WATERBORO, Maine — Imagine being able to fill up your tank for less than $2 a gallon. Well, some Mainers did not have to imagine on Tuesday.
Cars were lined up to the street at Town Line Deli in Waterboro with anxious customers hoping to score a good deal on gas.
"This is awesome. I saw it on Facebook!" Diana Williams said. "I haven't seen it this low in a long time."
The gas station's owner, Don Sylvester, told NEWS CENTER Maine business has been so busy his supplier is doing all it can to keep up.
"As soon as we lowered the price it got crazy," Sylvester said. "Our cost went down so we passed it on to our customers. It's a simple as that."
In this case, it is not quite that simple. Fears over the Coronavirus have shaken up the markets.
The Dow saw another brutal day Wednesday, down nearly 1,450 points at closing.
On top of that, the price of oil has been dwindling because of a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.
"It is kind of exciting to think 'I can pay less for oil to heat my home or fill my car up,'" Susan Veligor at Cornerstone Financial Planning in Portland said. "But in the long term, the implications for the economy are—I don't want to say severe—but it will have an impact."
Sylvester said the falling price of crude oil and a drop in demand for fueling trains and airplanes due to the Coronavirus will likely continue to impact consumers.
According to AAA, the average price of gasoline in Maine is at $2.33 per gallon, right around the national average of $2.34.
"I think we will see it stay that way," Sylvester said.
She expects it will be some time before the market rebounds and oil prices increase again.
For those filling up in Waterboro, they said they will take advantage of it while they can.
"I'm getting a full tank!" Peter Gosselin said.