In August of 2005 the price listed as the price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas was $2.29. That same day Kellie Courtney of Cleveland paid only 89 cents a gallon.
Marion Charvat paid $1.09 a gallon. Marion filled her Volkswagen Jetta for only $12.45. How could they buy gas so cheap? They did it because they are smart consumers. Here's how they did it.
The reason that Kellie and Marion were able to purchase gas at such a low price is that they treated gas like it was any other item that they would go to a store to buy. They shopped around and they found a way to purchase their gas at the store that they found had the absolute lowest cost.
They found a frequent shopper program that allowed them to lower their gas cost. They found it at a grocery chain called Giant Eagle.
Giant Eagle does business in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. Recently Giant Eagle added a new component to their frequent shopper program.
It is called Fuelperks. It is a program that offers discounts on gas at Giant Eagle's own stations for shopping at Giant Eagle using their frequent shopper card.
For every $50.00 of purchases using the frequent shopper card the consumer will get a 10 cent reduction in the price of gas for one tank fill up.
Purchase $100.00 worth; get 20 cents off a gallon. Purchase $500.00 worth and get $1.00 off a gallon. Buy enough groceries and you can get gasoline for free.
Editors Note:
This article names specific places in specific areas where retailers offer savings at the gasoline pumps. If you don't live in these areas check out your local retailers. They may have similar programs where points you earn for shopping can earn you a savings at the gas pump. You can also ask your local chamber of commerce if they know of any such programs.
