• Denver Post , Thursday, May 3, 2007 11:15 AM

As gas prices surpass the $3-per-gallon mark in Colorado--and around the country--some drivers are looking to save money by pumping non-name-brand gasoline.

Non-name-brand gas stations typically charge less for gas--and have wider profit margins than their big-name counterparts--because they are allowed to buy gas from an array of distributors. Branded gas stations must purchase from their parent companies, according to Michael Fox, executive director of the Gasoline & Automotive Service Dealers of America.

Any perceived differences between branded and non-branded gas is the result of marketing campaigns touting one station's gas over another, Fox says. "Everyone has the same gas," agrees Steve Baxley of Bartkus Oil Co., a Boulder-based gas wholesaler and distributor. Baxley said operators of branded gas stations typically pay more for gas in exchange for marketing, signage and other support.

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