It’s somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Similar to the great toilet paper shortage of 2020, a predicted gas shortage has created a mad dash to the pumps by people looking to amass as much fuel as possible. However, this practice, in turn, limits the amount of product available to the community at-large.
“When people hear of a possible shortage, there is additional buying,” said Ron Freeman, chief financial officer for Ingles Markets Inc. “It always happens, regardless of product.”
Lines of vehicles at both entrances to Ingles Gas Express on U.S. 19 stretched from the pumps to the highway around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday. Signs on the pumps noted that the station was out of everything except 87 octane gas.
There have been long lines at just about every gas station in Murphy, and citizens have reported that some motorists are filling multiple gas cans with fuel and loading them in a truck, increasing the likelihood of a shortage.
Addressing rumors, Freeman said the company is not purposely limiting the type of fuel available nor the volume of gas that can be sold each day.
“We are doing whatever we can to get the supplies that we can and get them to the stores as quickly as we possibly can,” Freeman said. “As you've seen from lines at other places, there is not enough to go around right now. I don't know how long that's going to last. When we get gas, we will put it in the pumps, and we will price it fairly. When it runs out, we will try to get more. That's all we can do right now.”
The price for 87 octane gas at Ingles was listed at $2.65 Tuesday afternoon; meanwhile, at least one other station in town was selling it for $2.99.