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It's funny how some people claim healthcare, healing people and relieving their suffering, is not a right. Yet, they claim that the ability to cause or exacerbate people's suffering IS a right. How f***ed up is that? There are truly some sick people in this world and I hope every one of them get to face the situation they so ardently wish to impose on others.
1) People can do whatever they want. Up to them to raise the price or not.
2) For profit companies don't do humanitarian service. They do that for good will. They weigh how much the good will is worth. If it's worth more than the profit they could make, they will provide that service. If it's less, they won't do anything.
3. LOL! No business stocks up to provide for their community. That's the crappiest line I have ever seen.
Nobody is arguing this. A company and business owner should weigh the pros and cons, good will or profit and decide what to do; however, I don't see the evil in price gouging.
I do see plenty of evil in anti-price gouging.
*sigh*
It's obvious now that you have never owned or ran a business. You don't seem to understand the way a business operates. It's not as cut and dry as "sell stuff, make money". There are various webs of issues and dilemmas to face. One wrong step and you'll be out of business.
Where is the evil in anti-price gouging? Prohibiting a company from holding a temporary monopoly where there are no checks and balances in place so that they can profit from the suffering of others?
All I can say to you is I'm glad you are in the minority. Texas, a state that is as red as they come, acknowledges the fact that during a disaster when people are suffering and in great need of relief it is reprehensible for anyone to unjustly profit from others' suffering. That is the will of the people here so I can only imagine what it would be like in a blue state. Jail time I suppose.
And as far as the ass kicking you'd get if you came down here and tried to push your $99 bottle of water into the faces of people dying of thirst, I'm just stating a fact of human nature. It would happen and you can bank on that.
Like I said, there are people actively going around documenting this. Those that choose to gouge prices will be brought to justice. The stores around here that were able to restock somewhat did so and sold their goods at normal prices with quantity limits so there was enough for everyone. No price gouging required. Only sick minded individuals think about profiting unjustly from a disaster.
It's obvious now that you have never owned or ran a business. You don't seem to understand the way a business operates. It's not as cut and dry as "sell stuff, make money". There are various webs of issues and dilemmas to face. One wrong step and you'll be out of business.
Nobody is arguing this point.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nlambert
Where is the evil in anti-price gouging? Prohibiting a company from holding a temporary monopoly where there are no checks and balances in place so that they can profit from the suffering of others?
Do you even know what monopoly is??? anti-price gouging is MONOPOLY.
The evil in anti-price gouging is that people are OK with watching other people die and suffer. Anti-price gouging causes more suffering and death because other companies outside of the disaster zone don't have much incentive to ship supplies.
A company would have to prove a price increase is due to increased shipping costs in getting product in from outside the norm supply chains in order to justify a price increase. If audited I think the only proof should be that the profit margin is the same with the price increase IMHO.
That totally depends on the scenario. In the Texas flooding, SOME supplies can be delivered fairly easily. The disaster does create a demand for water, but what about other supplies?
Imagine we are in a war zone. Who's going to ship anything to us at $1/bottle? What if we are willing to pay $1,000 for a bottle of water?
War zone premiums are a total different ball of wax and cannot be compared to natural disasters. War zone premiums are charged because of the DANGERS of trying to bring in supplies when the risk of someone getting killed to do so is very high.
The premium goes to shipping companies who charge more to risk the lives of their company to deliver goods and services. Sometimes this involves paying off governments to let the trucks in, providing additional security in the convoys, etc...
In turn, companies have to raise their price because their cost of goods increased..... their gross margin does not increase. This is comparing apples to oranges.
Nobody will refuse to sell their products when they can make a profit.
No one is saying they should not make a profit. There are a good number of people saying that a profit of a few thousand percent is a little sleazy.
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