Drivers wait 30 minutes for Costco’s cheap fuel amid global shortage — here’s how they keep prices low

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · Jun 01, 2026 · 571 words · By Ben Cost

Global Energy Markets Corporate Business Models Consumer behavior

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Drivers wait 30 minutes for Costco’s cheap fuel amid global shortage — here’s how they keep prices low See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left12%

Center76%

Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Drivers wait 30 minutes for Costco’s cheap fuel amid global shortage — here’s how they keep prices low See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleThis is how America’s cheapest gas retailer keeps its Cost-co so low.

Common ground

With Middle East tensions sending gas prices surging, shoppers have turned to an albeit inconvenient source for a low-cost refill — Costco.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Global Energy Markets story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Costco CEO Ron Vachris said that all “three four-week fiscal periods of the quarter set successive all-time company volume sales records, with the final five weeks for the quarter becoming our top five volume weeks ever.”?
How does this story connect Global Energy Markets with Corporate Business Models over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/06/01/lifestyle/how-costco-keeps-their-gas-so-cheap-amid…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “Costco CEO Ron Vachris said that all “three four-week fiscal periods of the quarter set successive all-time company volume sales records, with the final five weeks for the quarter becoming our top five volume weeks ever.””

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources confirm CEO Ron Vachris's statement regarding the three four-week fiscal periods setting successive all-time volume sales records and the final five weeks being the top five volume weeks ever.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational corporation that operates a chain of membership-only big-box warehouse club retail stores. As of 2021, Costco is the third-largest retailer in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Costco hot dog is a 1⁄4-pound (110-gram) hot dog sold at the international warehouse club Costco's food courts. It is notable for its steady price and cult following as a combo deal with a soda at…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costco_hot_dog

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ron Vachris (born 1965) is an American business executive and the CEO of Costco. He started at the company as a forklift driver in the 1980s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Vachris

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “membership models with the corresponding fees, making up nearly 60% of Costco’s profit.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources indicate that membership fees account for a significant portion (more than half/nearly all) of Costco's profits.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — COSTCO: | they don’t make their money from selling products original sound - Sammi Tannor Cohen. SOCIAL CURRENCY: THE TRAILER. Last year, I made a 60-second video breaking down what happened at Outdoo…
https://www.tiktok.com/@sammicohentalks/video/72765873446674…

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web search NEUTRAL — Costco membership fees usually account for more than half of the company's profits. In a 2022 earnings call Galanti told analysts that the $1.50 price was 'sacrosanct' and would remain at that level '…
https://www.dailymail.com/yourmoney/article-13297921/Costco-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Costco essentially reaps all of its profit from its membership fees.The cheapest membership option is the Gold Star card which costs $60 annually.
https://money.com/costco-doesnt-make-much-money-selling-you-…

verified

Claim 3: “global oil supplies were impacted by the shuttering of the Strait of Hormuz, which sent crude prices above $100 a barrel.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia entries for the '2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis' and '2026 Strait of Hormuz campaign' confirm the closure of the strait by Iran and the resulting impact on oil prices, corroborated by web search results stating prices exceeded $100 per barrel.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 19 March 2026, the United States began an aerial campaign against Iranian targets to reopen the Strait of Hormuz following its closure by Iran in response to the attacks by the United States and Is…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_campaign

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for world energy trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Strait of Hormuz () is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast lies the Musandam Peninsula under the Musandam Governorate of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 4: “Vachris cited “events in the Middle East” as a main driver for this influx of pump pilgrims, referencing how energy markets were thrown into flux by the Iran war.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this claim are generic store location pages and official websites; they do not contain any statements from Ron Vachris regarding the Iran war or Middle East tensions.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Shop Costco's Danville, CA location for electronics, groceries, small appliances, and more. Find quality brand-name products at warehouse prices.
https://www.costco.com/w/-/ca/danville/21

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web search NEUTRAL — Shop Costco online for quality furniture, mattresses, TVs, contacts, jewelry, and laptops. Unbeatable prices on top brands.
https://costcousa.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Shop Costco.ca for electronics, computers, furniture, outdoor living, appliances, jewellery and more. Enjoy low warehouse prices on name-brand products delivered to your door.
https://www.costco.ca/

help

Claim 5: “The record-breaking numbers of gas guzzlers have caused foot traffic at Costco warehouse to go up by 5%”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support the claim that foot traffic increased by 5%.

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Claim 6: “gas on average runs 30 cents cheaper than the local diesel dispenser”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results state that Costco's gas prices trend around 10 to 30 cents cheaper per gallon than the competition.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Andrew "A.J." Befumo Jr. (born January 16, 1976) and Eric Justice Befumo (born April 8, 2013), collectively known online as both A.J. & Big Justice and the Costco Guys, are American social media perso…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.J._&_Big_Justice

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “they have 747 gas stations”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web sources explicitly state that Costco operated 747 gas stations at the end of fiscal 2025.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Its fee-based membership model and high gas volume enable the warehouse store to keep prices lower. According to Costco's year-end report for 2025, the retailer operated 747 gas stations, with gas rep…
https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/cos…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Costco, which operates 747 gas stations across the country, is seeing sales soar amid surging fuel prices.The Issaquah-based company, which operates 747 gas stations nationwide, saw comparable sales g…
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2026/06/03/costco-g…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The company operated 747 gas stations worldwide at the end of fiscal 2025, up from 719 in fiscal 2024. Costco’s gasoline business accounted for roughly 10% of total net sales in fiscal 2025, according…
https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/energy/articles/costco-lau…

info

Claim 8: “Costco makes out well overall, notably generating $2.3 billion more revenue in 2024 than in 2025 because prices were higher.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic store location and official website links, which do not contain financial data comparing 2024 and 2025 revenue.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Shop Costco online for quality furniture, mattresses, TVs, contacts, jewelry, and laptops. Unbeatable prices on top brands.
https://costcousa.com/

travel_explore

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Claim 9: “This turmoil sent gas prices soaring past $4 a gallon around the US”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm gas prices in the US stayed above $4 per gallon, with some states exceeding $5.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States federal excise tax on gasoline is 18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel fuel. Proceeds from the tax partly support the Highway Trust Fund. The federal tax was la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_State…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Natural gas was the United States' largest source of energy production in 2016, representing 33 percent of all energy produced in the country. Natural gas has been the largest source of electrical gen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas_in_the_United_Stat…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shale gas in the United States is an available source of unconventional natural gas. Led by new applications of hydraulic fracturing technology and horizontal drilling, development of new sources of s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shale_gas_in_the_United_States

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.