PHOENIX, AZ — 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.
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.
“It just clicked,” said Mesa resident Tyler Jenkins, who now operates what he calls a “premium desert fuel service” from a folding table and a cooler outside Yuma. “Californians 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.”
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.
“I drove four hours but I’m still saving money,” said San Diego resident Kyle Ramirez while loading multiple unlabeled containers of gasoline into the trunk of his car. “Plus the guy threw in a free Arizona bumper sticker that says ‘Thanks California.’”
Some Arizona residents have taken the idea even further, advertising “border gas specials” on roadside signs reading “California Discount Fuel — Still Cheaper Than Home!”
Authorities say they are keeping an eye on the growing roadside gas market but admit the situation is… unusual.
“We’re not sure if transporting gasoline in inflatable kiddie pools strapped to a trailer is technically illegal,” said one Arizona Highway Patrol officer. “But judging by the number of Californians showing up with empty trunks, the demand is definitely there.”
Back in California, officials reminded residents that higher gas prices are part of the state’s broader environmental goals.
At press time, several Californians were reportedly considering buying a second home in Arizona “strictly for fuel storage purposes.”
