Who makes Costco gas?
 

The local Costco here in LA offers gasoline pumps. They have 87 and 91 octane (no 89). It's about 10-20 cents/gallon cheaper than the other gas stations. Just wondering who "makes" Costco gasoline. Obviously they don't have a refinery of their own.

Probably the best low-bid can buy. I would imagine they buy at auction like most independents... I think.

They have 89. Just pump equal parts of 91 and 87. They also have 88 and 90 if you mix it right. ;)

I get it from those appetizer stands. Pretty sure. Or maybe it's the Kirkland nuts.

dinosaurs :)

Don't you have to buy it by the barrel?

LOL! Yeah, I'm surprised if, you buy it from Costco, you don't have a tanker truck parked in your driveway.

Do you have to show someone your reciept before you pull away.

And in all seriousness, do you need to be a member to by gas from them?

yes

I googled it and came up with Arco. But there are differences by region.

I don't know who the refiner is in our area, but the trucks that bring in the Costco gas then drive over to the other stations and deliver the same gas from the same tank. The only difference is 20 cents a gallon to the consumer. All of the fuel in medford is trucked in from Eugene or Chico (whomever has it cheaper on that day, the distance is the same).

Not another similiar truck - exactly the same truck.

angela

StepSonInLaw drives for wholesaler in Redding. Says all fuel (with exception of ARCO) comes from same spigot. Goes in same trucks. Chevron has their own distribution points, but goes in same trucks as everyone elses' gas. Same story, Chico or Eugene, sometimes Richmond or Hercules for Chevron.

We buy gas from costco whenever we are nearby.

In general I really like costco. Did you know they provide full medical etc benefits to most all of their employees. It costs them a lot, their competitors don't do it, but they do it anyway. For a related reason, I don't shop at walmart.

Angela is correct. A friend of mine was a manager at a fuel "terminal" in Seattle. Fuel came in via pipeline from Alaska to the refineries and then to the terminal. A truck heading out might stop at a Costco, Chevron, Shell, etc. all from the same load. If one station advertises it has a certain additive, the driver MIGHT crawl up and dump a little bag into his tanker at that stop.

I roll my eyes when I ride/drive with guys that insist they have to stop and only buy a certain brand of fuel.

Here's a PDF from Arizona, that talks about their gas formulation and how it's distributed.

http://www.azgovernor.gov/estf/distribution.pdf

It would be false advertising if the gas did not have the associated additives. Around here, tankers labeled Shell deliver to Shell stations, Chevron tankers to Chevron stations...

So what's on the side of the tankers that drop off the go-juice at Costco?

Chevron has sued other comapnies for making claims about their additive packages. They want to protect Techron.

AND you can bet some high-priced defense lawyers went after Chevron in discovery to see if they ever sold non-Techron'ed gas a Techron/Chevron gas.

So I suspect that they do not do false advertising.

I'll get a pic of a non-Chevron tanker at a Chevron station. Trucks are unmarked, same exact truck will be dropping gas at a non-Chevron station later that day.

It is Chevron gas from a Chevron distribution facility that goes to Chevron stations, and that fake ARCO EC1 comes from Arco, but everything else comes from the same pipe.

There is no fuel pipeline from Alaska to Seattle. That would be some feat of engineering, as if TAPS wasn't/isn't a big enough challenge.
Troy

so, you're saying that an unmarked truck delivers Chevron gas to both Chevron & non-Chevron stations in Jean, NV?

or did I miss something?

also - when do the majors add their additive packages?
could be:
- during refining
- at distributor's storage tanks
- in truck
- or even at the station