The data at the end of the article is interesting. In constant dollars there doesnt seem to have been any consistent price rise from 1949 until now.
Cheers, Ken Hanly Customers win as gas stations duel Meijer, Kroger both put in their 10 cents By Amelia Robinson e-mail address: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dayton Daily News One day in the neighborhood and Kroger already has waged war with its new neighbor. Gasoline prices dropped to an unheard of 10 cents a gallon for regular unleaded during the day-long battle Kroger launched with Meijer Thursday near Harshman Road and Brandt Pike in Dayton. And there might be another skirmish today, said Brenda Bauer, manager of Meijer's gas station. "Meijer is not to be played with," she said. "We like a challenge." The can is at Kroger pumps, she said, adding that her station would have gone as low as 6 cents a gallon if pressed. Kroger held the grand opening for its store at 4506 Brandt Pike. It's just a quarter mile away from the Meijer at 2744 Harshman Road. Meijer managers Shawn Bailey and Bryan Allen said the fight started about 1 p.m. when Kroger dropped its price from $1.11 to about 90 cents. "They kept dropping them and we kept dropping them," he said. Kroger officials declined comment. The price was 42 cents a gallon by 3 p.m. Soon both stations were packed with thousands of cars, vans and trucks. Dayton police were soon called in to maintain traffic. One officer on the police radio was heard to call the traffic near the stores "crazy." Meijer solicited workers from its various departments for traffic control. Kroger also had workers in yellow rain coats directing traffic. Meijer managers expected to serve more than 2,000 customers and go through more than 15,000 gallons of gas before the day's battle ended at 10 p.m. Despite the crowd, managers said things were relatively peaceful. "We pushed a few (cars that ran out of gas) and broke up a few fights," Bailey said. "Nothing serious." Some motorists waited as long as an hour for their chance at a pump. Sandra Ralph, a Meijer's gas customer, has had a front row seat for more than a few gas wars in her 60 years. "I've never seen people lined up to buy gas like this," the Dayton resident said while sitting in her 1997 Ford F 150 pickup. "It's a fantastic publicity stunt." Gerald and Matt Harris, 25 and 19, respectively, of Dayton, headed to Kroger 's gas station. "You have to take advantage of it while you can," said Matt, a passenger in his brother's 1985 Chevy Caprice. "Gas may never be this cheap again." Late Thursday, the Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies were in the area breaking up fights and trying to maintain traffic flow. The prices are cheaper than any of the prices listed on the National Energy Information Administration Web site - www.eia.doe.gov - which has prices going back to 1949. According to the energy information administration, which part of the U.S. Department of Energy: . regular leaded gasoline was 27 cents in 1949 ($1.55 when adjusted for inflation); . 31 cents in 1960 ($1.40 adjusted for inflation); . 36 cents in 1970 ($1.23 adjusted for inflation); . $1.19 for regular unleaded in 1980 ($2.09 adjusted for inflation); . $1.15 in 1990 ($1.33 adjusted for inflation); and . $1.51 last year ($1.41 adjusted for inflation). The week of Nov. 5, gas prices in the Dayton area for regular unleaded drifted around 96 cents a gallon. The next week, area gasoline prices climbed between 13 cents and 22 cents a gallon after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said it would cut production to boost sagging oil prices. And just last week for the Thanksgiving holiday period, gasoline prices in the Miami Valley were in the range of $1.12 to $1.20 a gallon for regular unleaded. . Contact Amelia Robinson at 225-2384 or
