when gas price is high, gas station is very hard to run

the customers are picky, and the providers are not sharing the huge profit with the retailers.

when price is low customers do not care too much to get their tank filled up.

If you get good spot and hope to get better sales than other stations, you will be disappointed. The wholesale price to each station is determined by the provider, namely the benefit of getting a good spot is taken away by the provider instead of the retailer.

A friend of mine has a gas station which has been for sale since 2003. He still runs it, not because he wants to keep it, but because it is so hard to find a buyer.