Loves vs. Flying J Gas in Post Falls Idaho
We get a lot of Spokane Washington drivers making the 20 mile journey to Post Falls Idaho to get cheaper gas. Idaho has about 30 cents less tax on gasoline than Washington.
There’s been a Flying J gas station that is always super busy west of Post Falls. I’ve always wondered why it’s so busy, because it’s always been about 15-20 cents more expensive that gas in Coeur d Alene (About 10 minutes down the road.)
So about 2 weeks ago, Loves opened their new truck stop right next to Flying J. Its’ cleaner, looks nicer, has better food, better coffee selection, and guess what… Their gas was a lot cheaper. So what happened? Flying J lowered their price by about 15-20 cents! Amazing how the free market and competition help all of us! I bet MORE people will drive from Spokane to get gas now that it’s a full 30 cents cheaper being so close to the border, and two businesses will thrive at the same spot.
There are so many interesting things you could take from this whole scenario.
-Will Loves sell more gas because it’s so much cleaner and nicer than Flying J.?
-Why didn’t Flying J start remodeling when they saw Loves moving in? Will that lack of action hurt them?
-Should Flying J have had a cheaper price this whole time so Loves wouldn’t have looked at it as an opportunity?
-There’s always a market for your niche if you’re smart enough about it.
-There’s always room to ruin someone else’s niche if you are willing to do it better.
-Will people in Liberty Lake or Spokane get smarter and figure out how to lower their gas prices?
I’m just glad another business came in and forced Flying J to lower their prices and if they’re smart they’ll try to provide a cleaner and better atmosphere. We’re all winners with more competition.