When I first started driving as a teenager in 1986, I worked at a Texaco service station, and I was in charge of checking out the other gas station prices in town each day, then changing the prices on the pumps at the station where I worked. My instructions were to always be a penny less than the station down the block. I remember the prices as if it were yesterday.
The price for a gallon of full-service leaded regular was 75 cents, leaded premium 99 cents, unleaded regular 79 cents, unleaded premium 89 cents.
Tonight (in Minnesota) leaded regular is $1.59, leaded premium $1.89, unleaded regular $1.49, unleaded premium $1.59.
Very interesting that leaded gas is MORE expensive than unleaded now (it used to be the other way around)!
Gas wars....yes, very fun. We've had a few over the years. The corner stations about a mile from my house used to have some very good ones...Standard Oil, Skelly, and Phillips 66 (all full-service, by the way) fought all the way down to 45 cents a gallon! Cars woulod line up for blocks to buy at the cheapest station. This happened until just a handful of years ago, then the Phillips 66 station shut down and now no more gas wars.
