
THANKS OBAMA, YOU COULD HAVE HEADED THIS OFF AT THE PASS A FEW MONTHS AGO BUT YOU WANT US TO PAY $7 A GAL. JUST LIKE EUROPE. YOU CAN KISS MY BIG FAT HAIRY POSTERIOR. YOU BUTT WILL BE GONE SOON ENOUGH AND WE CAN HAVE AMERICA BACK.
EDIMGIAFAD
March 29th, 2012
4:23 pm
This is just not a problem. The number of cars on the interstates for Spring Break is a clear reflection that the price of gas is not a problem. Until it hurts, the price is going to continue to go up. Things are not as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
I love the comments about Obama and the pipeline, it was only a small chunk of the pipeline and only that pipeline that didn’t matter to the Feds.
dawgdays
March 29th, 2012
4:24 pm
Just change the air in your tires, LOL! What a buffoooon!
chance100
March 29th, 2012
4:24 pm
It it $4.35 a gallon during the summer of 2008, before the big economic collapse of Sept 2008
KPH
March 29th, 2012
4:32 pm
Eyes you are right but Obama laid the spike in fuel prices on thick against Bush while he was lying his way into the White House and so did the uninitiated first time voters that fell for his empty suit rhetoric. To be honest the first President to say we shouldn’t drill for oil in the US because it would take eight to ten years for it to reach the pump was Clinton and at that time he was right but guess what slick Willie those eight to ten years have passed and fuel prices are skyrocketing again! Sure would have been nice if he would have let us drill then so we could be realizing the savings on fuel now. Are our leaders going to keep using that excuse to kick the can another several years down the road just to satisfy the tree huggers? It is very unfortunate but it looks that way.
billyd
March 29th, 2012
4:45 pm
louisville,ky. 4.15 now
windmill
March 29th, 2012
5:17 pm
Hey @ DB and other green junkies -when you plug in your car to charge it how do you think that electricity was produced ? With a magic green fairy wand ? No it took fuel nuclear -coal-natural gas-fuel oil-to power the generators to produce it -so quit thinking your saving the wrold -actually you probably put a bigger footprint on the earth than a gas powered car
mark
March 29th, 2012
5:19 pm
Exxon Mobil made $41 billion in profits during 2011. Please see their 10-k filed with the SEC (page 70 for net income number).
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/000119312512078102/d257530d10k.htm#fin220156_20
Their profit margin should be astronomically lower and they should absolutely not be making $41 billion in profits especially after all the government handouts they receive.
Mr ED
March 29th, 2012
5:20 pm
Actaully the buffoon- oops prez- actaully can affect the price with an utterance of a few words, if he approved the pipeline, more drilling on federal land etc etc. the oil market -who trades on futures-would immediatley see that they supplies would increase in the future -leading to a increase in supply vs a decrease or maintain of supply. But keep repeating the liberal mantra
Martin Williams
March 29th, 2012
5:21 pm
About time as Americans we start to pay for gas at the pump $4 and above. People in Europe pay an average of about $6 per gallon and in America we cry like little kids at $4 and we consumed two thirds of the worlds energy. We drive the biggest SUVs and we seriously lark good public transportation. We give tax breaks to big oil complanies that profited over 135 billion dollars just in 2011. This has NOTHING to do with who is our president. We need to wakeup and smell the rat. Our politicians continue to play golf with these oil executives and they continue to get tax breaks. We need to shut our big mouths blaming the president and go after all of them especially folks in the GOP.
investor
March 29th, 2012
5:22 pm
I’m sure that @ mark and the others have zero of their 401k’s,mutual funds, retirement plans invested in oil companies, so they have nothing to worry about if the price on their stock goes down
Martin Williams
March 29th, 2012
5:24 pm
Pipeline, it will take another 10 to 20 years before you see a drop of energy from that pipeline myth. Keep dreaming Sir.
mark
March 29th, 2012
5:28 pm
@investor: I’m sure some of my 401k is invested in Exxon Mobil but I have a very diversified portfolio and no one drop will hurt me very much. Exxon’s stock shouldn’t be high at the tax payer’s expense.
It's the President Obama's Fault
March 29th, 2012
5:35 pm
That’s what liberals said when Bush was president. I guess that doesn’t apply to President Obama now that a liberal is president. Ignorance really is bliss. You don’t have to think, just feel and react to how you feel and never labor with incongruent thoughts.
The Truth Hurts
March 29th, 2012
6:06 pm
I will drive what I like and can afford to drive. If I can’t afford what I want to drive, then I would be forced into an electric car/ public transit. Until then, I don’t care what you think I should drive. Like it or not, Obama will be blamed for this just like you blamed (and continue to blame) Bush. As the prices go up, Obama’s ratings go down. Bring on $10 a gallon!
Not a Neal Boortz Redneck
March 29th, 2012
6:15 pm
I blame TWO BILLION people in China and India buying cars and wanting gas!
Who do they think they are?