Problem at gas stations.

[trailertraveler]

Tom Thumb supermarkets is in Texas (as is Randalls) and they are part of the Safeway group. I believe the Tom Thumb that you are talking about are in Florida?

 

Barb

Yes, Florida and Alabama.

[Chris-n-Dennis]

Out here Safeway bought Albertsons, then Haggen bought Safeway. Only time will tell if this is a good thing. I did take advantage of the Safeway discounts but found out the discount was only for the first 25 gallons. Always use the outside lanes and its a diesel tap on the gas pumps. (We always scope it out for the green handle). Fortunately the 2 places I frequent have a wide curve to the lane, then its a straight shot exit.

 

Hey, anyone else having the difficulty with DEF pumps? I've given up trying at the Flying J/Pilot since fuel is forward and DEF is aft on passenger side so it involves moving to fuel. I simply get the 2.5gal jugs and fill DEF by hand anymore. Been the same sort of set up at all the places I've gone so far (WA, ID, NV).

[Dutch_12078]

Right now we're in St George, SC, just off I-95. The cheapest gas in the area is $1.819 at a mom&pop with lousy RV access. The second cheapest is Flying J at $1.839 with their easy access RV lanes. With our loyalty discount, that will be $1.809 when we fill up tomorrow. That works for us, especially when we add in our 5% PenFed rebate.

[Barbaraok]

Fortunately we don't have to worry about DEF since our rig is so old. Sometimes there are advantageous with not having the newer models.

 

Actually Haggen is only buying SOME of the Albertson-Safeway merger stores. It is part of the divestiture requirements to get FTC approval of the merger.

 

We have often found that between the 3-5% rebate on the credit cards, the Flying J/Pilot loyalty card giving the 'cash' price, and the ease getting in and out of the station, it makes sense to use the Flying J/Pilot even if the listed price is a few pennies higher. Getting in and out is not a small consideration when pulling a car behind us!

 

Barb

[Jim & Alice]

Another thought on the problem of getting into a gas station with a long gas motorhome and toad... (I figure about 45 feet total in length).

 

Many stations have pumps located in a row such that only the outside pumps are viable for a long gas rig. So waiting for an outside pump to become available... can be a headache - and then when the pump does becomes available... someone else pulls up in front of you! Well, my wife and I figured it out - My wife, who has never met a stranger and loves to err, um, 'chat', simply goes to stand behind the car currently at the pump. Anyone that pulls up to gas up... and my dear wife points at our close-by parked motorhome, mentions that we were in line ahead, and could they please select another pump island?

 

Works like a charm. My wife makes new acquaintances, she tell folks how cold it is in Michigan, how nice it is in Texas... and that we love to motorhome.... last price of gas, where we're going, kids, grandkids, and How are You?

 

Life is good.

Jim

[wa_desert_rat]

This thread certainly struck a chord!

 

On our last trip south and back (last month) we noticed that the truck stops were 30-cents or more higher than the smaller fuel stops. Even Chevron was cheaper than Pilot! And lots cheaper!!!

 

Not sure what's up with that but the result is that with our motor home we now look harder at "other" locations for fueling. Using GasBuddy, Google Maps, etc. helps a lot. And we don't hesitate to disconnect the toad and scout the area if we need to. That disconnect takes only 5 minutes and then one of us can give the other a much better idea. The cheapest fuel is often away from the Interstate, but not always.

 

We found ourselves in some tight spots but never really had an issue. We make use of adjoining parking lots if we can; lots of them put up barriers but if a trip around the block indicates that using an adjacent area makes entry and/or exit feasible we go for it.

 

We've used Fred Meyer for fuel often and find them pretty easy to get into and back out of. Costco - if they'd only sell more diesel - is clearly ahead of the pack in both pricing and wide lanes.

 

Having 100 gallons (or more) is a big plus, too. A 30-cent savings in the purchase of more than 50 gallons can go a long way towards lunch!

 

WDR

[Barbaraok]

We have the Flying J/Pilot loyalty card which gives us cash price plus 3 cents off, which is about 10 cents. Rewards card another 3-5 cents off, fresh diesel, ease of in & out with no unhooking, works for usj?

[wa_desert_rat]

We have the Flying J/Pilot loyalty card which gives us cash price plus 3 cents off, which is about 10 cents. Rewards card another 3-5 cents off, fresh diesel, ease of in & out with no unhooking, works for usj

Well... just as a quick example using Gas Buddy:

 

Loves in Ritzville, WA (right next to I-90) is $2.93 for diesel

76 Station in George, WA (right next to I-90) is $2.39 for diesel

 

They are about 70 miles apart. Same state. Same taxation.

 

I'll pass Ritzville by and go to the one at George every day.

 

OR:

 

Pilot in Sacramento, CA diesel is $3.19

Chevron in Woodland, CA has diesel for $2.79

 

I filled up at the Chevron. Drove right past the Pilot

 

No unhooking, lots of fuel pumped at these stations.... I don't see the point of using Pilot/Flying J when they are so much more for the same product. Even with their so-called "discount" programs. Truck stops, in general, were always more than nearby stations during our trip up and down I-5 and along I-90. Not sure why. They used to be cheaper.

 

WDR

[alltooledup]

12,000 miles we only got caught once a Loves we had to unhook the toad. They had a drive through for food that congested the area near the pumps

 

. Once there was a gas war in Michigan between Admiral and Speedway. We could not turn down the price so went into the pandemonium at the speedway. Wife had to get out and ask people to back up to let us out:-) They were not malicious just clueless as to our predicament. 2 way traffic. It was a real feeding frenzy with cars in long lines and motorist slamming on their brakes with screeching tires to get in line to save some dough. I am somewhat nervous of that kind of scene as during the Arab Oil Embargo tempers flared and a guy got shot in my old home town of Gary Ind. Everyone in Mi was nice and no one was harmed. The Admiral was undoable and the speedway barely doable but we did it!

 

+1 for pen fed 5% off. We spent $3800. last year so it adds up. Use the Pen Fed at flyying J with your good Sam card for double rewards. Pilot Flying J is no longer a low cost provider here but they do have a little more room than some others at the gasoline pumps. We now have private stations where you have to be a member, Pacific Oil. it is business to business. just pumps and washrooms with keypad locks. There is an independent that has naked pumps with no service but great prices and easy acess. Pinkerton Oil in Porter Indiana close to the Indiana Dunes National LakeShore and Indiana Dunes State Park. They are on gas buddy.