They have no choice but to buy the product, they have no say in its pricing, price increases are often abrupt and always come with no advance warning. There is a sense that one player in the business relationship keeps changing the rules of the game in mid play. By contrast, most retail products are not necessities, and purchases can be forsaken or delayed until the price is reduced. Even many necessities, such as food or clothing, can be simply replaced by a substitute food or outfit, if prices for some products increase. There is no justifiable reason for this.
Oil is traded on the world market, just as many other products are.
Oil companies know many weeks in advance the crude costs associated with gasoline sold in a given week. The Ontario government requires insurance companies to formally report price increases ahead of time, and this could also be done with gasoline retailing. CAA Ontario recommends that the Ontario government adopt regulations for the gasoline retailing industry to bring its pricing policies in line with the rest of the retail sector. All posted prices must be pre-tax, so the full extent of price increases and price decreases can be clearly seen. All prices should be for a set period, such as for a week or two.