Soccer Dad

The presence of the cheapest gas

Presence wonders where the cheapest gas was in NW Baltimore.

I had thought that the best place was the Crown station on the corner of Fallstaff, which usually was comparable with his favorite at Fords Lane. (More on Crown later.)

But lately the cash price at the Carroll Independent station on the corner of Reisterstown and Patterson has been the cheapest.

The funny thing is that when there's a big fluctuation, all presumptions get knocked out of whack. Usually the gas stations near work had been more expensive. But in the summer of 2005, before Katrina, the four stations on Cherry Hill Road (Adelphi) started carrying even cheaper prices than Baltimore. Since then, though, the Cherry Hill stations have been more expensive - until this week.

More surprising is that yesterday I noticed, that the gas stations on New Hampshire Avenue were lower than Cherry Hill Road or Baltimore. Were in a state of flux now so most assumptions about the best price probably won't stand.

(In the past two years I'd have to make occasional trips to Westminster Maryland where there was a Jiffy Mart that always had prices 5 - 10 cents less per gallon than in Northwest Baltimore. And my favorite place to get gas on my trips to NJ/NY is the Pilot station at Carney's Point, NJ. The last time we travelled though, the Pilot Station no longer was cheaper than Baltimore. I wonder if it will be cheaper on our next trip.)

Anyway, Presence mentioned that he didn't know what station was before it became Chevron. It was a Crown station. Around Baltimore, Crown was the gas station associated with the Orioles (back when they were good.) Brooks Robinson used to be the spokesman. But those days are gone.

Crown still exists. Though I didn't find information on the station changes in any news source, the Crown website explains that in 2004 they sold a number of their stations.

By mid-2004, Crown Central had sold the bulk of its gas stations and convenience stores to dozens of small to mid-size independent retailers. Many of the buyers of those locations entered into an agreement to continue to operate under the Crown brands. Some operators in parts of Maryland and Virginia have recently chosen to enter into new arrangements with other companies to change the brand of their stations. By the end of 2006, Crown stations will be fewer in number in those areas.

The 4 Crown stations I'm familiar with have become Texaco or Chevron stations.

One more part of my childhood - gone. Sniff.

UPDATE: Laz-A-Fare asks, "How much are you really saving by finding the cheapest gas?"

Blogdigger tags: Gasoline Prices, Crown Central.