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Sure, your survival instincts do forcing. Once Economics 101 engages survival insticts - sky is the limit.
No force there.
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Why anyone can't just die from thirSt instead of paying whatever obscene amount for a bottle of water suppliers charge? Unfortunately modern super specialized, super corporatized economy gives us more choices of that kind. Modern survival pressures breed entire parasitic industries capitalizing on the peon' lack of acceptable choices.
I would love to charge $10/bottle for water. Tell me, how much will I be able to sell today?
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Under certain circumstances you could make a decision to trade your house for let's say a bottle of water based on your own assessment of your marginal costs and benefits at that particular moment. It is an extreme example, but we make forced decisions like that all the time.
It isn't a forced decision. And no, we don't make decisions like that all the time.
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That is not a good real life example, you always can skip a game or a beer A good example is when a construction company or let's say a mechanic, doctor, lawyer, ... (the list is long) charges you premium (sometimes on top of outright cheating) knowing that you are too busy selling your wage slaving arse to explore real alternatives or even to pay attention.
Your failure to shop the market in no way means that someone else is "gouging." You have a myriad of options available, but you choose not to take them.
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Sure they can price gouge quite a bit, especially if survival instincts or prestige are involved aka price elasticity is near zero or positive.
No, they can't. If the price is too high, customers simply shop somewhere else.
You need to travel more. Convenience stores along desert routes charge way more for water than convenience stores elsewhere to capitalize on the captive customer base making decisions to pay hefty premiums using their own assessment of marginal costs and marginal benefits. I witnessed controlled demolition of the free tap water supplies, just in the past 15 years free convenient water taps ceased to exist to increase captive customer base since many people are too squeamish about getting water from toilets taps (many states have laws mandating free water supplies at gas stations). I sense you are trying to say that convenience stores are somehow different than WalMart or any other business, they are not, they charge what their captive customer base is willing to pay. Captive as in having no time to buy cheaper stuff or getting thirsty in Arizona desert.
Did you miss the post where I explained my experience in desert areas? I know exactly what I'm talking about. And bottled water at convenience stores in desert areas is priced similarly to bottled water in non-desert areas. If you don't want to buy your water at a convenience store when you are in the desert, bring your own.
Understand that your "need" for something, whether real or perceived, in no way creates a burden on someone else to sell you goods and services at a price that you deem acceptable.
Sort of. You should expect free market principles to apply where there is a *market*, which means that you can go without the product, choose to buy something else, another competitor can enter to compete, or choose to buy nothing. If these aren't in place (and they definitely aren't in case of a hurricane) then it's non-nonsensical to apply market principles.
They are in place in a desert. You can choose not to travel there or drive on through. They are in a comparison of Wal-Mart vs a convenience store - you can choose to drive farther and deal with a slower experience at WalMart to save money.
They are not in place where competitors were recently destroyed.
They are in place after a hurricane (but not when governments create anti "gouging" laws).
They are in place after a hurricane (but not when governments create anti "gouging" laws).
After a hurricane, why isn't gas $25/gallon?
It was and that's why they put anti-gouging laws into place. DUH. Here is a very basic explanation of the process and how it's handled outside of weather events:
It was and that's why they put anti-gouging laws into place. DUH. Here is a very basic explanation of the process and how it's handled outside of weather events:
No, it wasn't. In the article you reference, it was $2.98. Care to try again?
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And if you have a heart attack, you can't search for the best doctor or query the ambulance driver to take you to the most cost-efficient hospital.
In this situation, are you suggesting that the hospital will significantly increase what they charge to treat you, based on the fact that you didn't specify which hospital you wanted to go to?
And please understand, you always have a choice of what hospital you want to go to. If you choose not to exercise that choice, the fault is your own.
No, it wasn't. In the article you reference, it was $2.98. Care to try again?
In this situation, are you suggesting that the hospital will significantly increase what they charge to treat you, based on the fact that you didn't specify which hospital you wanted to go to?
And please understand, you always have a choice of what hospital you want to go to. If you choose not to exercise that choice, the fault is your own.
Nope you really do not in a small town. When i was a medic, our "services" was provided by a hospital, named LifeMobile. When we pick up anybody that does not or have the ability to tell us were they want to go, we are default to our hospital that pays our bills. If the person is alive and ability to speak, they will ask to take them to the other hospital in our town. We will do so, but our service provider will charge that customer twice the rate $1000 vs $500 for our own. They patient is not aware of this charge till insurance is billed. We are not allow to tell them the rates, nor suggest they go somewhere else. We even been ask to drive 100 miles to another hospital for a person, but due to his/her condition we had to stop our hospital to treat the patient to stable, then transfer them over. So now they have 2 ER visits, mileage, and other fees. So really you do have a choice, but the price of the choice will hurt when you cant disclose the fees.
Nope you really do not in a small town. When i was a medic, our "services" was provided by a hospital, named LifeMobile. When we pick up anybody that does not or have the ability to tell us were they want to go, we are default to our hospital that pays our bills. If the person is alive and ability to speak, they will ask to take them to the other hospital in our town. We will do so, but our service provider will charge that customer twice the rate $1000 vs $500 for our own. They patient is not aware of this charge till insurance is billed. We are not allow to tell them the rates, nor suggest they go somewhere else. We even been ask to drive 100 miles to another hospital for a person, but due to his/her condition we had to stop our hospital to treat the patient to stable, then transfer them over. So now they have 2 ER visits, mileage, and other fees. So really you do have a choice, but the price of the choice will hurt when you cant disclose the fees.
Yes, you do have a choice, even in a small town. However, you may have previously made decisions that can result in those later choices being severely limited.
You can make choices, right now, that will result in you being delivered to whatever hospital you choose. That those choices may be expensive in no way serves to invalidate those choices.
hitpausebuttob2 - Not just small town. I found out just a couple of weeks ago that this is how it is done in St Louis county The county is divided into sections and the ambulance is required to take you to the hospital within the area where they picked you up. You can request to go to another hospital and you will then pay the bill. I am not sure it is more. Has to be because , otherwise, you'd be paying the same as the original bill if you don't have insurance.
I don't know how the county is divided, though, because there is a hospital closer to me than the one they'd take me to. Maybe that hospital is not included in the setup.
A friend told me all this, meaning I have not confirmed it.
hitpausebuttob2 - Not just small town. I found out just a couple of weeks ago that this is how it is done in St Louis county The county is divided into sections and the ambulance is required to take you to the hospital within the area where they picked you up. You can request to go to another hospital and you will then pay the bill. I am not sure it is more. Has to be because , otherwise, you'd be paying the same as the original bill if you don't have insurance.
I don't know how the county is divided, though, because there is a hospital closer to me than the one they'd take me to. Maybe that hospital is not included in the setup.
A friend told me all this, meaning I have not confirmed it.
Do you see the inconsistency in the two highlighted sentences?
I don't think so. There is one hospital in each section. Ambulance picks me up at home and takes me to hospital A.
Ambuland is supposed to go to hospital but I want to go to hospital B. They will take me there but I'll pay.
So, where is the inconsistency?
What I am confused about is will I pay more as the other poster said in his/her town. Seems to me I'd have to pay more to stop me from requesting hospital B.
Just had an email from the friend who first told me about this. So, she's home. Shall ask her.
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