Plymouth area motorists get a break at the pumps

August 24, 2011

Motorists line up at Family Express during last evening’s “gas war” between local businesses that saw gas as low as $3.09 per gallon.

PLYMOUTH — It’s unclear what started the “gas war” among several Plymouth gasoline stations Tuesday; but local motorists wasted no time in getting to the pumps.
The Murphy station just off of U.S. 30 apparently was the first to drop its price to $3.19 a gallon. As the word spread, others stations starting matching that price and eventually going lower.
At one point in the early evening, Bellmart BP Convenience Store at the corner of Jefferson and Michigan Streets had posted $3.14 per gallon on its flashing sign; however, it returned the price to $3.43 even after others such as Family Express and Speedway were fluctuating from $3.29-$3.14 late into the night.
Jamie Bellman said of BP: “Our competition kept lowering the price and we will continue to match them. People expect to pay the same price from station to station. We don’t want to lose our customers over this so we will continue to lower our price.” He explained that there is no financial reason for the dramatic drop in price and said, “It just happens every now and then.”
Savvy shoppers sat in their vehicles using their cell phones to get the lowest and most current prices from GasBuddy.com. Near 9 p.m., GasBuddy showed Bellman’s BP at $3.09; Family Express, $3.13; and Speedway, $3.19. Red D Mart and Phillips 66 ranged from $3.58-$3.65.
Monday, the Marathon station's price of $3.75 had already prompted motorists to head towards stations selling at $3.43. But by Tuesday night, Marathon had dropped its price as well.
People were lined up all over town to get the best deals, filling up not only their cars, but lawn mowers, extra cans and some even reporting coming back with motor homes to take advantage of the low prices while they could.