This has been true for decades. When my dad ran a gas station, the profit came from selling goods like food and cigarettes, or repair services. But he stopped selling cigarettes in the early 1990s when my mom, a nurse, thought it was not right to be selling poison. My dad had a few angry customers, who asked him, "What kind of gas station doesn't sell cigarettes?"
I was so fascinated by the business and life lessons he taught me. There are unscrupulous ways to make money, but fortunately these are not done by the majority. A gas station dealer has to buy gas from the company at a set price. Often times, there is a "black market" of gas, sometimes mislabeled, sometimes stolen, that is offered to dealers by unscrupulous people. You can buy this gas for cheaper and make more money on the margin. If the company catches you - and they have every incentive to catch you since you are not buying from them and selling an inferior product with their brand - you are in trouble.
I was so fascinated by the business and life lessons he taught me. There are unscrupulous ways to make money, but fortunately these are not done by the majority. A gas station dealer has to buy gas from the company at a set price. Often times, there is a "black market" of gas, sometimes mislabeled, sometimes stolen, that is offered to dealers by unscrupulous people. You can buy this gas for cheaper and make more money on the margin. If the company catches you - and they have every incentive to catch you since you are not buying from them and selling an inferior product with their brand - you are in trouble.