Blytheville gas prices falling ... like a feather

The good news is, gas prices are going down.

The bad news is, in Blytheville … not so much.

You’ve probably read the news stories. Around the country, gas prices are falling fast, as a combination of economic woes, declining demand and falling crude oil prices kick in at the same time.

And — as reported last week in the Courier News — gas prices are coming down in Blytheville, too. Barely. If gas prices elsewhere are falling like a boulder; in Blytheville, they’re falling like a feather.

I like to frequent a Web site called GasBuddy.com. It uses volunteers to keep track of the gas prices across Arkansas and the rest of the country, keeping a running list of the 15 most-expensive and 15 least-expensive places to buy gas in the state. For weeks, Blytheville has been a fixture on the most-expensive list, consistently holding five or more of the top 15 spots. It’s been a dubious distinction.

For the record, there was a brief time last week when our community at last did not hold any of the top 15 spots. And that’s worth noting.

But it was short-lived. Tuesday afternoon, Blytheville was well-represented on the most-expensive list once more, holding six of the top 15 spots.

It could be worse, of course. Blytheville — at least at present — does not have the most expensive gas in Arkansas. That distinction, according to GasBuddy, belongs to places like Mountain View, with several gas stations charging in the $3.30s for regular unleaded.

The opposite side of the spectrum can be found in the Springdale-Rogers area, which holds nearly every spot in the ranking of the least-expensive gas stations, with gas selling for as little as $2.45 at some stations. In Jonesboro, gas is selling for $2.69. In West Memphis, it's $2.85.

It’s a frustrating situation. It would be one thing if gas prices were the same — high or low — everywhere you went. But when you can drive an hour or less up the road and see gas for 30 or 40 cents a gallon less than you pay back home, it’s hard to not feel like there’s something screwy going on.

The calls I get at my desk range from allegations of “gas-gouging” to “price-fixing.” Is that what’s going on in Blytheville? I really don’t know. Only the folks who set the prices know for sure. But I agree that it seems awfully fishy. I have yet to hear a logical explanation for why gas stations less than an hour north, west and south of us are able to drop their prices more quickly, raise their prices more slowly, and otherwise charge dramatically less for the exact same product that is being sold here.

I’ve heard some folks talking about organizing a boycott. I’m hesitant to go that far. As an advocate of shopping locally, I’m unable to bring myself to call for an out-and-out boycott of a local business. That said, there are a few things consumers might be wise to do.

For starters, for those that do happen to travel out of town — for work or for pleasure — it only makes sense to buy your gas where it’s cheapest. It used to be that it was convenient to fill up before you left town. Nowadays, it seems smarter to top off your tank before you get home. That’s not a boycott; it’s simply a matter of acknowledging that in these tough economic times, it’s common sense to buy your product where it’s the least expensive.

Second, if you do have to buy gas locally — and we all do — make sure gas is the only thing you buy. If you want a soda, or a bag of chips, or a gallon of milk, or a candy bar, shop elsewhere in town. After all, there’s plenty of local grocery stores in our community that are working hard to keep their prices low. They deserve that business.

I don't claim to have all the answers on this stuff. When it comes to the business of running gas stations, I'm far from an expert. All I can do is make my own observations and — in the absence of any rational explanations — draw my own conclusions. And right now, those conclusions aren't making me very happy.