"Ok, there's 50 dollars for 11 gallons of gas!" exclaimed Kenneth Parker of Clovis.
Explosive gas prices are sending Valley drivers looking for the best deals in town.
Fresno's Charles Castillo said: "I'm able to pay it but it's still outrageous. I mean it's hurting to little people real bad."
The lines at Costco are long compared to other gas stations but that's because gas is about .30 cents cheaper here than other places. It's $4.31 to fuel up with regular unleaded.
In fact truckers fill up these 60-thousand gallon tanks 4 times a day. While the lines are long here, that's not the case at this Shell station in Clovis. Gas here is $4.59.
Phillip Hurst of Fresno said: "I can't even fill up my whole tank that's how expensive it is."
Dr. Rice said: "How do you factor that in to a limited income?"
Fresno State Economics professor Dr. William Rice said gas prices vary across the Valley due to competitiveness, brand names--such as 'Techron' offered at Chevron, geography, and the supplier the gas station's buying its fuel from.
"It's a commodity market. That's not what they're paying today, that's what they're gonna be paying sometime in the future. But people are working on that psychology of let's get what we can get when we can get it," said Rice.
Rice said the demand for gas in foreign countries, especially Asia, is the main reason costs continue to rise. That's reason enough to convince some Valley commuters to start riding a bike. But if bikes aren't your thing maybe it's time to look into the hybrids.
Bob Friesen said: "Coming out of Albuquerque we got 60 miles to the gallon. "
Hold on to your wallet, Dr. Rice claimed Valley drivers could pay $5/ gallon by July 4th! That's because speculators believe the cost of oil could soon hit $150/ barrel.
