Voices

Why are gas stations and distributors squeezing the locals?

BRATTLEBORO — I have always believed that one of the basic laws of economics is that of supply and demand. We have come to expect that when demand is high, prices tend to rise and when demand is low, they may drop.

That appears to be true for most items - except for gasoline in Windham County.

While nationally, the price of gas has dropped significantly at the pump for the past two months, the prices at stations in this county have remained rock-solid at nearly $2 a gallon. Having driven north to Barre, east to Keene, N.H., and south to Windsor, Conn., I have found gas prices from 10 to 50 cents per gallon lower.

Clearly, most people have reduced travel (not many places are open for business) so demand is down. Shouldn't prices be down as well?

You can check it out yourself online at gasbuddy.com. So gas distributors and station owners, why have you chosen to squeeze the locals?

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