Gasoline prices drop below $3 in Hartselle
Gas prices in Hartselle dropped below $3 per gallon for the first time in four years Wednesday.
“We dropped our price for regular to $2.99 yesterday and saw a traffic increase at the pumps immediately,” said Becky Corson, head cashier at Cowboys on Alabama 36. “It’s been a long time since we posted a gas price under $3. Customers that normal buy $10 to $15 worth were increasing their purchases by that amount or more.”
Other local fuel dealers selling regular gas for $2.99 included Murphy USA at Wal-Mart and Jet Pep in Tanner Heights and on Nanceford Road.
A press release from GasBuddy oil analysts Sept. 16 said fall fuel prices were expected to be lower than usual.
“U.S. drivers can expect to see the cheapest gasoline prices for this season since the autumn of 2010,” GasBuddy chief oil analyst Tom Kloza said in a press release.
The current national average has fallen to $3.37 per gallon, the lowest it has been since Feb. 22. Analysts predict that the average this fall will bottom between $3.15 and $3.25 per gallon and stress that more than 30 states including Alabama will at least occasionally see pump prices below $3 per gallon.
“I drive to Cullman and back to work five days a week,” said Chris Slater of Hartselle. “I use a lot of gas and it makes me happy to see the price of gas going down.
“I remember when you could buy a gallon of gas for a little over a dollar a gallon,” he added. “It would make me even happier to see the price get back to that level.”
“I work out of my pickup and it stays on the road a lot,” said Joshua Lamberti of Hartselle. “With $3-plus gas, there have been times when I didn’t know if I could keep it going. I saw the $2.99 sign last night when I came by and I was hoping it would read $2.94 this morning.”
“It’s a sad day when people get excited about under $3 a gallon gas,” said a customer that declined to give his name. “I remember when it was $1.25. It shouldn’t be more than that today.”
The reasons GasBuddy analysts gave for lower gas prices are: a reduction in crude oil prices, the demand for winter blend gasoline that is cheaper to refine, more efficient vehicles and fewer miles driven during fall and winter months.