Gas for *only* $5.45 per gallon…

A Shell station in San Mateo may just have the most expensive gas in America. The high price is intentional — the owner is trying to drive business off so he can force Shell to buy him out. But the interesting angle on this story is that he has been struggling to keep his prices high enough to keep customers away. Three months ago, he posted the unheard of price of $4.56/Gallon, but now that is a pretty good deal at the gas stations down the street.

If oil keeps its irrational rise at the hands of traders, the only question is how soon drivers will see $5.45/gallon advertised and think it is actually a very good deal…