Price Discrimination

When one is taking a trip in a car, over any distance, time is one of the most valued components to the driver and passengers. One will do anything in order to cut some time off of the trip. When someone in the car gets hungry, or the car runs out of gas, it is instinct to find the closest gas station or fast food joint in order to get back on the road while spending the minimal amount of time stopped. The gas stations and food places recognize this and respond with price discrimination. The opportunity cost of the driver is paying a little more in order to cut some time off of the trip. Most, if not all drivers will find the closest stop that will meet their needs and deal with the higher prices. The cost to the supplier is not going to vary much at all in comparison to the prices charged to the customers, which I have seen as high as a dollar more for a single hamburger. Some drivers (those with less value for time) will drive maybe a couple of miles down the road to find cheaper gas or food, but in some cases it may not even be worth it when taking the high gas prices over the summer into consideration. This means there is almost no reason for the food and gas places to charge the market price.