After receiving many calls and correspondence from angry motorists in his district, state Sen. David J. Cappiello, R-Danbury, is introducing legislation that would require "club" stores to post the price of gasoline as it applies to the general public rather than the price it applies to club members. According to Sen. Cappiello, many warehouse and mass merchandise wholesale stores who sell gasoline at discounted prices are causing motorists a great deal of confusion who are unaware that to receive the discounted price they must have a club membership.

"The posting of gasoline prices at these big club stores is misleading, what people do not know is that in order to get the price posted you need to be a club store member," said Sen. Cappiello. "With prices as high as they are right now, people are looking to save money on gasoline anyway they possibly can, so when a motorist sees a sign with a specific price in front of a gas station that's the price they should expect to pay."

Sen. Cappiello said that he believes the practice of posting the reduced price is the way to get people in the door to buy a membership when many consumers aren't looking to join a mass merchandise club store. "People just read the sign that lists the price of gas and they pull in and expect to get that price. I don't blame anyone for getting upset over this. It's misleading and is something that needs to be clarified."

"This legislation in no way prohibits club stores form selling gasoline at discounted prices to its members, but it must clearly post what the price is for the members of the general public," said Sen. Cappiello who serves as Ranking Member of the legislature's General Law Committee, which held a hearing on the proposed bill today. "We cannot have consumers being mislead by tricky advertising especially at a time when people are looking just about everywhere for cheap gas."