Gas prices ping-pong at Four Corners

July 17, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK\Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU -- Two gas stations at Four Corners mirrored the national volatility of petroleum prices when prices jumped three times in two weeks.

It wasn't a gasoline-price war between two competitors -- the changing numbers on the gas price signs reflected simple supply and demand, employees at Three Bears and Mom & Pop Grocery said Saturday.

When Three Bears opened its doors to the public July 8, the gas pump marquee advertised $2.19 a gallon.

The newly opened box store had received a notice prices were going up, so the owner, Larry Weisz, ordered an extra tanker, which arrived an hour before the midnight price increase. That move allowed Three Bears to keep prices low through the grand-opening weekend, according to Larry's oldest son, Dave Weisz.

"That was not a gimmick. We get a bill and we adjust the price according to our margin of profit," Three Bears store manager Paul Sonnenberg said.

"If there's a freeze on orange crops, orange juice goes up. But I guarantee you, we make a lot more profit off orange juice than gas," he said.

The petroleum distributors charged customers an extra 10 cents and an extra 6 cents per gallon in the past two weeks, Dave Weisz said.

On Saturday, the price at Three Bears had settled at $2.28 a gallon, a penny less per gallon than at Mom & Pop Grocery.

The gas prices at the Mom & Pop store at the Four Corners also adjust according to the price of fuel from the distributors, assistant manager Patrick Felthauser said.

Last week, the store offered a price of $2.24 per gallon; but 5 cents were added to that price by Friday.

"We've had three price increases since we opened. Now our prices are closer to what Anchorage is charging," Dave Weisz said.