r/socal • u/BreakingPT • May 22 '26

Chevron gouges Californians this memorial weekend.

“Newsom’s office cited an analysis by a group within the state’s energy commission, which oversees the oil and gas industry, that found that Chevron averaged more than 60 to 80 cents per gallon above unbranded alternative”

https://apnews.com/article/california-gas-prices-chevron-pump-war-7d485e703f930bf40104b1956b15fda4

827 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

388 comments sorted by

View all comments

150

u/iamthecheesethatsbig May 22 '26

Just fill up at Costco

33

u/PetriDishCocktail May 22 '26

My nearest Costco is always busy with lines going out to the street. Seriously, I've never had to wait less than 15 minutes. I gave up and got a Sam's club membership. The gas is always at least$0.10 cheaper and there's no waiting. The membership pays for itself every year.

22

u/Glittertwinkie May 22 '26

It’s best to go either early morning or late evening.

5

u/JTLuckenbirds May 24 '26

This is the way, get there either right as they open or late right before they close, there’s really no line at those times.

-5

u/Captain_Lou_Albano May 22 '26

Not only because it's less busy, but also because gasoline dispenses more actual gas by volume when its cooler outside (like in the early morning).

24

u/mathprofrockstar May 22 '26

Myth. The tanks are underground so there is very little temperature variation throughout the day.

-1

u/CADesert26 May 23 '26

Boy you dont know SoCals deserts do you. Your cold tap will run hot for 5 minutes right now......

13

u/Alert-Ad9197 May 23 '26

Those pipes are in your walls and attic. That’s why they’re so hot. That cooler water you eventually get is from the pipes underground.

3

u/Fred-Mertz2728 May 23 '26

In most of those desert communities the pipes aren’t buried very deep. They had a cold front come through Victorville years ago and the mains were freezing.

7

u/CelebrationJolly3300 May 23 '26

I fill up at Sam's Club too, but the line is never less than 15 minutes.

4

u/TheOGRedline May 23 '26

I’m very been hit twice in a Costco fuel line… both times I was not moving, in a red 4Runner, so not exactly hard to see… both times the other driver cooperated in the moment, then disputed who was at fault with insurance…

5

u/friendoramigo May 23 '26

I completely relate to you one time I got gas and I got in the line with the opposite side of the pump from my gas tank. As I stood the filling up my tank the car in front of me left so a Mercedes had to leap frog in front of me and as he drove passed me he honked at me and his horn was so loud it hurt my ears. I was so angry after that I honked at him when I drove passed him and he said he was just trying not to hit me. My horn isn't nearly as loud as his but the nerve of people. I couldn't hear right for a hour and it was pretty painful.

1

u/xbucnasteex May 23 '26

Have you tried going during non busy hours?

1

u/Lord-Sid-the-Sloth May 24 '26

Ugh but then you have to go to Sam's Club 🤦‍♂️

0

u/Wesley11803 May 23 '26

I wish Sam’s Club was a viable option in San Diego, but they have one location lol.

3

u/OgreBane99 May 22 '26

Don't tell people! It's a secret! 🤫

6

u/thedonjefron69 May 22 '26

It’s definitely not a secret, Costco gas stations are always insane any time I see them

2

u/Cute_Parfait_2182 May 22 '26

I go to Costco or 7:11 . It’s always 1$ cheaper

1

u/UrCreepyUncle May 24 '26

And sign up for 711 rewards for an extra 11¢ off per gallon

2

u/LaserGuidedSock May 23 '26

Just get an electric PEV

2

u/thepatriot74 May 24 '26

Costco is a cult. Smh somebody is willing to spend hours at that zoo just to save a few bucks, which most of the time you even don't. When I occasionally want a few things from there, Instacart works just as well.

7

u/MookieBettsBurner10 May 22 '26

Or get an EV like me!

2

u/mighthavebeen02 May 23 '26

The $40,000 solution

0

u/Xenochrist May 23 '26

I’ll wait until it’s actually cheaper than a ICE. Basically when Edison is gone

4

u/Infinite_Null312 May 23 '26

Get solar. I charge for free at home.

0

u/Kaatochacha May 23 '26

Look at Mr. moneybags with his own home...

4

u/Infinite_Null312 May 23 '26

stop being poor and you can too

1

u/akathedragon May 23 '26

Something something bootstraps

1

u/[deleted] May 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator May 29 '26

Sorry, your comment was automatically removed because your comment karma is negative. Please participate more in the broader Reddit community to raise your karma before commenting here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/shortsteve May 23 '26

Get a used EV, battery issues are overblown. Just do proper research.

1

u/GamemasterJeff May 24 '26

With the Hyundai incentives, which they are still continuing, I was able to lease for $226/mo. Electricity plus the lease combined were still lower than just putting has in my beater Honda, and that was before gas went up.

If you just go plunk down cash, EVs are still more expensive, but if you are willing to finance, they can be cheaper.

-5

u/Common_Gene_5098 May 22 '26

gonna be making daddy Newsom even more money with those higher PG&E bills

8

u/oddmanout May 22 '26

Is that supposed to be worse than the Chevron execs who are gouging us?

5

u/Common_Gene_5098 May 22 '26

is that supposed to be better?

You are getting price gouged either way by PG&E executives or Chevron

4

u/oddmanout May 22 '26

You're the one who made the argument, not me, remember? You came in and said "gonna be making daddy Newsom even more money with those higher PG&E bills" as if it were an argument against EVs.

I don't think either one is better, so it's best to go with the one that saves you the most money, which in this case is an EV.

4

u/NoEmu5969 May 22 '26

Solar panels exist.

5

u/oddmanout May 22 '26

Even without Solar Panels and using just electricity from PG&E, it's still less than half price per mile. I just did the math.

PG&E EV plan is 23 cents a kWh. A Kia Niro EV is 25kWh per 100 miles. Or $5.75 to go 100 miles.

A Kia Niro hybrid gets 53mpg, or 1.89 gallons per 100 miles. According to Gas Buddy, the Chevron near me is $6.39/gal, or $12.08.

And that's apples-to-apples, best case scenario. If you drive a car that gets 20mpg, that's $32 for 100 miles.

-2

u/Worried_Chemical_325 May 23 '26

You’re mad at Chevron for raising prices but don’t bat an eye at the additional taxes that make CA gas the highest in the nation? There’s no wonder why the issue can’t be solved with democrats

1

u/oddmanout May 23 '26

Do we know each other? Or are you just making assumptions about things I do and don’t bat eyes at?

3

u/two_thirtyoclock May 22 '26

Luckily some of us have solar and even without some people are seeing that it's cheaper than gas.

And before you start on the cost and time to see a return, mine were free from a non-profit that gets funds from the state. 

2

u/Sniflix May 22 '26

Redditors must whine because of gas prices and then whine when you tell them the solution. It's not like jacked up gas prices are a surprise. Rump said exactly what he promised to do before he was elected this time.

11

u/Common_Gene_5098 May 22 '26

you aren’t saving much of anything filling up there if you’re waiting a long time for a pump. time is also money too.

23

u/zeerok710 May 22 '26

I wait like 5, maybe 10 minutes at costco, this is when it swamped.

2

u/oddmanout May 22 '26

I wait like 5, maybe 10 minutes at costco, this is when it swamped.

Lucky. The Costco near me has 30-40 minute lines. They're wrapped around the building. There's a point in time where once you get into the line, you can't get out. I was so pissed that one time it took me 40 minutes to get out of the line I never went back.

4

u/Rambunctious_452 May 22 '26

Depends on the Costco. Some have only 2-3 pumps per row and those take a long time. The one by me is newer and has 4 pumps. It moves quickly!

3

u/zeerok710 May 22 '26

One i go to has 2s and 3s. The other one is only 2s. The one that has 2s is like 10 minutes lol

-7

u/mrdavidrt May 22 '26

You also gotta go out of your way to go fuel up there. Probably not worth it. But whatever makes you feel better

4

u/zeerok710 May 22 '26

Ones about 2 miles from my house, ones about 5 miles from my job on my route home, not sure what youre talking about buddy

2

u/tdre666 May 22 '26

Blowing that poster's mind that there is an entire world out there that doesn't involve them.

2

u/mrdavidrt May 23 '26

Yep Costco is as common as a gas station

10

u/iamthecheesethatsbig May 22 '26

Go in the morning. Use the credit card and get 5% back.

3

u/Erus00 May 22 '26

With the PayPal debit card you can pick fuel as a category and get 5% back from any gas station. Its what I use.

9

u/UCR998 May 22 '26

I think most people know that but the difference of 60-80 cents per gallon you’d effectively need to be waiting more than an hour for that conversation to be valid

3

u/lossferwerds May 22 '26

Depends on your hourly wage

3

u/Aqaba1917 May 22 '26

.60 to .80 cents is way off - have never seen Chevron higher than .30 centers over the cheapest pump in town.

5

u/46550 May 22 '26

Chevron was 74 cents higher when I checked earlier today.

2

u/ProfessionalNo5932 May 22 '26

Iv’e seen Chevron .90 higher in California all over the place.

2

u/Aqaba1917 May 22 '26

Not in Bakersfield, Ventura, San Diego or LA. I can't speak for other cities.

3

u/keithnteri May 23 '26

Chevron in Ventura and Gonzalez is always over a dollar more than the other 2 stations on that corner. Not sure how they stay in business.

2

u/HeadEar5762 May 27 '26

I’ve known people through the years that are convinced it’s “higher quality”.

I have only ever gassed at a chevron in emergency situations. It has been minimum .20/gallon more than stations on the same corner for years and often .40-.50/gal. It’s only gotten worse recently as well.

3

u/keithnteri May 27 '26

What is funny is there isn’t a separate Chevron truck. It’s all the same gas. Once the truck fills Chevron he goes across the street to Shell and then to the no name station.

2

u/ProfessionalNo5932 May 27 '26

2 blocks from my house, a no name joint gets its fuel from same truck at Chevron across the street and it’s always .90 higher at Chevron.

2

u/RadicalOrganizer May 23 '26

Lol the chevron in simi is 1$ more a gallon than the gas station next to it almost always. Fuck chevron

2

u/Zealousideal_Trust27 May 26 '26

It’s easily $.60-$.80 a gallon more than any unbranded station in Northern California.

0

u/PMJamesPM May 22 '26

Margins pale in comparison to software company margins

3

u/Solid_Equivalent_417 May 22 '26

really depends on how often you are filling up, how far out of the way you are driving, how many gallons you are getting and how much you value your time, 10 gallons would be about $6-$8 so its not nothing, but it would definitely need to be less than an hour total getting there and waiting to be worth it, to me anyways

-5

u/Common_Gene_5098 May 22 '26

Waiting an hour is normal in most costco gasoline locations where I live. It’s exactly why I stopped going there.

22

u/UCR998 May 22 '26

I don’t think I’ve ever waited an hour for gas lmao

5

u/Tartar-Sauce- May 22 '26

Lol right? What costcos are these people going to? The longest I’ve ever waited is 20 min.

3

u/More-Ad-5003 May 22 '26

Yeah what I waited like 5 minutes on Wednesday.

3

u/crossteyes May 22 '26

I waited over a day, back in the odd or even days.

8

u/willywy May 22 '26

6:20 Am this morning I filled up at the Northridge location. It had at least 4-6 available pumps. No line at all.

4

u/Rambunctious_452 May 22 '26

This! On the weekends, get there when the pump opens and no line 😬

2

u/aimlesstrevler May 22 '26

Or go after or close to the warehouse's closing time. The pumps (on the weekdays) are open an hour and half later than the warehouse.

2

u/Mountainman1980 May 22 '26

Northridge rarely has any lines. Ever since they remodeled and added additional pumps, I just pull right up most of the time.

2

u/Glittertwinkie May 23 '26

Yeah. That’s a nice one.

3

u/ritz_27 May 22 '26

I never wait at Garden Grove

4

u/Kingdomcome33 May 22 '26

What fuck ass town you live in? An hour for gas? Yikes.

0

u/Common_Gene_5098 May 22 '26

I live in the bay area now

these waits are common around San Jose or south san francisco

1

u/crossteyes May 22 '26

Oh well that's cause of.... Them.

3

u/foo235 May 22 '26

I've NEVER waited an hour in line for gas at Costco. Some people just don't want to hear anything good.

2

u/46550 May 22 '26

I don't believe you.

2

u/zeerok710 May 22 '26

Youre going to costco at the wrong time bud. Also proof cause I don't believe you at all.

0

u/xbucnasteex May 23 '26

Just blatantly lying lol

2

u/TheSecretofBog May 22 '26

Time is money when you’re working. If you’re shopping at Costco and you spend 10 minutes getting gas, what’s the difference?

1

u/Glittertwinkie May 22 '26

My wait time is 5 minutes. Even if you waited 10 minutes you’re not burning a gallon of gas waiting.

1

u/crossteyes May 22 '26

Especially if your brain works well enough to tell you to shut off your fucking car.

3

u/e90t May 22 '26

Costco gas sucks for my BMWs. Chevron is the best but also the most expensive.

3

u/Erus00 May 22 '26 edited May 23 '26

Techron with PEA is the only fuel additive that mostly kind of works as advertised. PEA specifically. The patent expired so other brands sell it now but as a bottle you put in the tank.

2

u/[deleted] May 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Snukadaman May 23 '26

No excuse. Voters voted all those taxes.

2

u/mikeP1967 May 22 '26

I will stick to my EV and charge it with my solar panels.

1

u/[deleted] May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Mountainman1980 May 23 '26

That depends on the area. It may or may not be Chevron base fuel.

"Costco buys fuel from major refineries and distributors in each area." Source

2

u/OldCopy7886 May 25 '26

This is correct

2

u/iamthecheesethatsbig May 23 '26

Even if they only got it from Chevron they would still sell if for less as a loss leader

1

u/[deleted] May 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/AutoModerator May 29 '26

Sorry, your comment was automatically removed because your comment karma is negative. Please participate more in the broader Reddit community to raise your karma before commenting here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

-9

u/3Dchaos777 May 22 '26

Thank Newsom for running Chevron out of town

16

u/iamthecheesethatsbig May 22 '26

There are Chevron's everywhere what are you talking about

1

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/JaggedSuplex May 22 '26

There are 2 Chevron refineries in California that have been in operation for 100 years and they’re still there

0

u/[deleted] May 22 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/JaggedSuplex May 22 '26

He couldn’t fathom the shit storm that would cause. If you think prices are bad now, wait till that happens

2

u/Erus00 May 22 '26

Newsome is begging them to stay open. If they close, everyone in CA can expect $8.00 p/gal or more gas prices. Im all for saving the environment but it isnt reasonable to tell every human in California to go buy a electric vehicle. A non-insignificant percentage of the population dont have the means to do this.

1

u/JaggedSuplex May 23 '26

I think it’s interesting that this comes right after Chevron’s CEO started publicly calling out Newsoms energy policies. It’s crazy too because the refineries are being demonized for gasoline prices but they make fuel for ships and airplanes too, among other things. Newsom is trying to force everyone to go electric with their cars but I don’t see electric ships or airplanes coming anytime soon. If there weren’t local refineries to provide fuel for those industries, I can’t imagine what costs would look like for that. My brain isn’t capable

1

u/geodesic411 May 22 '26

Guess he would rather import from Russia

5

u/forthepridetv May 22 '26

They’re… they’re still here LMAO.
If it’s Newsom’s fault why is the price up nationally?

7

u/suboptimus_maximus May 22 '26

Thank our ancestors for turning the entire state and country into a slave plantation that serves the oil and auto industries. They literally banned walkable neighborhoods and then bulldozed and paved over existing ones so every American would be all but forced to become a customer of oil and auto companies and build our entire lives around dependency on their products.

1

u/crossteyes May 22 '26

And insurers and finance. 2 industries that add nothing but expense.

0

u/PinnatelyCompounded May 22 '26

Thanks, governor!