I submit that they do more harm than good when it comes to non life sustaining items. (items as food and medicine I can see having gouging laws).
People who wanted to buy a generator in the Southeast in preparation for Flo have had a very difficult time finding one to buy. I was in Home Depot a week ago and watched a newly arrived supply of generators disappear in a matter of minutes. Home Depot said they were trying to get more but didn’t know when.
Home Depot doesn’t buy a truck load and put it on the shelf ahead of hurricane season because it’s capital collecting dust if no hurricane hits. They have a profit margin that is not high, and with gouging laws they can’t raise price so therefore have limited incentive to obtain more.
But what if you could sell a generator at twice the normal price? Not only Home Depot would be making extraordinary efforts to bring in more, everyday folks like me would fill up their garages with generators during the summer and when hurricane season started drive the uhaul to that location to make some money.
You can argue you’re taking advantage of people in need. But did I prevent them from planning for emergencies ahead of time? If they want a generator they are free to say no to the asking price. But if they say yes, then they have acknowledged the price is worth it to them for that generator.
Snooze you lose in my book.
People who wanted to buy a generator in the Southeast in preparation for Flo have had a very difficult time finding one to buy. I was in Home Depot a week ago and watched a newly arrived supply of generators disappear in a matter of minutes. Home Depot said they were trying to get more but didn’t know when.
Home Depot doesn’t buy a truck load and put it on the shelf ahead of hurricane season because it’s capital collecting dust if no hurricane hits. They have a profit margin that is not high, and with gouging laws they can’t raise price so therefore have limited incentive to obtain more.
But what if you could sell a generator at twice the normal price? Not only Home Depot would be making extraordinary efforts to bring in more, everyday folks like me would fill up their garages with generators during the summer and when hurricane season started drive the uhaul to that location to make some money.
You can argue you’re taking advantage of people in need. But did I prevent them from planning for emergencies ahead of time? If they want a generator they are free to say no to the asking price. But if they say yes, then they have acknowledged the price is worth it to them for that generator.
Snooze you lose in my book.
