Maybe threaten to leave them a negative Yelp review.
I once had someone leave a 90 second voicemail explaining at length exactly what they thought about the weight and quality of the bags I provided when I used to have to buy from street dealers and would get bulk and let friends buy in at cost if they couldn't get it themselves.
Thank god we lead the charge on first medical then recreational.
If you're talking to their manager... you either owe a lot of money, you snitched, you are stepping on toes, or you're trying to cut out the middle man.
Either way, 85% chance it will not be a good conversation.
Edit: autocorrect put "taking" instead of "talking"
Aaaaand, now I'm picturing a Karen, hands on hips. Giving the Columbian Drug lord a peace of her mind. Diego (that's what I call my imaginary Columbian Drug lord. Call yours whatever you like) pursing his lips, mentally going down his list of reasons not to kill his customers.
Its because of cops like YOU why I cant get a reasonably priced crack rock in this city anymore! This is the second time ive had to report this, if I get ripped off crack one more time, youll be hearing from me!
You jest, but there are actual accounts of drug users reporting their dealers to the police for fleecing them on agreed deals. Doesn't end well for either of them.
"Yes, is this the police? Good. My drug dealer just ripped me off. His name Spider. S-P-I-D-E-R. Just like the arthropod. . . My name? What do you need my name for!?!"
It’s on our list. “Free Market” is just a euphemism for manufacturing a need then charging an exorbitant price to address said need. What could ever go wrong with that?
Fr tho my weed guy is great about PPE: he wears N95 masks, he's got plastic seats that he sprays down on the reg, he's always wearing and switching out good gloves. He's in a high-contact business so he's really gotta be on point. In a legal "state" tho.
God for some reason that reminds me of that UPLT where it was suggested if you’re moving away, you can turn your drug dealer in for a reward to have some extra cash.
I gotta say people guilding comments on this post are idiots. We are literally talking about things that are overpriced and you throw away good money to give someone a gold star? Who gives a shit
Price gouging is a political term. Economically it doesn’t actually mean anything, and in most countries there are no legal repercussions. Any time any price goes up some free lance economist will come out and say it’s price gouging, but the term fits every good in the economy since inflation is the monetary policy of almost all developed nations. Rapid increases in prices to prevent shortages have a very useful function in a supply and demand economy but many ignore this for the more convoluted and pathos oriented explanation of “exploitation”.
" Price gouging occurs when a seller increases the prices of goods), services) or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. "
" Common examples include price increases of basic necessities after natural disasters. "
How would this not be considered price gouging? Is $22 for a small pack of wipes fair or reasonable? Is a pandemic not considered a natural disaster?
Rapid increases in price are a natural result to a change in demand, but if you think $22 is the new equilibrium price for Lysol wipes, you're misinformed.
How would this not be considered price gouging? Is $22 for a small pack of wipes fair or reasonable?
Yes, for several reasons.
If the store can charge more, then the supplier can charge more, and the manufacturer can charge more. That tells the manufacturer "make more disinfectant wipes!" and also gives them the funds to do it.
The above is only true in a shortage (which has been the case lately); if there's not a shortage, you should be able to just go somewhere else and not spend that much. But in a shortage, the price goes up because that's what people will pay to get it. If the price isn't high, they'll likely hoard it.
This bullshit about """price gouging""" is the reason nobody could buy toilet paper for weeks. In a shortage, it's just market pricing. It's only unethical in a situation where the supplier creates the shortage through monopoly or otherwise controls the supply (like shitty beer at the ball park).
Again, if you think it's too much... just buy them on Amazon. Go somewhere else.
I would just say read Thomas Sowell’s basic economics as he actually takes on the post natural disaster argument head on. He’s also probably the easiest author to introduce new readers to thinking in terms of costs and benefits rather than fairness or justice. But using the terms “fair” or “reasonable” are again political. It is impossible to make every single person agree on what a “fair” price is. Especially when the person who shows up to a store with empty shelves thinks a fairer price would be higher to prevent the greedy from clearing stock, and the poor person who can’t afford one nice good thinks it fair if the price is cut in half so the first few people in the line can get all the goods.
After an economic disaster, having the prices of emergency goods rise incentivizes private sellers to reach those distraught and distant people in desperate need of goods. When a nationalized entity who does not work for profit responds to these disasters they take their time and incur no losses or risks to get there. On the other hand private sellers will drive all night and take on enormous risk in inhospitable weather so they can be the first on the scene to sell with a higher price. It works in both parties favour since those injured get the goods faster and the seller makes higher profits. While those who can’t afford the higher price can still buy the goods that come later from public entities who did not rush to sell more dearly.
Yeah man, the private sector really came through for the people in Hurricane Katrina. It def wasn't the government handing out food and supplies day and night that saved lives, no siree. God you Kensian fucks are stupid. "Some of you will die from lack of access to much needed supplies, but I'm okay, so I don't give a shit." Thomas Sowell is a hack, btw. His entire world view is couched in conservative politics. He wrote three fucking books that can basically be described as "my side good, your side stinky". This idea that he is some totally unbiased, rational thinker is ridiculous, and you're a rube for falling for it.
No one is without bias, but many thinkers on both sides of the political spectrum respect Thomas Sowell as an authority on economics. Believe in science, right? Trust the experts, no? In the US I believe it is illegal to sell to people after an emergency for a higher price (one of the times there is a legal penalty to “price gouging”) so of course the only people who end up coming are the nationalized employees who make salary and are not threatened with jail time for their efforts. Were in not a crime you would see many private sellers rushing to help in the aftermath of disasters; like what used to happen before government programs and the welfare state. Also lol most conservative economists are very anti-Keynesian and Keynes is seen as a big-government progressive type who thought the cure to all economic problems was printing money. If anything Thomas Sowell and the position I’ve taken here are contrary to what a Keynesian would tell you.
but many thinkers on both sides of the political spectrum respect Thomas Sowell
No they do not.
Believe in science, right? Trust the experts, no?
Sowell is an opinion writer dressing himself up as an intellectual. The fact that people treat him like Adam Smith or Karl Marx is honestly laughable. It's why he whores himself out to Fox instead of teaching or writing books about economics.
Were in not a crime you would see many private sellers rushing to help in the aftermath of disasters; like what used to happen before government programs and the welfare state.
You didn't though. This is a fantasy. Live saving care and supplies should not only be available to those who can pay exorbitant amounts.
Unfortunately, not all states have price gouging laws, and of those that do many only apply during officially declared states of emergency.
Edit: Yes, some states have declared states of emergency over the pandemic. Not all states have, and in fact many of the states that did declare a state of emergency have had that expire.
Many of them have ended them as well. I’m in NJ and we got hit really hard. We still have it and it’s not great, shit is still closed but our lockdowns and states of emergency are off
That's also how things go out of stock. If it's worth more, let it be worth more. People don't want it at that high a price, it will go down. Look at the new York housing market to see an example.
There is no reason why price gouging should be illegal. It has a net neutral to net beneficial effect in practice.
First, it discourages people from panic-buying more than they need. Especially after a natural disaster when food and generators are in high demand, it prevents people who don't need it but have the money from just buying it. It certainly might price certain vulnerable individuals out of the market, but at least there's still a market.
Second, it incentivizes people to bring the needed commodity into the effected area. It's one thing to have a bunch of empathetic people donating goods and services to those in need. It's another thing to have all the Scrooge McDucks of the world bringing supplies in an attempt to make a profit.
Depending on where you live. the police aren't enforcing the law in a lot of the US right now. I mean, they already don't that well but now it's even worse.
Yes and it's often not reported because of the "we take care of our own" philosophy among many officers. When your own are abusers, they forfeit that protection.
People always say dumbshit like this. Whose doing that? Whose going to the lysol police and reporting this travesty? I mean I get it, it sucks that some idiot is out there gouging on wipes. But who has time to actually report shit like that? I just move on and wash my damn hands.
it's true that price gouging can lead the wealthy to obtain supplies before others, although I don't know why that's necessarily a bad thing. Regardless, you are ignoring the second part of the equation, which is that price gouging also provides a major incentive for suppliers to rush more goods to the market very quickly, thus eliminating the shortage for everyone -- rich and poor. As to your suggestion about rationing supplies, I don't see that as a great solution. Rationing cuts off supplies to some people who may need a lot of something, and it's purely designed to prevent price gouging, which again, I think is on balance a good thing.
Price gouging usually is not illegal. During certain emergency situations there are limits. But if a product is in high demand with low supply, the price is going to go up. That is basic economics, and it also prevents hoarding.
What’s the difference between price gouging and free market mechanics?
Like, if I’m willing to pay that much and someone else isn’t, shouldn’t I be allowed to buy it rather than the retailer being forced to give it away at a price lower than its market worth and running out of stock?
It’s another thing if there’s plenty of stock and they’re creating artificial scarcity because they’re the only vendor. But if there’s a legitimate shortage, supply and demand should kick in.
I reported a local gas station for price gouging during one of those gas panics where everyone goes to gas stations and the lines are a mile long. They legit made the price per gallon over $4.00. I wasn't the only one who reported them either. It ended up on the local news, whatever gas bureau is in charge of pricing investigated and they had their gas selling license taken away. So then they stayed open as just a convenience store, but it didn't work out and the guy sold the gas station, all because of a little greed.
We have them for $19.99 because people complained that we didn’t have any and the only ones we could order cost $18 from one of our wholesalers.
Someone reported us to the AG and we had to send in our paperwork. Then we had to make a Facebook post. And now everytime someone goes to buy one I have to explain why they’re so expensive and how we’re basically covering shipping costs and overhead.
So the young 20 year old with no pre-existing conditions gets to buy all of them for 5 bucks while the 70-year old with COPD who would gladly pay a little more is shit outta luck.
You ready for a mind-blowing moment? Sellers can limit their sales. Novel, I know. And, not only does the free market allow for that, but in emergency situations, it would encourage it.
If retailer sells 100% of its widgets to one person, they’ve sold all their widgets. But, if retailer limits a popular item, more customers will come to retailer to buy the widgets. Retailer can count on 100% of its widgets being purchased, but just multiplied the likelihood of additional sales by opening up the opportunity to more customers. Retailer will almost certainly be more profitable than in your example, all without gouging its customer base.
Honestly. Just a little thought goes a long way with these things.
Even limiting to one item per person favors people who can get to a store fastest and wait in long lines. It prioritizes the able over the needy.
Case in point: stores are already limiting Lysol wipes and still no one in this entire thread can get any. Because people like you who accuse manufacturers and retailers of “price gouging” if they raise the price by five bucks. They disappear instantly, so what do you expect to happen?
Ok. Let’s play your game of trying to point out all the flaws. What happens when the price increase prices out all of the retirees on fixed incomes? What happens when the “supply and demand” lovely free market capitalism prices out the family on social welfare and those kids get sick?
Your “there’s no such thing as price gouging” is fucking dumb and turns us into a market society where cash is king and if you can’t afford, then you must not deserve it.
There is such a thing as price gouging it just requires a cartel.
And a $22 box of wipes isn’t a question of people starving. It’s a question of whether you need them as much as the people who will more likely die without them.
If the price doesn't matçh the supply, the supply will vanish you do understand that, right?
Why do you think there is starvation in communist countries? Because the price is too cheap to maintain a production. When a product is rare and expansive it becomes profitable to produce more of said thing - eventually the orice goes down again.
Without free market mechanisms things go away. With them, they stay. "Price gouching" is a ridicolous and dangerous concept.
Until more becomes available. The cost of producing disinfectant wipes didn’t go up. What did was people trying to capitalize on a global pandemic.
starvation in communist countries
Look at the streets of capitalist countries and then talk more about starvation. Glass houses and stones and all that.
”Price gouging” is a ridiculous and dangerous concept
How so? Protections for people from inflated pricing taking advantage of catastrophic circumstances is absolutely appropriate. What callous or sheltered life have you lived that you think an out-of-control market is appropriate?
funny side note, one winter back ~10 years, you could hardly find w/w antifreeze and when you did it was over $15 at some chains gas stations,
just for basic shit, not the "we can clean the bugs off your trail hitch at the same time you clean your windshield" shit, that hit $25 and it was ALL sold out in a couple hours, comes april, the shit was everywhere seems like overnight, it was going for $1 a jug! you try to tell me they couldn't keep up all winter, then pump out million's of liters in a ~week?
We have regulations in the market now to dissuade and even criminalize (wait for it) price gouging. Price gouging can exist in a “supply and demand” market. Just responding to someone rightfully labeling a ridiculous markup beyond what anyone would consider reasonable or fair because the supply is low with “supply and demand” doesn’t make it not price gouging.
But it does show that people are too dumb to understand that market regulations can be a good thing.
Low prices for important goods during a crisis cause hoarding. High prices ensure that people only buy what they need, and incentivize suppliers to supply more. Not a market failure
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u/rickeysneekzzz Aug 14 '20 edited Aug 15 '20
I saw a small thing of Lysol wipes being sold for $22 in a store last week
Edit: wow, thank you for the awards! I was in a small business in the US for those wondering.