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Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster supplies

EMNofSeattle

EMNofSeattle

No Russian ever called me deplorable
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https://www.google.com/amp/thehill....g-of-harvey-victims-will-not-be-tolerated?amp

First off, there is no such thing as price gouging, it is economically impossible, you cannot sell a product for more then what someone will pay.

The reason prices go up in disaster zones is to maintain equilibrium on the supply and demand curb, ensuring the supply is always available, otherwise panic buyers clean the shelves and leave nothing for anyone else. The higher prices serve to send signals to the market as to what supplies are most needed. These people making a stink about price gouging are actually advocating leaving disaster victims with less then they would otherwise have
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

EMNofSeattle said:
https://www.google.com/amp/thehill....g-of-harvey-victims-will-not-be-tolerated?amp

First off, there is no such thing as price gouging, it is economically impossible, you cannot sell a product for more then what someone will pay.

The reason prices go up in disaster zones is to maintain equilibrium on the supply and demand curb, ensuring the supply is always available, otherwise panic buyers clean the shelves and leave nothing for anyone else. The higher prices serve to send signals to the market as to what supplies are most needed. These people making a stink about price gouging are actually advocating leaving disaster victims with less then they would otherwise have
Click to expand...


we have the rule of law now so yes there is indeed price gouging
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

katzgar said:
we have the rule of law now so yes there is indeed price gouging
Click to expand...

That would not be a logical argument

There is no federal law setting price controls so the White House has no "rule of law" over merchants
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

EMNofSeattle said:
https://www.google.com/amp/thehill....g-of-harvey-victims-will-not-be-tolerated?amp

First off, there is no such thing as price gouging, it is economically impossible, you cannot sell a product for more then what someone will pay.

The reason prices go up in disaster zones is to maintain equilibrium on the supply and demand curb, ensuring the supply is always available, otherwise panic buyers clean the shelves and leave nothing for anyone else. The higher prices serve to send signals to the market as to what supplies are most needed. These people making a stink about price gouging are actually advocating leaving disaster victims with less then they would otherwise have
Click to expand...

It's when thing for prices to go up. It's quite another to quintuple the price. Want to make sure there isn't hoarding? Put a limit of "five" on everything AND raise the price by 50%. Quantities are often limited. If greed isn't the reason, if the altruistic motive you describe were in play, limiting quantities is the answer.
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

EMNofSeattle said:
That would not be a logical argument

There is no federal law setting price controls so the White House has no "rule of law" over merchants
Click to expand...


never said anything about the WH did I? It is in fact a factual comment no argument involved. Now its time for your education... https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/price-gouging
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

MaggieD said:
It's when thing for prices to go up. It's quite another to quintuple the price. Want to make sure there isn't hoarding? Put a limit of "five" on everything AND raise the price by 50%. Quantities are often limited. If greed isn't the reason, if the altruistic motive you describe were in play, limiting quantities is the answer.
Click to expand...

Then someone who genuinely needs more then five and has the funds to pay for it is out of luck.
It is also more expensive to do business In disaster zones, so selling for pre-disaster prices is a disincentive to providing the commodity.

The idea is to maintain equilibrium between supply and demand curve
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

MaggieD said:
It's when thing for prices to go up. It's quite another to quintuple the price. Want to make sure there isn't hoarding? Put a limit of "five" on everything AND raise the price by 50%. Quantities are often limited. If greed isn't the reason, if the altruistic motive you describe were in play, limiting quantities is the answer.
Click to expand...

I like the limit solution, but why raise the price at all? Poor people are usually the most impacted in these disasters, why hit them harder for necessities?

Price gougers = looters in these situations, in my opinion. Both are opportunistic assholes using a tragedy to do something they wouldn't normally be able to do.
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

EMNofSeattle said:
Then someone who genuinely needs more then five and has the funds to pay for it is out of luck.
Click to expand...

Send two people. Come back twice.
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

OlNate said:
I like the limit solution, but why raise the price at all? Poor people are usually the most impacted in these disasters, why hit them harder for necessities?

Price gougers = looters in these situations, in my opinion. Both are opportunistic assholes using a tragedy to do something they wouldn't normally be able to do.
Click to expand...

No, the "price gouger" is the legitimate owner of the property. Providing someone a good for compensation is not the same as theft
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

MaggieD said:
Send two people. Come back twice.
Click to expand...

Or make do! I mean, unless you're one of those families that just can't stop having kids for some reason, most families don't go much past 3-4 kids. Set the limits based on average family consumption, and work it out. It's a crisis, not a day at the spa. Ration. Find neighbors that don't need the full limit, and work it out with them. I thought Texas was so good at helping each other... Surely the dispersal of emergency supplies can be done without resorting to gouging and / or hoarding.
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

Winning
 
Re: Advice to the White House, don't threaten businesses for providing disaster suppl

EMNofSeattle said:
No, the "price gouger" is the legitimate owner of the property. Providing someone a good for compensation is not the same as theft
Click to expand...

See, this kind of thing is why people start supporting problematic behaviors... It goes against human decency. If I saw a place that was involved in gouging being looted, I would not lift a finger to stop it, nor would I think less of anyone doing it. It may or may not be technically against the law, that seems to be up for debate, I'm not up on Texas laws...but there is still is a douche bag tax, and it's generally a lot higher than any profits made on whatever makes one a douche bag.
 
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