Dozens of drivers waited for hours on end today to take advantage of a rare sight: gas in San Francisco for less than $3 a gallon.The going-out-of-business deal -- $2.99 a gallon for regular, a penny more for higher octane -- happened at the Shell station at Sixth and Harrison streets, which closed for good around 5 p.m. after its tanks ran dry.
The lower cost gas prompted drivers from near and far to come to the South of Market station, where they waited in lines that snaked a block down Harrison Street and lasted up to three hours for some drivers.
The Chevron station across the street was selling regular gas for $3.57 a gallon -- for once, a steeper price than its competitor across the street.
Bob Oyster, the Shell station's owner, had been in the news before. He garnered national attention earlier this month when he raised the price of gas at his station to more than $4 a gallon in what he said was a protest of Shell. He said that the company charges independent owners high prices, cutting his profits.
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