but at gas stations with nearby competition (of a different company and preferably independent) it'll cause them to lose money as people choose to skip their price gauging and take their business elsewhere.
That happens around here. Larger chains will bump their prices up a bit, but others stay where they are, then the larger ones come back down. The prices are all still shooting up, but they're forced to at least do it in a "three steps forward, two steps back" fashion.
but at gas stations with nearby competition (of a different company and preferably independent) it'll cause them to lose money as people choose to skip their price gauging and take their business elsewhere.
That happens around here. Larger chains will bump their prices up a bit, but others stay where they are, then the larger ones come back down. The prices are all still shooting up, but they're forced to at least do it in a "three steps forward, two steps back" fashion.