Gas Prices Better In Mesquite

Prices have gone down even further in Mesquite since
Friday, dropping to $3.25 as of Wednesday morning.

While traveling to Las Vegas last week, something I am loathe to do, I received a pleasant and very welcome surprise.

Sometimes along the way on I-15, I will stop at the new Love's truck stop for fuel.

Last week, I noticed the price of regular gas was $3.69 a gallon. 

Fortunately, I didn't need gas, so I was able to pass up this price.

Once into North Las Vegas, I checked the sign on Craig Road for the Pilot truck stop, a fueling station that I use almost every time I visit Sin City.

Their posted price for regular gasoline was $3.49 a gallon.

That was a much better deal.

However, I didn't need gas, so I didn't partake.

The reason I didn't need gas is because I filled up at the Smith's in Mesquite on the corner of Sandhill Boulevard and Hillside Drive.

There, gasoline on Friday was $3.26 a gallon.

That's not a typo.

It's hard to believe that after all these years of growling and grumbling about the price of gas in our little microwaved slice of Heaven, fuel fees are finally becoming competitive.

The Smith price was even less than the Pilot truck stop in St. George, which is usually the bellwether for gas prices in the area.  Pilot's price was $3.45 per gallon.

It's a gratifying change.

While working in the newspaper business in Mesquite over the last eight years, I frequently did stories on runaway gas prices in our town.  Most of those stories required a quick stop at the gas station on the corner of Sandhill and Hillside for a photo, because the sign at what was then a Chevron station usually boasted one of the highest prices in town.  The price gouging wasn't just a reflection of this big oil participant, although Chevron is usually among the most expensive gas in Mesquite.  I always believed the ripoff factor was elevated because of the station's close proximity to the interstate exit.  The price at Sandhill and Hillside was regularly the highest among the three Chevron stations in town.

Now, that same corner under the Smith's banner consistently boasts the lowest price in the 89027 zip code. 

Prior to Smith's arrival, the low-price battle was usually between the Maverik just down the street and the Terrible's at the corner of Mesquite Boulevard and Riverside Road.

These days, it's hard to know which of the three stations is the catalyst for the price drop, because as soon as the price goes down at Smith's, Maverik is quick to follow.  Or perhaps it's vice versa, with Smith's following Maverik's lead.

For example, last Friday, the price for gas at the big M convenience store was also $3.26 per gallon. 

Whichever way the flow goes for low price supremacy, it's a major win for local consumers.

Part of the victory can be attributed to one of the core tenets of capitalism, which is the fact that competition breeds better service and lower prices.  Because there is so much collusion between the big oil players like Exxon, Chevron, and Shell, (all of which reported incredibly high multi-billion dollar profits in the third quarter of this year, including Exxon's $10.3 billion windfall), it's rare to see a low price posted on one of their signs. 

On the other hand, the smaller gasoline purveyors continue the American tradition of trying to beat the other guy's price.  This downward pressure is a positive for our town.

In fact, I wish there was a way we could get this message out to the potential visitors whizzing by our interstate exits, and residents of neighboring towns.  It would be a huge boon for the community if we could somehow let those travelers know that not only is Mesquite a fun place to stop, with our casinos, bowling alley, golf courses, movie theaters, and friendly people, it's also a place to find a good deal on fuel. 

It's sort of like the "loss leader" technique often used by big retailers: Lure the customer in with an insanely low price on one popular item, and more than make up the difference with all the other buys the person will make while they're there.

Unfortunately, that strategy will never catch so long as the Rebel station at exit 122 and the Chevron Travel Center at exit 120 continue to commit mercantile rape on visitors with their outrageous gas prices at their high visibility posts at the two entryways to our city.

But we can blast our good gas news about Smiths and Maverik to everyone in our Facebook lineup and e-mail address book (along with driving directions on how to bypass Chevron and Rebel), letting friends and acquaintances know that Mesquite is the place to go for low gas prices.

So after years of complaining about our place in the gas price pecking order, I want to thank Smith's, Maverik, and Terrible's for treating Mesquite residents right, and bringing some sanity back to an overpriced commodity.  We appreciate you.

To my friends and neighbors, I encourage you to bury your Chevron card deep in your wallet and take your cars to one of these three low-priced options.  If we don't support their efforts with our dollars by ensuring they sell in enough quantity to keep their prices low, we won't be in a position to complain when the prices go back to big oil levels.

And be sure to tell your friends and neighbors here and outside Mesquite that we are the area's low price leaders in gasoline.