Why Are Gas Stations So Close to One Another?

Photo: 1930s Shell Station with original pumps, memorabilia & work bay located in Hickory Corners, Michigan – July 31, 2013. Photo credit: F.D. Richards via Flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0. Article by Jake Rossen. Mental Floss – July 3, 2025.

While people are often struck by Starbucks storefronts being mere blocks from each other, the real mystery in consumerism is the gas station. Drive down a town’s main artery and you’re likely to see competing pumps located just hundreds of feet apart or even positioned across the street from one another. Don’t these businesses cannibalize each other? Why wouldn’t they choose another area where they can monopolize sales? […]

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