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Some lucky folks get $1-a-gallon gas

Dozens of Texas drivers had a chance to gas up their cars at prices not seen in more than a decade, thanks to a computer error.

By Giselle Smith Apr 10, 2012 4:25PM

Some lucky Texans got a blast from the past at the pumps early Tuesday when a computer glitch caused a Conoco station in Pasadena to dispense gas for just $1.01 per gallon.

 

The store off Queens near Allen-Genoa was closing about midnight when the computer somehow changed the prices on its brand-new pumps, the gas station clerks told KHOU-TV.

 

The news spread rapidly via telephone and Facebook, and so many people lined up at the pumps that police were called, KHOU reported. (Post continues below.)

"When I was passing by, one of my brother-in-laws had called me saying it was a $1.01 a gallon here," Benito Cruz told KHOU. "So I pumped my gas. I got it for $10. Ten dollars to fill up my whole tank." Cruz said it usually costs $40 to gas up his vehicle.

 

Another customer, Daniel Quinteuro, told KHOU he was one of the first people at the station, where he was able to fill up four cars for $55. "Finally we're getting a break," he said. "The economy is bad right now, (so) we might as well take advantage."

 

The current national average price for gas is $3.92 per gallon, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. In Texas, gas is just a little bit cheaper, averaging $3.84 per gallon.

According to ABC 13, the deal lasted until about 1:30 a.m., and one driver told ABC 13 that the Conoco station ran out of gas. Fox News reported that a station manager shut down the pumps after being notified about the gas-buying rush -- and its cause.

 

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218Comments
V.0.R
Apr 10, 2012 6:00PM
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Gas stations have really low margins. The owner was surely losing $3/gallon on this "deal"
dude manrod
Apr 10, 2012 8:17PM
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If you have 4 cars and are worried about gas prices, it might be time to cut back a little.
snufflin
Apr 10, 2012 6:06PM
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No, you're not "finally getting a break" but you are definitely "taking advantage."  I feel bad for the gas station owner who undoubtedly had to pay about $4/gal for the gas that people "took advantage" of at $1/gal.  The gas station owners do not set the prices; they are just as vulnerable as everyone else.  It wouldn't surprise me if this puts the station out of business.
Working Dog60
Apr 10, 2012 9:23PM
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To the person who said the owner should have just sucked it up and called it a one day special...Seriously figure it out! If the station has a 10,000 gallon tank, and the owner only makes 5 cents a gallon(somedays that is a happy margin) then with the average of gas today being 3.92 a gallon..the station just paid 3.87 a gallon. that means that he just LOST $28,000.00 if he sold all the gas in that tank. Now do the math...how many gallons at a 5 cent margin would he have to sell to just break even for that loss.  So for all the people who said that they deserved a break in the price of gas, think of the owner(not the COMPANY) but the person, yes the owner may just be a real person, that just took a royal beating because of a mistake that NO ONE would tell him about.
NODADDYDONT_DUKE
Apr 10, 2012 5:30PM
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lucky folks if only that was real gas prices
swedoc
Apr 10, 2012 5:37PM
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Sorry, even though you are " finally getting a break" it is nothing but stealing .
michael mikulski (Mike_M)
Apr 10, 2012 6:21PM
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I got gas at 3.99 cents a gallon because the station owner when programming the pums put the decimal in the wrong place.  I thought the pump was broke as i could only get in 30 cents of gas.  We figured out the prob and my tank was full but I made sure to pay for the gas at the normal price..  well now i am a kinda prefered customer!!!
Uncle Buddy
Apr 10, 2012 10:14PM
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There's absolutely no reason at all for gas to cost more than a dollar a gallon, when you look at how much the oil companies profit every year.
Sharon Deckard (Justanoldfriend)
Apr 10, 2012 10:42PM
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Maybe I am just too darn old or something. But I remember when gas was 25 cents a gallon, bread was 25 cents, milk was 25 cents and you could get a hamburger for 25 cents. So for a dollar you were doing pretty well. However, wages at that time were $2.25 per hour and so forth. So it was all relative. But since the economy is in the toilet and wages are not so good now we are getting soaked for gas. I am so glad I am retired and don't have to hassle with the daily grind for pennies. I remember back in 2002 right after the 9/11 disaster and a lot of us lost our jobs. I was making close to $20 an hour and lost my job and all I could find with all my experience and degrees was a $6.25  an hour job. That hurt and these gas prices in this job economy are hurting millions of people and its not their fault. One thing we could stop doing is sending our money and goods to other countries to help them out. Let's keep it at home and take care of our own first. Then if we have any left over help out someone else.
Rope
Apr 10, 2012 7:03PM
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Think people if this happened now our economy would take off and everyone would prosper.  Big Oil companies now are just being greedy and taking all of this money from everyone and putting it into there greedy hands at the expense of people lives.  Pretty Fcked up that a few people can control this when the world runs on it.
Jeep123
Apr 10, 2012 9:23PM
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No thanks, The station owner lost a lot of money because of this. One day when you make a mistake and lose money you will know what he went through.
JonnyT619
Apr 10, 2012 8:05PM
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It is not stealing.  What are patrons supposed to do? pass on an opportunity for cheap gas? How would you feel if you passed on this opportunity because you suspected it to be incorrect, and later realizing that it actually was a special ran by the owner?

 

IT IS NOT STEALING! they paid for the gas

 

I am sure the owner will recoup the money from the software company which sets the prices.

If it isan owner mistake. then it's his fault. He should be more careful.

 

Like their is an ethical code and moral guideline constituting your interactions with businesses that are monetarially raping us everyday and laughing about it!!

Bilzabar
Apr 10, 2012 9:22PM
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Of course the typical greedy bastards who know nothing about honesty would never take the moral high ground to let the station know that there is an error.  Whether you think you were entitled to the cheap gas or not isn't the point, but rather, knowing when your lack of doing anything will bite you back in the buttocks in some way as a result.

soccerfreak_171
Apr 10, 2012 7:50PM
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I would have soaked my seats and shop vac'd it out when I got home at that price.


Francy
Apr 11, 2012 12:05AM
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I know it was in error (and wrong) but truthfully i sorta feel jealous!! I don't know
MJjacksonJoeWalsh
Apr 10, 2012 10:26PM
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All the candidates suck. Gas shouldn't  be over 2 dollars.
j_ry
Apr 11, 2012 1:13AM
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I believe that this should be a wake up call to every one. Yes this might not have been right. Sure these people where lucky. But what is not right is a group of companies deciding that they want to make more money then they need, and bleeding America dry for it. It doesn't matter if your a Democrat or a Republican, no one likes spending money. If companies truly cared about their customers, they would not make them go broke buying something that is a necessity. Two weeks ago I paid around $3.90 for gas, this week I paid around $4.30. That's 40 cents in two weeks. That is wrong, and shouldn't be allowed to happen. There need to come a time when enough is enough. I just think that it will happen too late.
RWKENNED
Apr 10, 2012 11:03PM
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The gas station makes 2-3 cents profit of each gallon.  The refinery makes 6 cents profit per gallon.  The fed makes 23.3 cents per gallon-and they don't buy the crude, refine, transport, pump or even give you a squeeqie to clean the windshield.  
Dear government, get your damn hands out of my cookie jar, gas tank and happy meal.
NIKOLAI173
Apr 10, 2012 7:47PM
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Lucky? They're paying the price gas SHOULD be at!!!!
mdpa
Apr 10, 2012 7:54PM
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I feel for the owner too.  It's not his fault the prices are so high.  Hopefully he has insurance to cover the loss.
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