price gouging?

[Great-Kazoo]

I think it's a given at this point that I'm not overly diplomatic online (I think I might be more tolerable in-person). That said, I can't get past some of the posts I've seen on 'gouging' lately.

Yesterday I was speaking with a friend over lunch and stated that I dearly hoped that Colorado doesn't face an event like hurricanes' Katrina or Sandy due to the response I'd seen on this site regarding the recent run on ammo/mags/guns. We have now had YEARS that featured extreme availability to easily purchase anything we have wanted in terms of firearms and accessories, at reasonable prices, widely in stock, and yet so very many have chosen to sit by and idly wait until push very definitely came to shove ten days ago.

If we have a major weather event here in the Front Range area, I have zero doubt that 95% of the membership of this site will be the ones standing in lines with 2-gallon gas cans because they didn't think ahead. The majority here will be scrambling in utter panic for that last loaf of Wonder Bread and a jar of Skippy while complaining that the only vendor that has plastic knives for them to spread their peanut butter is charging $3 instead of $.99 for the plastic cutlery. They're 'gouging'!

There was a run on ammo after the 2008 elections, and for nearly all of 2009, if you didn't already have it, you weren't going to find it. That was a measly 47 months ago. Now, my memory is about as bad as anyone's in existence, and yet even I can recall that everything from .22 - .308 was out of stock, everywhere. For some reason, there is a collective amnesia and we are seeing it all over again and many of our dear cohorts here keep trying to eloquently articulate that "this time it's different" -and they should not have to pay more than they were paying three weeks ago.

Someone on this site posted about buying a fire extinguisher when the house was already in flames. Some of y'all are poster children for that behavior.

I doubt there would be any issues in this neck of the woods. After the tornado supposedly a few looters were in the area, for about 5 minutes. Those who could did, no one was left out and everyone was covered. Neighbor helping neighbor, something we did and still do , no matter how large the town has grown.

[roberth]

it's funny, it wasn't until Barry stated he was going to do to curb the violence that I started getting calls from across the country asking if I had any AR15s, they started with "Hi Randy, do you remember me?". Then, hey can you get me a good deal on an AR15? My response was to check gunbroker and I will do the paperwork for $20.00. Funny how some folks won't give you the time of day until they want something that you can provide at a "good deal".

The other thing I want to know is if they didn't have money for an $800 AR 2 weeks ago, where did they get $2000 for an AR now?

[omegalopez]

I doubt there would be any issues in this neck of the woods. After the tornado supposedly a few looters were in the area, for about 5 minutes. Those who could did, no one was left out and everyone was covered. Neighbor helping neighbor, something we did and still do , no matter how large the town has grown.

+1

[roberth]

I think it's a given at this point that I'm not overly diplomatic online (I think I might be more tolerable in-person). That said, I can't get past some of the posts I've seen on 'gouging' lately.

Yesterday I was speaking with a friend over lunch and stated that I dearly hoped that Colorado doesn't face an event like hurricanes' Katrina or Sandy due to the response I'd seen on this site regarding the recent run on ammo/mags/guns. We have now had YEARS that featured extreme availability to easily purchase anything we have wanted in terms of firearms and accessories, at reasonable prices, widely in stock, and yet so very many have chosen to sit by and idly wait until push very definitely came to shove ten days ago.

If we have a major weather event here in the Front Range area, I have zero doubt that 95% of the membership of this site will be the ones standing in lines with 2-gallon gas cans because they didn't think ahead. The majority here will be scrambling in utter panic for that last loaf of Wonder Bread and a jar of Skippy while complaining that the only vendor that has plastic knives for them to spread their peanut butter is charging $3 instead of $.99 for the plastic cutlery. They're 'gouging'!

There was a run on ammo after the 2008 elections, and for nearly all of 2009, if you didn't already have it, you weren't going to find it. That was a measly 47 months ago. Now, my memory is about as bad as anyone's in existence, and yet even I can recall that everything from .22 - .308 was out of stock, everywhere. For some reason, there is a collective amnesia and we are seeing it all over again and many of our dear cohorts here keep trying to eloquently articulate that "this time it's different" -and they should not have to pay more than they were paying three weeks ago.

Someone on this site posted about buying a fire extinguisher when the house was already in flames. Some of y'all are poster children for that behavior.

Right on!!!

[Bailey Guns]

So, what should water, food, medications, fuel, etc. cost?

No shit. Some of you people act as though the person selling the item doesn't have the same concerns re: food, water, meds, fuel, etc. as anyone else.

Life should be fair, dammit!

"Price gouging" is definitely a made-up term.

[R&S]

boils down to the rule of "supply and demand" I guess

[roberth]

boils down to the rule of "supply and demand" I guess

Yeah, them durn old simple rules of basic economics.

[omegalopez]

boils down to the rule of "supply and demand" I guess

[R&S]

sometimes who you know as well

[Jackal]

From a legal perspective, price gouging, as a crime applies only to essential goods and services- i.e. food, fuel, clothing and shelter. It is normally paired with anti-hoardibg statutes.... oh wait. It is what it is. I started buying somethings judiciously after the presidential debate in which Obumer stated he would support the reinstatement of the AWB. I've been through any number of panics and bubbles- I don't need much to read the tea leaves.