By David Kennard
Morning News
It’s a sight drivers haven’t seen in almost a year: gasoline selling for less than $3 per gallon.
Stations in Blackfoot have been dropping during the past few weeks, but Wednesday was the first time they fell below the $3 mark. The lowest observed prices in Blackfoot were $2.97 at Flying J was selling, $2.95 at Maverick, $2.99 at Chevron and $3.09 at Tesoro. Flying J Relief Manager Bobbie Santmyer said the station received a lot of customers Wednesday, and the customers are happier too.
The price has dropped up to twice per day for the past week and a half to two weeks, said Santmyer, and customers are telling her they’re happy about the change.
Gas was $3.05 Tuesday but dropped to $2.99 before Santmyer arrived Wednesday, and it continued dropping to $2.97 by 5 p.m. She expects the trend to continue.
The corporate office determines gas prices, said Santmyer, and the manager working every morning goes around to other stations to compare rates, aiming for Flying J to be equal to or less than its competition.
Santmyer recommended as a money-saving strategy for customers to buy a little gas in the morning and return later in the day to fill up.
Maverick tied Flying J for the $2.97 price and reported similar increases to business.
According to the user-supported GasBuddy.com, Boise prices within the previous 48 hours ranged from $3.13 to $3.29. Salt Lake City prices ranged from $2.94 to $3.05, placing Blackfoot between the larger
