Patriotic Gas Station Offers Steep Discounts, Drawing Crowds in Los Angeles

A newly opened gas station in Studio City, Los Angeles, decorated with patriotic American flag designs, is drawing long lines of customers with a promotional opening price as low as $4.99 per gallon for regular gasoline.

This price point is substantially lower than the current average of $6.09 per gallon for regular gas in Los Angeles County, according to AAA.

The gas station chain, Stars and Stripes, which is based in San Diego and operates both gas stations and convenience stores, now has fifteen locations across Southern California.

"We’re not here to gouge, we’re here to give the people what they need," Calvin Kalasho, whose family owns the chain, told CBS LA.

As of Wednesday morning, the price for regular gas at the Studio City location had risen to $5.29, mid-grade to $5.70, premium to $6, and diesel to $8. The California Post was unable to reach Stars and Stripes for an update on the ongoing promotion.

Californians are currently experiencing some of the highest fuel prices in the nation. The average price for regular gasoline in the state is over $6 per gallon, a 14-cent increase from the previous week and $1.36 higher than a year ago. Diesel prices also reached record highs last week, with some stations advertising prices at the maximum pump limit of $9.99 per gallon.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, noted on September 10 that five California gas stations had reached this diesel price cap. He warned that record diesel prices could impact transportation costs, deliveries, and potentially reignite inflation across the supply chain. De Haan also suggested that consumers should anticipate higher costs for the holiday season due to continuing geopolitical tensions affecting fuel prices.