Utah (ABC4) — Some of the cheapest gas options in Utah, Costco Gas Stations, are only open until 9:30 p.m. every night. ABC4 took a deeper look into why that is.

Costco Gas Stations offer some of the cheapest gas options in Utah, but they are only open at specific hours, and you must have a Costco membership to get gasoline.

According to google maps, the Salt Lake City Costco Gas Station location is offering gas at $3.53 per gallon, over 20 cents cheaper than the County average. Salt Lake County is averaging $3.78 according to AAA’s gas price map.

Costco’s Spanish Fork location is offering even cheaper gas at $3.44 per gallon, over 30 cents cheaper than the Utah County average, which sits at $3.78 as of March 8.

Most of Costco’s Gas Stations are open from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. during the week and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends in most locations in Utah.

So why does Costco only open at certain hours? According to an attendant at Costco’s Gas Station located in Murray, “It’s just company policy, you have to have an employee manned at the stations.”

Costco employs safety attendants at all of its gas station locations, and they are available on-site during all of Costco Gas’s opening hours. On Costco’s FAQ page, it states that Costco Gas Stations have an outstanding safety record, and part of that is due to employees always working there.

“Our safety-certified fuel station attendants work outside on the fuel islands, so they are always available to respond to any emergency,” the website states.

How does Costco ensure that members don’t use the gas pumps after hours? According to Costco’s FAQ page, every Costco station is equipped with automatic shut-off mechanisms both above and below ground. The Costco gas pumps also lock at night so you are unable to use the pump, even if the gas were turned on.

For specific Costco location hours and prices, you can use Costco’s Gasoline locater found on their website.