FORT MILL, S.C. -- A Fort Mill gas station has added eight new pumps since Christmas just to keep up with the demand of North Carolina drivers crossing the state line to get cheaper South Carolina gas.
Gas prices are up 20 cents over the last month, according to AAA Carolinas. The average price for regular unleaded in North Carolina is $3.44 a gallon. That is currently six cents higher than the national average of $3.38. South Carolina’s average price, meanwhile, is just $3.23.
At Miller’s Produce, the cash price is currently $3.14 and the credit/debit price is $3.19 a gallon.
The store traditionally has the lowest prices in the area.
"It's like a game,” said manager Patricia Pasternak about keeping prices low.
She's constantly watching CNBC and gauging the minute-by-minute ups and downs of fuel prices and looking for the perfect moment to place an order.
"From the time we get here until the market closes,” Pasternak said. "If the market is down, gas prices will basically be down. If the market is up, gas prices are up and our cost is up."
Picking the right moment and getting the right price means driver Mitchell Johnson could pay less. He’s noticed the recent price spike.
"It's affecting me, my family,” Johnson said. "I'm watching how much I drive and watching how much I have to put in there."
Even with higher gas prices, Miller's Produce added eight new pumps. They already had 16 pumps, but it wasn't enough because Pasternak says she sees more drivers are crossing the border for cheaper gas.
South Carolina’s gas tax is 24 cents cheaper than North Carolina’s gas tax, according to AAA.
"We have them two to three deep waiting on gas. This way we have the extra pumps to keep traffic flowing easily,” Pasternak said.
AAA Carolinas says political tension in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, Europe's shaky economy and people now starting to drive more are three reasons for the recent spike in gas prices.
