It’s now been a few weeks since the panic buying epidemic struck, as lines wrapped around gas stations in Lubbock and across west Texas.
This was a result of customers fearing a fuel shortage due to a Harvey-stricken south Texas. Although Lubbock receives its gas supply from up north, that did not stop a price hike from hitting the Hub City.
Charles Bolton, co-owner of Bolton Oil Company, shared that it was on Thursday, August 31 when three of his stations had to shut down 30 minutes before closing time because they ran out of gas. They were able to reopen at 6 a.m. the next day, but they saw a spike in customers coming in throughout the rest of the weekend filling up not only their cars, but gas canisters as well.
“We had sales big on Friday, and sales were big on Saturday, and then on Sunday was better than average. Then starting Monday people began realizing we we were going to have fuel,” said Bolton. “The people who did that realized in a panic mode they might buy $30 worth of gas on that Thursday, and then they’re not going to buy gas for a few days, so that’s why it tapered off for a bit.”
The average price of gas is now $2.39, which Bolton said is actually higher than what it should be for this time of year, which is a result of the panic buying.
Despite the increase, Bolton said things are getting back to normal, but that might not be the case for people who do get their gas supply from areas directly impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
Bolton shared that one of his customers told him that over the weekend in the Junction area that some stations were limiting people to purchasing only 10 gallons of gas so that they would not run out.
“You go through small towns and they have some panic buying, and if they’re still having panic buying they’re going to run out of fuel from time to time. They’re not set up to get another load of fuel too quick, so that’s why you may see some of those out. It may not be from actually being short on fuel, just the logistics of getting it there.”
Bolton advised that if you or a loved one are traveling down south or are making their way back to Lubbock from the south, that you might want to advise them to fill up ahead of time when and where they can.
