I've actually looked into a gas station before and found they do not make much on gas sales, but rather want you to stop by the store and purchase other goodies such as sodas, beer,cookies, condoms and other stuff in the store.

 

what you all said is what i was pretty much guessing, but didnt' know for sure.

i think that's why some of these gas stations around here come in and go out way to quickly, b/c they have good gas prices, but there selection of food and stuff in the store blows the big one

 

The privately owned Mobil I go to makes 6 cents per gallon regardless of the gas price. So these prices ($3.50/gal) are killing their margins. Fortunately, they have a thriving tire and repair business.

 

Remember this is gross margin. They still have to pay labor, taxes, insurance, etc. Also it would not take many "pump and run" customers to make all the profit disappear

 

average is about 10 cents to the gallon i heard.

 

My friend owns a gas station. This is a independent gas station. They use to make 3-6 cents on the gallon. They now make about 20-50 cents on the gallon.

 

All I know is that when we were all shocked by the first $3.xx prices (at least here in VA) in 2005 Exxon was starting the most profitable quarter of any company in history. The only company to ever beat their record was Exxon, the following quarter.

 

I have a few family friends that own gas stations. They don't make money on gas at all. They make a few cents per gallon, but it's not enough to cover the cost of HAVING the gas in the station in the first place, so no, they make 0. Gas stations make money on the convenience stores, and the shop.

 

Unfortunately in the long term most of these small gas station owners will be giving up any profits they ever made when the EPA determines their USTs are leaking. And all of them are or will at some point.

 

my uncle own a gas station and he makes about 5 cents a gallon but most of the profit comes from the people buying other things in the store while filling up gas