HOUSTON – Across the country, gas prices have been dropping toward the $3 mark, with some states experiencing prices below $3, USA Today reports. But experts warn that the market will likely steady instead of going lower.

Advancing crude and wholesale prices may have stymied hope that retail gasoline prices would reach below $3 on average nationally. The last time the average gasoline price hit under $3 was in 2010. While eight states registered average pump prices under $3, more than 20 had prices inching up on Thursday.

“There's still a potential for overall prices to move lower, but I don't see a whole lot of downward movement, and we may have already seen the bottom,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior energy analyst at GasBuddy.com.

For 10 consecutive weeks, gasoline prices had decreased due to sagging crude oil prices, a drop in seasonal demand, and increasing crude oil and gasoline inventories. Usually, gasoline prices hit bottom next month, which has led some industry analysts to predict pump prices could go down a bit more.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration said last week that U.S. crude oil production reached a 24-year record in October, producing more than imports for the first time since February 1995. The agency forecasts 2014 pump prices to be $3.39 per gallon on average, a bit lower than this year’s $3.50 and 2012’s $3.63.

With gasoline prices staying low, retailers are hoping the holiday shopping season will be brighter. “You definitely see a shift in consumer sentiment when prices go down,” said Jeff Lenard with NACS. “It feels good to see prices lower than what they were. You may see more buying of affordable luxuries.”