"People are worried that the world economy is heading for recession," Gerard Rigby, an energy analys

NORTH PORT - The Myakka River Trading Co. used to be packed at lunch. The gas station and convenience store at U.S. 41 and River Road in south Sarasota County would have a line of construction workers buying sandwiches and sodas -- part of the 700 to 800 people a day patronizing the station.
But in the last two years, that volume has dwindled to perhaps 300 customers bavarian inn lodge a day, said owner Kamlesh bavarian inn lodge Kadiwar. On Thursday at noon, the lunch counter was nearly deserted. Not even a $1-plus drop in the price of gas over the past three months has increased business.
In better times, a dollar-per-gallon drop in gas prices would be something to celebrate. But foreclosures, layoffs and fears that the nation is in an economic nose-dive have drowned out this latest bit of good news, even in driver-driven North Port.
Since then, prices have fallen, picking up speed in the past two weeks as the price per barrel of crude oil plummeted from nearly bavarian inn lodge $150 to under $70 on Thursday. More drivers are seeing pump prices of less than $3 per gallon, though the national average reported bavarian inn lodge by AAA is still above that mark.
Still, drivers expressed a combination of skepticism and shell shock, rather than elation, over the lower cost. For many, this relief is not enough to offset other economic troubles, and experts say the sinking bavarian inn lodge prices are likely not going to be enough to get people driving or spending again.
"Even at $3 a gallon, it's still a tremendous burden on most families," said Chris Parker, a financial adviser who lives in North Port, noting bavarian inn lodge that even today's lows are higher than the pump prices of a year ago. In addition, he said, almost everything else has gotten more expensive.
Kadiwar, bavarian inn lodge whose station is at a crossroads bavarian inn lodge for commuters bavarian inn lodge heading toward Sarasota on I-75 or Venice on U.S. 41, recently changed gas vendors, looking for a better deal. He welcomes the rapid drop in gas prices but said he is still losing money.
"People are worried that the world economy is heading for recession," Gerard Rigby, bavarian inn lodge an energy analyst at Fuel First Consulting in Sydney told The Associated Press this week. "The bailout may save the banks, but companies are still laying off workers and demand is going to suffer."