On Memorial Day, gasoline was selling in Laurel for $2.21 per gallon. At Jackson and Clinton outlets, the price was about $2.46. And in Vicksburg? Almost $2.70 at most stations.

A difference of about 50 cents per gallon translates to $10 per tank. We could be wistful about the days when a driver running on red could pull in and get a full-service fill-up, including a windshield scrubbing and oil check, for less than $10 — but there’s no point in doing that.

Instead, what we express is frustration and more than a little outrage at what appears to be charging more for gas in this city so, apparently, the same chains can sell it for less elsewhere. Hopes have been high here for a long time that a serious discounter would open and force the Vicksburg market to be more competitive. Discounters have opened but have joined inexcusably high prices. As recently as Friday, fuel here was $2.66 per gallon, well above the state average of $2.55 being reported by mississippigasprices.com, which we maintain as a free link from the Post website.

To be truthful, Vicksburg has been well on the low side of average fuel prices for extended periods during the last few years. It’s unconfirmed, but for one brief shining moment in 2008 this city might have had the lowest gas prices in America. We’re still below the national average of $2.73 per gallon, but much of that is attributable to higher fuel taxes in other states.

For a while, it was enjoyable to hear Jackson residents talk about driving to Vicksburg to buy gas for a change, but, of course, it didn’t last. We’re now back in a much more familiar pattern where local prices seem to be set at what the traffic will bear — high, but not high enough to make a 40-mile trip to Clinton worth the savings. We have always rejected conspiracy theories about local prices and continue to do so today, especially given that most prices are set on a daily (or hourly) basis by people at computer consoles far from our little city.

When the same product — especially an essential product — is sold here for more than elsewhere for no good reason, then it’s just opportunism. It’s not fair. It’s bad for families. It’s bad for the economy. It’s bad for attitudes. But it’s how fuel marketing is these days. Fifty cents a gallon cheaper in Laurel. That’s got to be a record.