PHOENIX, AZ \u2014 Arizona residents have reportedly discovered a lucrative new side hustle this week: buying gasoline in bulk and reselling it to desperate Californians willing to pay nearly anything to avoid filling up at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea reportedly started when locals noticed an unusual number of California license plates lining up at gas stations near the state border. Within days, several entrepreneurial Arizonans began loading up pickup trucks, trailers, and suspicious numbers of red gas cans with fuel, later reselling it to Californians along Interstate 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt just clicked,\u201d said Mesa resident Tyler Jenkins, who now operates what he calls a \u201cpremium desert fuel service\u201d from a folding table and a cooler outside Yuma. \u201cCalifornians think our gas is cheap, so if I sell it to them for a dollar more than I paid but still cheaper than California prices, everyone wins.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jenkins says business has been booming, especially among drivers from San Diego and Los Angeles who are eager to shave even a few cents off their next fill-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI drove four hours but I\u2019m still saving money,\u201d said San Diego resident Kyle Ramirez while loading multiple unlabeled containers of gasoline into the trunk of his car. \u201cPlus the guy threw in a free Arizona bumper sticker that says \u2018Thanks California.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some Arizona residents have taken the idea even further, advertising \u201cborder gas specials\u201d on roadside signs reading \u201cCalifornia Discount Fuel \u2014 Still Cheaper Than Home!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Authorities say they are keeping an eye on the growing roadside gas market but admit the situation is\u2026 unusual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re not sure if transporting gasoline in inflatable kiddie pools strapped to a trailer is technically illegal,\u201d said one Arizona Highway Patrol officer. \u201cBut judging by the number of Californians showing up with empty trunks, the demand is definitely there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in California, officials reminded residents that higher gas prices are part of the state\u2019s broader environmental goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At press time, several Californians were reportedly considering buying a second home in Arizona \u201cstrictly for fuel storage purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In what economists are calling the most predictable black market in American history, Arizona residents have begun reselling gasoline to desperate Californians at a 40% markup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"california gas prices","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"","_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"61","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-satire","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"yoast_head":"\n