Gas prices are getting out of whack again, earlier this year than has been the case, but Shell must think they got some serious shizznit in their V-Power high test blend. Usually a gallon of regular costs some base amount, $X.xx9, with the middle grade 10 cents higher and the top an additional ten cents per gallon. The nine-tenths of a cent is a marketing hangover that’s supposed to trick us into believing the price is lower than it is but since every single gas station does it the practice is stupid (though I bet people inside the industry know the reason it hasn’t gone away).
Back to Shell and V-Power, which is formulated to clean your engine while you drive. I pulled up at a stop light this morning and one of the stations was on my right; out of habit I checked their prices. Regular was $2.019, higher than two weeks ago though in line for the area, but the mid-grade blend was $2.199 and high test $2.499. Very strange.
Then I thought about the method in their apparent madness. Sneaky, very cynical but props for thinking of it. Most cars today do not require us to spend extra for higher than 87 octane gas; the few that do are almost exclusively expensive sports cars like Porsches and Ferraris. So if someone’s willing to pay the cost of those cars they probably don’t care about a few cents a gallon on gas and Shell will not piss off the majority of customers with a higher price for 91 octane.
The cynical aspect of this strategy is that some people, either arrogant, ignorant or both, believe that more expensive means better and so buy the top grade gas. Even though it’s a waste of money that does nothing for their car I guess it boosts their ego and their willing to pay a premium for that.
BillSaysThis 