High gas prices got you down? You’re not alone.
Owners of convenience-store gas stations – where many of us pump our fuel – are feeling the pinch too.
About 30 percent of sales come from customers coming in to buy cigarettes, lottery tickets and snack foods, according to industry officials. When gas prices go up, store sales go down because more motorists pay at the pump and skip going inside the stores.
“When gas prices go up fast, you can’t pass all of it on” to customers, said Jeff Lenard, spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores. “That makes in-store purchases crucial.”
Convenience-store gas stations make about a penny on every gallon sold, they said. When pump prices surge, stations often have to eat the increases to remain competitive.
