10 Things Gas Stations Won't Tell You

1. "Good luck finding the best deal."

With gas prices hovering at around $3 a gallon since spring, consumers are getting desperate. Some have cut back on driving; others have swapped their gas guzzlers for economy cars. And everyone is shopping around for the cheapest gas. The problem is, drivers often don't know where to find the best deal from day to day.

Most stations are branded — meaning the name of a major oil company hangs out front — and must buy gas from their proprietary company. They can't shop around. With a lock on sales, the oil companies charge each station a different price depending on various factors, such as the station's competition and its location. That means a station can pay as much as 46 cents a gallon more than one down the street, and that cost gets passed along to you.

Faced with such instability, Gainesville, Fla., resident Steven King plans ahead: "If I know I'm going out of town, I try not to buy gas so I can fill up after I leave." King says he can save 10 cents a gallon by purchasing gas on the road. You'd be similarly wise to shop around — with prices constantly in motion, the cheapest gas may not be at the same station every time.