Among the things that Yoopers love to complain about–tourists, Lansing…people who put dill pickles on pasties–one might stand out.
The gas prices we have to pay up here.
I’m probably the least qualified person in the UP to talk about this, as I don’t actually own a car. But I am married to someone who does, and because of that I’m well aware that gas prices are always…extreme.
We’re told that’s because of transportation costs. or a refinery’s shut down or, I dunno, Mars is in retrograde, and those may all be legitimate reasons. But within the UP, even within Marquette County, you get the sense that the companies that own gas stations just charge whatever they feel like.
Here’s an example–a weekend ago we drove up to our favorite bakery in Negaunee.
We noticed all the stations in Marquette were selling gas at $3.88 a gallon. When we got to Negaunee we were stunned–prices there at the exact same chains were $3.58. Companies that owned stations in both cities charged 30 cents more a gallon in Marquette because…
Actually, I have no idea why. They just did.
It’s situations like that that make Yoopers complain about gas prices. There’s no rhyme nor reason as to what goes on.
And when you have an instance where every single station in one town sells gas at the same price while every single station in another town eight miles away charges 30 cents less…
Well, you gotta wonder exactly what the deal is.
Even though I don’t have a car I DO feel sorry for everyone in the UP that does have to fill up on a regular basis. You have to deal with this all the time, and it must be a royal pain in the …gas tank.
I hope for your sake that one day we crack the code on why gas prices are so high and so variable anywhere up here.
Because we have other things to complain about…and we’re looking at you, tourists and people putting dill pickles on pasties.
I’m Jim Koski, and that’s another slice of “Life in the 906.”
