LATHROP, Calif. — If you've been to a gas station lately, it's no secret prices are soaring and continue to go up almost on a daily basis.
"Gas prices are going pretty high. I'm sure they're going to go higher than this," said Giovanny Magana of Lathrop.
The Lathrop concrete layer travels part-time to the Bay Area, but his concrete plans to drive his pick-up truck might change to a less gas-guzzling car.
"Think I'm going to travel to Hayward all the time now. So I need a commuter," Magana said.
At the Power Market in Lathrop, which has a giant flying saucer as an eye-catcher on its rooftop, rising prices aren't alien here or anywhere in California.
AAA says the average price per gallon is now at an all-time record of $5.07.
Just a week ago, gas prices at the Power Market were $4.59 a gallon.
Friday, it's $5.39 a gallon with a debit or credit card or $5.29 for the cash price.
"I don't see a clear end in sight. I think prices are going to be going up for a while," said David Lang, chair of the Economics Department at Sacramento State University.
He says the jaw-dropping prices at the pump can be attributed to a combination of factors: COVID-19 restrictions lifted enticing people to travel and the war in Ukraine.
"When you throw in the fact then that the U.S. and other countries are applying sanctions on Russia, specifically targeted toward oil, that even further intensifies that supply-side issue," said Lang.
And, that is causing retirees, like Kim Sahjgun, to consolidate her everyday errands.
"I have grocery shopping, doctor appointments, job interviews. It's like how can I schedule to get it all done in one day," said Sahjgun.
So how can you save cash on gas?
AAA says download mobile apps to find the cheapest gas stations, keep your tires properly inflated, unload unnecessary, heavy items in your car, and simply by being a "better driver."
"That means no hard braking, no hard accelerating, following the speed limit. All those are factors that can help you save a little bit more on gas because your vehicle won't be working as hard," said Aldo Vasquez, spokesperson for Northern California AAA.
Economist David Lang says as long as the crisis in Europe continues and demand in the U.S. for gas grows, prices will not stop going up.
