The Great Gas Giveaway

By Carl Winfield

With its average price $4.08 a gallon nationwide, gas is now fueling marketing campaigns. In early May Chrysler announced it would give a discounted ($2.99-a-gallon) gas card to every customer buying a new Ram pickup or Hemi-powered 300C sedan. Now the giveaways have spread far beyond the showroom. Radio station Q104 in Kansas City, Mo., caused a 200-car traffic jam last month when it announced it had bought $1,000 worth of fuel at a nearby gas station and would sell it for $1.04 a gallon to the first 60 listeners to show up. The New Jersey Nets are giving a 10% rebate to new season-ticket buyers—in the form of a gas card. The American Red Cross’ Northern Ohio branch is running a sweepstakes for blood donors: The winner gets a year of free fuel. And starting July 1, the Shady Lady Ranch, a Nevada brothel, will give customers who spend $300 a gas card worth $50.