Convenience Chain Sells $1.99 Gas For Thanksgiving Week

Ben ZeisloftNovember 22, 2022

Convenience store chain Sheetz will begin selling unleaded gasoline at $1.99 per gallon in celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday.

The special price will be available from November 21 through November 28 at every location that sells Unleaded 88 gasoline. The company is headquartered in Pennsylvania and also has stores in West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina.

“Sheetz is a family owned and operated company and we are always looking for ways to help the communities we serve,” CEO Travis Sheetz said in a statement. “We are excited to extend this offer to our customers as many of them start hitting the road for the Thanksgiving holiday.”

The promotion occurs as the national average price for gasoline reaches $3.64 per gallon, according to data from AAA, marking an approximately 53% increase since President Joe Biden assumed office at the beginning of last year. Average prices are $4.01 per gallon in Pennsylvania and $3.41 per gallon in Virginia.

Biden administration officials have insisted that recent declines in gas prices from their $5.00 per gallon highs over the summer are attributable to efforts from the commander-in-chief. “Every month, the typical two-driver family saves about $120 at the pump compared to where we were in mid-June,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre recently said. “Every day, Americans save about $420 million at the pump compared to mid-June.”

In response to soaring energy prices, which have been among the most salient factors behind overall inflationary pressures, Biden announced in March that his administration would release 180 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a stock of emergency crude oil intended to manage supply disruptions in energy markets. Transactions for the final 15 million barrels will clear by the end of December.

Food prices have also driven inflationary pressures over the past two years. Earlier this month, grocery chain ALDI announced a similar promotion through which customers can enjoy discounts as high as 30% on certain Thanksgiving staples. “Providing amazing products at the absolute lowest prices is what we’ve always done, and we know right now that’s more important than ever,” ALDI U.S. President Dave Rinaldo said in a press release. “We expect to welcome tens of millions of customers in our stores this Thanksgiving season, and we want them to know they can count on us.”

According to an analysis from the American Farm Bureau Association, the overall cost of a typical Thanksgiving dinner has risen 20% since last year. The price of a 16-pound turkey has risen from $23.99 to $28.96, marking a 21% increase as an outbreak of the avian flu impacts flocks across the country, while the costs for cubed stuffing mix and one dozen dinner rolls have surged 69% and 22%, respectively.

Some reports have indicated that Americans may be switching from turkey to chicken in order to save on the holiday, while others may find less expensive alternatives at restaurants. Butterball CEO Jay Jandrain remarked during an interview that his company has nevertheless shipped “more product this year than we did last year” and predicts that shortages will not impact the holiday season as “everybody should be able to get just exactly what they’re looking for.”