Gas prices are rising across the country. That wasn’t the case in Georgia.
Photo: Getty
Listen to this ArticleMore info
0:00 / 0:00
As gas prices continue to hover near record highs nationwide, two Georgia gas stations engaged in a price war that briefly pushed the cost of regular unleaded below $1 a gallon on Monday.
Drivers in the Atlanta suburb of Powder Springs paid as little as 97 cents a gallon after neighboring Amoco and Sunoco stations on Marietta Road repeatedly undercut each other throughout the day, creating traffic backups that ultimately required police intervention.
The battle began when the Amoco station followed a longstanding policy of pricing gasoline 5¢ below its nearest competitor, according to local reports.
Each time Amoco lowered its pump price, Sunoco matched it, prompting Amoco to lop off another nickel. Sunoco continued to follow suit, setting off a downward spiral that lasted for hours.
Refreshed leadership advice from CEO Stephanie Mehta
“When we were here it was set to $1.54. Then it went down again,” one customer told WSB-TV, the ABC affiliate in Atlanta. “Then it went down again. It went more, it was $1.44, $1.39.”
The back-and-forth eventually bottomed out at 97 cents a gallon, far below Georgia’s statewide average of about $3.80 and the national average of $4.34, according to AAA.
The news quickly drew attention on social media. “97 CENTS A GALLON?!” said one Instagram post. “NOW THAT’S THE KIND OF WAR WE LIKE TO SEE!”