Gas prices in Coahoma County are currently averaging $2.29 per gallon and 19 cents above the state average and higher than all five of its surrounding counties, according to the AAA website.
The biggest disparity is between Coahoma and Quitman County — a 33-cent difference. Quitman County is averaging $1.96 per gallon. Sunflower County is averaging $2.01 per gallon, Tallahatchie County is averaging $2.01, Bolivar County is averaging $2.04, and Tunica County is averaging $2.17.
“I can’t say for certain why it is with the area you mentioned,” said Mike Right, vice president of AAA public affairs. “What normally transpires is the competitive nature of the area. For example, if you have a lot of outlets in one area versus another, chances are the area with higher outlets is going to have lower prices because of the competitive situation.”
Right said the only thing a consumer could do is reduce the number of gallons used and to be aware of gasoline prices in the area.
He noted the consumer cannot do anything to change the gas prices.
“There isn’t anything that a consumer can do about it,” he said.
“The price that you pay at the pump is made up of the cost of crude oil, the cost of refining the crude oil, the transportation cost of the gasoline, the marketing associated with the retail operating of gasoline stations, and also the federal, state and local taxes that are applied to motor fuel.”
Just two counties in Mississippi are above the national average in gas prices, which is $2.41 per gallon. Claiborne County was at $2.52 per gallon and Perry County was at $2.43 per gallon at the end of Tuesday.
Coahoma County residents and gas merchants provided insight into a wide range of issues they believe caused the prices to be high locally
Saf-T-Cart owner Jimmy Walker has seen prices fluctuate at gas stations throughout Coahoma County and surrounding communities and has been going to Cleveland to fill up his tank.
“I feel like they just isolated us. I will give them credit, we’re down to $2.26 tonight, but Cleveland was $1.95 a week or so ago,” Walker said on Tuesday night. “I’ve heard Marks is a lot cheaper, too.
“I’ve always been a stickler about gas prices. A lot of people don’t pay attention to them, but I do. We used to be competitive here, but not anymore.”
The Kroger grocery store on South State Street closed Feb. 3 and that could have caused some of the issues.
“I hate to give them credit for it, but maybe Kroger was keeping the price down,” Walker said.
“What you did was you bought your groceries and then you got credit for gas. You had to have a Kroger card. It worked pretty good. It was a good marketing scheme.”
Walker called on the Clarksdale mayor and board of commissioners to contact local distributors -- such as Gresham Petroleum and Sayle Oil -- to voice their concerns.
Clarksdale resident MzSyl Hobson concurred with Walker’s sentiments.
“I think it is unfortunate that companies are taking advantage of the people of Clarksdale,” Hobson said.
“I have been to Southaven, Olive Branch, Batesville and Tunica over the past two weeks, and the prices were over 30 cents cheaper. Double Quick and Walmart have lost my trust. I travel to work daily in Tunica and have purchased several tanks of gas in the past few weeks and I really don’t have the money to throw away. Any time I can save I will, but I don’t like being taken advantage of by corporations.”
Corner Grocery, located on East Second Street in Clarksdale, had its price at $2.69 per gallon on Tuesday.
Manager Sammy Naggar said some of the reasons for the prices might be county taxes or the distance between gas stations and their distributors. But, when it came down to it, he recognized gas stations are at the mercy of suppliers.
“You could ask the gas company, the supplier (the reason for the prices),” Naggar said.
“We get the final price. We don’t know what’s between. They tell me how much it cost us. The gas companies, the suppliers, they go up and down, we go up and down. When they go down, we go down. When they go up, we go up.”
Michael Matthews helps his wife, who owns Barbie’s 1 Stop in Friars Point, run the gas station.
The price at their business was at $2.59 per gallon on Tuesday. Barbie’s 1 Stop sells ethanol-free gas, unlike many places, which causes an increase in the cost, but Matthews said the customers are better off in the long run.
“Ethanol means it has corn in it,” Matthews said. “Ethanol-free means it’s pure gas. It’s not corn. It’s old-fashioned gas. It doesn’t clog your engine up like ethanol gas.”
Matthews said customers also get better mileage with their vehicles when they use ethanol-free gas. He added Sayle Oil and a few other places also provide ethanol-free gas.
