NORFOLK, Va. — Drivers facing headaches at the pump should soon see relief.
AAA reports that gasoline price averages are slowly coming down after a quick rise. The national price per gallon hit $3.83 Aug. 4, compared with the prior week's $3.73 and prior month's $3.52. In Hampton Roads, drivers saw $3.72 on August 4, compared with the prior week's $3.57 and prior month's $3.40.
Drivers told News 3 they're adjusting and will keep adjusting as prices fluctuate.
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Gas prices rising as more people hit the road: AAA
"There are bigger issues I am personally concerned with, and I'm not sure what to do about it anyway," said Jim Thomasson of Norfolk.
But some are impacted more than others, like those who drive for ride share companies, pizza places, and even flower shops, like Flower Lady in Virginia Beach.
Florists say if prices rise too high, it can blossom into a bigger problem getting shipments and delivering products.
"We have to charge more, unfortunately, to our customers, and that doesn't always bode well," said Kayla Gibson, flower designer/receptionist at Flower Lady. "But we make up for it with our product, we try to make things as workable as possible."
The team at Flower Lady said they can always make something look just as beautiful with "loose and airy" bouquets that have fewer flowers.
Florists say the economy can make it difficult to remain an affordable luxury, but there's a special joy in sending flowers.
"We like to put a smile on people's faces and be the connector between people's families and friends," said Gibson.
The team at Flower Lady prepares and delivers bouquets every day, multiple times a day, and they're even busier for holidays, weddings, and funerals.
In Hampton Roads they, and others, are now contending with a 15 cent-per-gallon rise from last week.
Ryan Adcock with AAA Tidewater said he typically sees gas prices fluctuate a few cents per week. He said gas prices usually rise in the summer, but said there's another factor at play because U.S. gas prices are highly dependent on crude oil.
"One factor is all of that awful, awful heat we had a little bit ago, putting pressure on the oil refineries," said Ryan Adcock, public relations specialist with AAA Tidewater.
He said the heat caused some oil refineries to pull back on production, but operations are now getting back to normal.
According to data from the Energy Information Administration gas demand is slowly decreasing while total domestic gasoline stocks increased. AAA said this should help take the steam out of the tight supply price jolts.
