One man’s price gouging is another man’s gratitude that he can still find items on the shelves. From John Stossel at townhall.com:
“We don’t have any…!” Fill in the blank.
People are stocking up on things, fearing that we will be stuck in our homes, under quarantine, without essential supplies.
Some hoard toilet paper. A popular internet video features someone driving up to what appears to be a drug dealer but is really someone selling toilet paper.
When it became hard to find hand sanitizer in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state would produce its own, made by prison labor.
Yet in-demand items like masks and hand sanitizer can still be found. It’s just that we have to pay an inflated price.
People on social media are outraged by that. They post pictures showing stores charging high prices, like $19.99 for a can of Lysol spray and $22.99 for a 12 oz bottle of Purell.
We’re encouraged to report such high prices to the government because “gouging” is illegal. New York has an online “price gouging complaint form” that people can fill out if they are charged “unconscionably high prices.”
