Originally Posted by rcounts

$4.399 in Kent WA - down from $4.999 about a month ago....



And that seems to be just their strategy. They give all kinds of excuses (demand from China, speculators, hurricanes, seasonal demand, blah, blah, blah, etc.) to jack the price up 60% (from $3 to $5) to a new record level, until we all start really screaming, and then they leave it there a little while until we all start to adjust to it, then they back it off just enough for us to feel like things are getting better. So now the price is only 35% higher than it was a year ago ($4 instead of $3). This is the second round of this crap that we've seen in just the last 3 years.

They are conditioning our thinking. We feel good about it getting back below $4 a gallon now - when two years ago we would have FAINTED at the thought of it being $4 a gallon! They pulled the exact same maneuver on us about 3 years ago - when they pushed it up to over $3 a gallon then backed off to about $2.50.

Can anyone tell me what has changed in the last few weeks to cause the price to drop $1 a gallon? I say NOTHING has changed except our expectations. They conditioned us into thinking the way that they want us to - that $4 a gallon is a reasonable, affordable price. So now they can coast along continuing to make record profits for another couple of years - until they decide to do it again.

Personally I am NOT happy about $4 a gallon, and won't be happy until it gets back down to below $3 a gallon - where it was a year ago.