"I find it "inconvenient" to be forced to stop at the first fuel pit when there's a mob following, and besides the price may be better (and frequently is) a little further from my immediate neighborhood."

That's a sensible argument for going that bit further, like always wait for the second bus... but it's not always possible. We no longer have a petrol station less than a mile from the house, whereas when I moved here 17 years ago, there were four. There is one on the mile mark, three between that and 2 miles. This means that there are fewer pumps for more cars - and this is in a huge city. For those in small communities it must be impossible to choose between the one garage they have.

LTS