A gas station on the Peninsula is giving drivers some extreme sticker shock.
A Chevron station in Menlo Park is charging $7.09 per gallon for regular, $7.45 for plus and $7.69 for supreme. That's at least a dollar more than stations nearby and well above the state average of $5.42.
As for why such a dramatic variation in pricing, AAA said gas stations set their own prices, and a lot depends on when they buy their gas.
"If their parent company or the individual gas station buys their gas wholesale when oil is really expensive and gas is really expensive, they're going to have to sell it at that price in order to make a profit," AAA Northern California spokesperson John Treanor said. "If gas prices or oil prices drop after they bought their gasoline, sometimes you'll be able to find more expensive gas or cheaper gas because of that."
Treanor said gas prices have been high lately for three reasons: demand is up in the spring time, the summer blend costs more, and the price of crude oil is up, in part because of turmoil in the Middle East.
According to AAA, right about now is when gas prices tend to level out.
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