 Fractions? Just a sign of
the timesIs there a reason why all the service stations end their gas
prices with 9/10? Way back when gas sold for five gallons for a dollar, I don't remember
seeing any 9/10.
-- James J., Talent Wow! Five gallons for a buck? But seriously, James, after we at Since You Asked stopped reeling, we started working. And here's the deal. The practice of posting gas prices per gallon with those pesky fractions probably started during the 1970s, said Craig Randolph, vice president of retail operations at Medford's Hays Oil Co. "It's a marketing thing. Ninety-nine point nine looks better than a buck," he pointed out. It was most likely good artillery in the gas wars, when an intersection might boast a station on each corner, with each trying to outdo the others. "It's just gotten to be a standard. Now, everything's 9.99, not 10 bucks," he said. All the oil companies do it, he said, and local dealers follow suit. (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: youasked@mailtribune.com Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) |
