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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHe Has 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer and Nowhere to Sell Them
New York TimesOn March 1, the day after the first coronavirus death in the United States, brothers Matt and Noah Colvin set out in a silver S.U.V. to pick up some hand sanitizer. Driving around Chattanooga, Tenn., they hit a Dollar Tree, then a Walmart, a Staples and a Home Depot. At each store, they cleaned out the shelves.
Over the next three days, Noah Colvin took a 1,300-mile road trip across Tennessee and into Kentucky, filling a U-Haul truck with thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer and thousands of packs of antibacterial wipes, mostly from little hole-in-the-wall dollar stores in the backwoods, his brother said. The major metro areas were cleaned out.
Matt Colvin stayed home near Chattanooga, preparing for pallets of even more wipes and sanitizer he had ordered, and starting to list them on Amazon. Mr. Colvin said he had posted 300 bottles of hand sanitizer and immediately sold them all for between $8 and $70 each, multiples higher than what he had bought them for. To him, it was crazy money. To many others, it was profiteering from a pandemic.
The next day, Amazon pulled his items and thousands of other listings for sanitizer, wipes and face masks. The company suspended some of the sellers behind the listings and warned many others that if they kept running up prices, theyd lose their accounts. EBay soon followed with even stricter measures, prohibiting any U.S. sales of masks or sanitizer.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)Profiting of other people mystery? Buying something that is needed so they can sell it for profit?
Victor_c3
(3,557 posts)Apparently people on this board hate capitalism and freedom. If you have a product and people need it, then youre just a smart businessman.
Business and ethics never mix.
Chainfire
(17,539 posts)If they did that in Florida, they would be jail bound.
Their stash should be confiscated and distributed, for free, to places that need it.
Lock them up with coronavirus patients.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,470 posts)In a recirculating Air isolation room with people on ventilation. They can't pretend they're ok.
It will haunt them day and night.
Kaiserguy
(740 posts)Milk the marks for all you can. In Trump case his base and the American taxpayers are his marks.
SergeStorms
(19,201 posts)The Trump School of Capitalism.
DENVERPOPS
(8,820 posts)none of the authorities would be interfering........
jimfields33
(15,803 posts)Congress could make it illegal to do though.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)arthurgoodwin
(38 posts)Tennessee has a anti price-gouging law on the books, the Tennessee Price-Gouging Act of 2002, for which see:
https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-47/chapter-18/part-51/
However, like most of the 34 states with anti-gouging laws, the law is tied to declaration of a state of emergency in the jurisdiction. Unlike most southern states, Tennessee does not limit this to a Presidential Declaration of Emergency, but to any jurisdiction (state, county, or municipality) that declares an emergency. Also, the Tennessee law states:
Prohibited acts during state of emergency.
Upon the proclamation of a state of emergency and continuing until the state of emergency is terminated, it is unlawful, in any county or municipality covered by the state of emergency, for any person to charge any other person a price for any consumer food item; repair or construction services; emergency supplies; medical supplies; building materials; gasoline; transportation, freight, and storage services; or housing, that is grossly in excess of the price generally charged for the same or similar goods or services in the usual course of business immediately prior to the events giving rise to the state of emergency.
So once an emergency is/was declared in the USA as a whole (as Pres. Trump did yesterday, or in Tennessee, Chattanooga, or Hamilton County (of which Chattanooga is the county seat), his actions would be ILLEGAL.
jimfields33
(15,803 posts)Perhaps they will be charged then.
Lanius
(599 posts)Could a person sell toilet paper at a small markup and get away with it?
Bengus81
(6,931 posts)But I guess they could stand out on the corner and try and rip people off--and take their chances of getting their asses KICKED.
Codifer
(546 posts)During WWII Harry went after war profiteers. It is my impression that he was successful (to a degree). Ford still had plants in Germany but that was a different aspect.
Cheers
ZZenith
(4,122 posts)The son and grandson of one of the war profiteers both went on to be U.S. presidents.
I.T.&T. got off scot free, when the Third Reich would have failed immediately without their products.
Codifer
(546 posts)The Prescott Bush/Brown Brothers Harriman financing of the nazi party and Hitler was prewar (pre US involvement anyway) and they were forced to stop, General Motors also were forced to cease their financial collaboration with Germany although it took a long goddamn time for them to do so. I do not know what profit Ford made (if any) from the wartime production of the factories that it had built in Germany before the war. Ford did, however, receive compensation from the US Government for damage that those factories suffered from US and British bombers. Henry Ford might also have had other reasons for dealing with Hitler (research "The Protocols of Zion" . Curtis Aircraft, Bell Aircraft and Studebaker sold equipment to Russia, was that profiteering. Some of the business arrangements mentioned were for profit and some no doubt were in part ideological but none were the sort of price gouging of the US Government that Harry was tasked with stopping. No $50 mess kits.
Maybe all the above is meaningless. "War is a Racket". Smedly Butler said so.
Cheers
Edit to try to get rid of the silly smiley face that replaced the closed parenthesis that I had typed.... but I can't. Sorry.
Edit again to add IBM equipment and the tabulation of the dead and soon to be dead. I would like to think that IBM did not know how their equipment was used. Robert Jackson found those records very useful.
Karadeniz
(22,516 posts)Midnight Writer
(21,767 posts)Rorey
(8,445 posts)appalachiablue
(41,132 posts)/S
Coventina
(27,120 posts)LisaL
(44,973 posts)and resulting in shortages.
Coventina
(27,120 posts)Hand sanitizer is a convenience, not a necessity, anyway.
The people who are hoarding the masks should have their supply commandeered, however.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)So it's more than a convenience.
Coventina
(27,120 posts)LisaL
(44,973 posts)Coventina
(27,120 posts)Really?
I'm glad they were shut down, they were being total dicks.
Most people in this country have ample access to handwashing facilities, unless they are camping or something.
Hand sanitizer is nice, it's convenient, it's a good back-up, but civilization is not going to fall if it were to disappear.
volstork
(5,401 posts)for example, hand sanitizer is critical, as hand-washing facilities are likely limited.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)Or subway/metro for that matter.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)defacto7
(13,485 posts)zackymilly
(2,375 posts)defacto7
(13,485 posts)zackymilly
(2,375 posts)defacto7
(13,485 posts)LisaL
(44,973 posts)Alcohol used in it is probably unsafe for human consumption.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)Crunchy Frog
(26,587 posts)LisaL
(44,973 posts)Coventina
(27,120 posts)What did they do then?
LisaL
(44,973 posts)What did they do then?
Coventina
(27,120 posts)Of course humanity has lived without gasoline.
(Although petroleum products have been used for thousands of years).
Our current society is completely structured around fossil fuels (to our detriment), it is NOT structured around hand sanitizer.
volstork
(5,401 posts)People have also used candles for illumination for centuries, but that doesn't mean that it's the best option.
The point is that hand sanitizer is something that can help halt the spread of disease when soap-and-water hand-washing facilities are not available. Do you dispute that?
Coventina
(27,120 posts)Of course I don't dispute it!
I've said all along those brothers were being totally shitty.
That's why IT MAKES MY HEART SMILE THEY WERE SHUT DOWN.
Now it's turned into a hilarious argument about whether we're DOOMED, DOOMED without hand sanitizer!
wnylib
(21,466 posts)people getting sick. I am referring to the rolling head, not the smile over the creeps getting caught and stuck with useless product.
You did make light of preventing the spread of the virus. That is what posters are reacting to.
I am not sure what is so hard to understand about "novel" corona virus.
Crunchy Frog
(26,587 posts)Coventina
(27,120 posts)LisaL
(44,973 posts)Death rate from covid being as high as it is.
Coventina
(27,120 posts)LisaL
(44,973 posts)I would say YES.
Coventina
(27,120 posts)I cannot WAIT to see that on the death certificate:
Cause of death: Hillbillies bought up all local stocks of hand sanitizer.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)And then maybe you could stop laughing?
Coventina
(27,120 posts)I'm not going to take away your precious hand sanitizer, I promise, cross my heart, hope to die, etc.
Squinch
(50,949 posts)you argued at great length against screening at airports.
That's just weird.
Crunchy Frog
(26,587 posts)I respect you a great deal, and I agree with most of your posts, and I have no desire to get into some pointless flame war with you.
Simply, and without overstating things or going into hyperbole, I believe that alcohol based hand sanitizers have a meaningful role to play in limiting disease transmission at this time.
Without downplaying the importance of handwashing, there are times when hand sanitizer is a valid, and sometimes the only feasible option.
I actually slathered it on my face, in my car yesterday, after getting out of BJ's, and getting coughed on.
And I have no wish to get into it further with you because, as I said, I regard you very highly here, and I don't have any desire to fight with you.
Coventina
(27,120 posts)That is truly disgusting AND disturbing.
And, I feel the same way about you, CF. I shouldn't have been so flippant in my reply to you, so I apologize for that.
I got carried away by the interaction from the other poster, I suppose, but that should not have reflected upon you.
I'm not anti-sanitizer, I DO feel it is a good and handy tool for situations like what you just described (again, SO sorry that happened).
And, I think those guys are being total jerks to do what they did. That's why I said that it made my heart smile that they were shut down. I don't know how that turned into a melee, (I guess we're all tense and on edge), but I was wrong to treat you as I did.
Crunchy Frog
(26,587 posts)I appreciate your reply.
Coventina
(27,120 posts)SMC22307
(8,090 posts)Last edited Sat Mar 14, 2020, 11:39 AM - Edit history (1)
and that's why it turned into a "melee." Your post could be interpreted a couple of different ways, hence the replies to you. I've seen posts on social media about the unscrupulous hoarding supplies and profiting from the coronavirus, and others cheering them on. That's how.
Coventina
(27,120 posts)But, didn't I clarify that by my second post?
Anyway, that being said, I will take your words to heart and do my utmost to be more clear in my intent henceforth.
And, to maintain a cooler head when discussing.
I fully admit that I've been in a very bad place mentally and emotionally for several months now (before this virus was a pandemic) and my attitude on this forum has unfortunately reflected that. I need to maybe take a break and reset.
SMC22307
(8,090 posts)I was just referring to your initial one. As mentioned upthread, many of us are a little (a lot) edge. For me, personally, it's not so much the damn virus, but Donald Trump at the helm -- declaring a national emergency, toying with permanent cuts to the payroll tax, the soaring deficit, etc. That's what's keeping me up at night! But we all have our reasons...
wnylib
(21,466 posts)I_UndergroundPanther
(12,470 posts)Reeking of gas fumes.
wnylib
(21,466 posts)what did rhey do? They carried microbes, spread them, and people got sick, some died. Same as before there were flu shots. There are no shots for this, so prevention is important.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)Pull one from dispenser, pump gas, throw away paper towel.
Simple.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)You simply LURVE hand sanitizer.
Ive never used it, and I dont intend to start now.
I had an entire case of it left over from when my mother was ill. Ive given it to friends who want it.
Why do you become so annoyed when others express different opinions from yours?
LisaL
(44,973 posts)So WTF is so difficult to understand about it? CDC freaking recommends it. Laughing about it as if it were some ludicrous suggestion is ridiculous.
If you don't have access to soap are water, using hand sanitizer can help avoid and stop spreading germs. Get it? If not, I fail to see any point of arguing with you and people like you any further.
"CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water whenever possible because handwashing reduces the amounts of all types of germs and chemicals on hands. But if soap and water are not available, using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can help you avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. The guidance for effective handwashing and use of hand sanitizer in community settings was developed based on data from a number of studies."
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html
Squinch
(50,949 posts)(Apparently that's a bad idea.)
LisaL
(44,973 posts)Forget about social distancing.
Response to LisaL (Reply #173)
Squinch This message was self-deleted by its author.
Squinch
(50,949 posts)sheshe2
(83,770 posts)You do realize that our situation is at critical mass, correct? You realize millions are going to die because a clown car is running this country. You realize they KNEW in January we had a huge problem and ignored it. You realize that this is March and we still have no testing kits, not enough hospital beds, not enough staff. not enough ventilators...nothing to prevent a death of millions.
Hand sanitizer is not "nice" it is a smart thing to do when you are at the market, gas station or convivence store and have no access to soap and water.
That you make light of this is sad. See Italy. We are only a moment away and fact is...we will suffer far worse.
Millions are going to die and they won't just be us elders. That is a fact.
cwydro
(51,308 posts)LisaL
(44,973 posts)If you go to public places, and touch things there, and then touch you face, you could be infecting yourself. How long can you go without touching your face? Most people are doing it all the time without even noticing.
oldsoftie
(12,545 posts)My work would take me in places to touch machines touched by a LOT of people, so i always rubbed some alcohol on my hands when i got back to the car
Something else i havent heard mentioned, i also blow my nose when i get back into my car. Some of the places i would go were dr offices, health depts, etc. I dont know if it really is effective, but my reasoning was that if i inhaled "X" while in the office, i'd blow it OUT when i got in the car!
Hugin
(33,147 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)Hugin
(33,147 posts)There are already seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 in my area.
The thing about deserts is they are also usually highly trafficked by people on their way from someplace to someplace else.
Bottom line is there are many more people here than there are sanitation facilities. On the order of 10s to one.
Oh, and water is for drinking.
cab67
(2,993 posts)This isn't necessarily true of everyone, but it is for me.
Withywindle
(9,988 posts)Or people who work in places where they're denied at-will bathroom access (think Amazon warehouse workers or farm laborers). Or people whose jobs involve being away from easy bathrooms but with a lot of contacts (think postal and delivery workers, taxi and Uber drivers, public transit drivers). Or people who work in places that have bathrooms, but they cannot possibly wash their hands after every contact with things that other people have touched a lot, like counters and money (think EVERYBODY IN RETAIL OR FOOD SERVICE)
Hand sanitizer ain't all that but it's better than nothing. Oh, and also, this guy hoarding it from backwoods Appalachian dollar stores and selling it for big $$$ is a complete reverse Robin Hood - stealing from the poor to make himself rich.
wnylib
(21,466 posts)a sink and soap in their back pocket when leaving home?
Hand sanitizer breaks down lipid membrane that surrounds the coronavirus, helping to remove it. This reduces the chances of infection from touching contaminated surfaces. More practical and convenient than hand washing for people at work, especially when dealing with the public. Useful when away from home and soap and water. Therefore, helps reduce the spread of the virus, which is necessary to contain it and protect vulnerable people.
mucifer
(23,544 posts)Coventina
(27,120 posts)I sincerely hope not.
Look, I'm not in favor of what these guys did AT ALL.
mucifer
(23,544 posts)RussellCattle
(1,535 posts)....to some others in the pharmaceutical industry, they are almost white knights.
ahoysrcsm
(787 posts)Oh, big box and dollar stores are out too. I guess we just close the business.
Ilsa
(61,695 posts)from patient to patient, hand sanitizer works much more efficiently than soap, water, and the birthday song. That's a lot of time spent at the sink.
The_REAL_Ecumenist
(721 posts)NO ACCESS to soap & water, i.e., the homeless, people in transit, etc etc. People need to have as much access to everything they can to do as much to prevent infection or spread PERIOD!! Hand Sanitizer is NOT a convenience but a necessity
C Moon
(12,213 posts)He knew people would be buying these products to protect their families and themselves from harm/death.
But he decided to buy large quantitieseven empty shelvesin order to gouge people into paying HIS price.
He and his brother had a dark and creepy reaction to a pandemicand you are okay with that?
MerryBlooms
(11,769 posts)the area. They better be setting up a way to give that stuff away to needy folks, otherwise people will turn on them like rabid animals.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)MerryBlooms
(11,769 posts)paleotn
(17,915 posts)I'd fire them bright and early Monday morning. TN is a "right to work" state, after all, and I could fire them for any reason outside of Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act. My reason being, it's obvious that they are morally deficient and I cannot trust them as far as I can toss their white trash asses.
Jirel
(2,018 posts)They deserve worse. But good on the tech companies for shutting down profiteering.
TheBlackAdder
(28,201 posts)CurtEastPoint
(18,644 posts)tulipsandroses
(5,124 posts)I am not one bit sorry for him.
FM123
(10,053 posts)Hotler
(11,421 posts)FreepFryer
(7,077 posts)Or at the very least, forced to hand them out in the areas they hoarded, 1 bottle per address, while wearing hazmat suits.
2naSalit
(86,622 posts)That's a great line!
The stores in my area are devoid of toilet paper. Odd? A local store
put a pallet of ass-wipes out front and they were gone immediately.
So the family greeting is now, do you need toilet paper?
I do not do it, but I have a stack of wash cloths next to my commode
and soap and my sink so all I got to do is wash my asshole when I am done
with everything in arm's reach. duh.
I changed our babies without toilet paper.
marble falls
(57,093 posts)jimfields33
(15,803 posts)Im sure they will sell it later for a modest profit. It lasts forever and most wont do a google search on it six months from now.
marble falls
(57,093 posts)the problem is that in the eyes of those with enough TP, TP gougers are just capitalists.
marble falls
(57,093 posts)Cirque du So-What
(25,939 posts)Fie on all profiteers at a time like this.
Hugin
(33,147 posts)Over a weekend, I saw several specific items disappear from Friday to Monday. Everywhere these items were gone in every dollar and convenience store over a wide area.
I would have expected it if I'd seen a crowd descend on the stores, but, there were no crowds.
It was Elizabeth Holmes and Martin Shkreli like medical fraudsters and profiteers inserting themselves in the supply chain to gouge those who really need these items on a regular basis to survive.
How did we get where unethical people exist who not only do these heinous acts, but, they often get away with it at a profit? We allowed critical services like medical care to become for-profit commodities.
It sickens me.
Tarc
(10,476 posts)BusyBeingBest
(8,052 posts)a chance to recoup a fraction of their money and purchase it from them to distribute where needed. Laws may prevent that, but it would be a way to resolve the situation without this stuff going to waste--waiting for them to become kind and generous and donate it is going to be a long wait for these dickheads.
irisblue
(32,975 posts)snip--"Mr. Colvin does not believe he was price gouging. While he charged $20 on Amazon for two bottles of Purell that retail for $1 each, he said people forget that his price includes his labor, Amazons fees and about $10 in shipping. (Alcohol-based sanitizer is pricey to ship because officials consider it a hazardous material.)"
snip--" He thought about it more. I honestly feel like its a public service, he added. Im being paid for my public service.
As for his stockpile, Mr. Colvin said he would now probably try to sell it locally. If I can make a slight profit, thats fine, he said. But Im not looking to be in a situation where I make the front page of the news for being that guy who hoarded 20,000 bottles of sanitizer that Im selling for 20 times what they cost me.
"Public Service". wow.
Wow, late stage capitalists, just wow.
LisaL
(44,973 posts)Whether he was looking for it or not.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)for profit. Is that what you call public srrvice? Con man talk.
tulipsandroses
(5,124 posts)People did not need your "public service" Asshole. You hoarding the needed items that people could have readily bought at their local stores creates a problem. Can't you understand that jackass? So you think buying up all the stuff at the dollar store, therefore people in the neighborhood cannot get it, while you turn around and make a profit on said items is a a public service?
Sheet, I get upset every Christmas when folks do this with the latest " hottest" toy, but you know what, my niece can live without the next hot thing for a few months. I refuse to pay $100 bucks on eBay for a $20 toy. This is not the same thing. People are depending on some of these items to keep them and others safe.
wryter2000
(46,045 posts)But good for them
oldsoftie
(12,545 posts)If i need something i cant find local, if i cant find it elsewhere i'll look there and find it. Then I'll contact the seller directly.
d_r
(6,907 posts)These times bring out the best and worst
https://wdef.com/2020/03/13/hixson-pizza-restaurant-starts-generosity-trend/
HAMILTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WDEF) New York Pizza Department off Highway 153 in Hixson has found a way to help the Hamilton County kids who rely on the school system for their meals each day.
I cant think of my kid not eating, NYPD owner Erik Cilen said. So I said, I got food here. If people need to come eat, bring your kids here, and Ill come feed them.'
After seeing the reactions from parents about being unable to feed their children due to school closures, Cilen had a late night idea. Hes prepared to give free food to every child, or family, that needs it during these uncertain times.
Victor_c3
(3,557 posts)I didnt think about school closures impacting children who depend on school breakfasts and lunches to eat.
At the very least Ill have to donate some cash to a local food bank.
virgogal
(10,178 posts)Turin_C3PO
(13,991 posts)are doing. I live in a pretty poor area so the schools staying open for meals is a lifesaver for these kids.
dalton99a
(81,492 posts)An Amazon merchant, Matt Colvin, with an overflow stock of cleaning and sanitizing supplies in his garage in Hixson, Tenn.
Mr. Colvin with his wife, Brittany, and son, Logan.
Noah Colvin, Mr. Colvins brother, moving boxes of hand sanitizer from his brothers storage locker on Thursday.
Throckmorton
(3,579 posts)Outside furniture. Maybe the livingroom is full of toilet paper?
iluvtennis
(19,858 posts)SammyWinstonJack
(44,130 posts)usaf-vet
(6,186 posts)Thekaspervote
(32,767 posts)PatSeg
(47,442 posts)Now these idiots should turn around and give away or donate those hand sanitizers and wipes.
After reading this, it dawned on me, that I have several gel products and alcohol, maybe people can make their own. Turns out it is very simple.
mbusby
(823 posts)...all the aloe vera gel and alcohol have been bought up.
Mr. Ected
(9,670 posts)They would go from reptilian jagoffs to Mother Teresa level kindness in one fell swoop.
SMC22307
(8,090 posts)Sugar Smack
(18,748 posts)zackymilly
(2,375 posts)Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)You know what will happen doing that via Craig's?
MUHAHA!
zackymilly
(2,375 posts)I've made 1000's of dollars selling on Craigslist for many years.
Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)Good luck with that, buy them all then....
MUHAHA!
zackymilly
(2,375 posts)Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)Asking for a beating, at bare minimum....
They should definitely take your advice!
zackymilly
(2,375 posts)Alea
(706 posts)MUHAHAHA!
Crunchy Frog
(26,587 posts)His hoard should be commandrered and distributed to the public in an equitable manner.
He should just eat the financial loss, and be grateful if he doesn't get prosecuted.
projectiboga
(53 posts)Amoral clearing out shelves in rural impoverished Mid-America. Well he will eventually loose some seller fees, initial sales tax and shipping to sell them for less than he paid retail.
Never a good idea to go all in on something with so much potential competition and low barriers to entry, plus the obvious risk of loosing his sales outlets.
Maybe he can figure out how to sell them at a small loss through food pantries.
cab67
(2,993 posts)SMC22307
(8,090 posts)That young man is adorable and that obnoxious not-so-pretty-in-pink Texan got hers.
NBachers
(17,110 posts)IronLionZion
(45,442 posts)bigly!
Duncan Grant
(8,264 posts)Way to go, Mark. 👍
Roland99
(53,342 posts)Vancouver couple resells $100K of cleaning products purchased at Costco amid COVID-19 pandemic
https://bc.ctvnews.ca/mobile/vancouver-couple-resells-100k-of-cleaning-products-purchased-at-costco-amid-covid-19-pandemic-1.4852363
CTV News Vancouver spoke with Ranga Friday outside his house, just as the couple was about to unload five boxes of Lysol wipes from the trunk of their SUV.
...
Ranga told CTV News hes not the only one stocking up on supplies for resale. He said he and his wife have three kids who cant go to their private school because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, so they cant work and need a way to make an income.
The governments not helping us pay our bills, he said. Kids cant go to school, my kids go to private school. I pay $20,000 a year on private school and theyre not returning it.
He and his wife are developers, and due to the COVID-19 outbreak he says sales have tanked.
No one wants to go buy houses, said Ranga. And if you want to go see a house they want you to wear masks and things like that. Its a bit out of hand right now.
The Retail Council of Canda told CTV News nobody was ready for the level of panic-buying being seen across the country.
SMC22307
(8,090 posts)Takket
(21,568 posts)Docreed2003
(16,859 posts)Fucking assholes taking advantage of a situation for their of ends....this is infuriating
PatrickforO
(14,574 posts)sanitizer? Seems like people would still want them, even if he marked it up some but didn't gouge.
I guess they must not have wanted to put themselves in the position of dictating price controls. But they easily could have said 'suggested retail, with no more than a X% markup.'
riversedge
(70,221 posts)Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)Arrogant stupidity at its peak?
Scrawny cuss too, this won't be ending well.
I hope it doesn't.
cab67
(2,993 posts)...but if he was smart, he'd do the only right thing left to him (donate his remaining stock) and write it off on his taxes.
And if I were him, I'd stay away from local bars and restaurants for a good long while. I'm sure anything he orders will be "improved" by the kitchen and wait staff.
Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)Henk_sg
(5 posts)At the end of the article the dude talks himself into believing he'd doing a public service. He bought 2000 "virus packs" for $3.50 each and sells every damn one of them for $40 to $50 each. He claims shipping was $10 each, so in the end he made 60 to 70 grand and that wasn't enough. They should make him drink those damn things.
Takket
(21,568 posts)the government seizes his supply and reimburses him whatever he has a receipt for.
Otherwise, fuck him.
How does that sound?
JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,340 posts)As a judge, would you praise these brothers, or would you wash your hands of it?
empedocles
(15,751 posts)paleotn
(17,915 posts)We scorn such characters not for their insight, but for what they do with it. I fall back on of the foundational ideas of liberalism......wouldn't it be better for everyone, including those insightful folks, if they used that intelligence for the good of all instead of just themselves? I don't have a minuscule problem with someone getting rich, as long as they're not unfairly taking advantage of others to do so. Particularly in a crises.
Warpy
(111,261 posts)Somebody needs to sit those two little twerps down and explain how many people hoarders like them kill by creating artificial shortages, more panic buying, and by jacking prices up beyond the ability to pay.
This is profiteering at it's ugliest. I hope they're awash in sanitizer but with nothing to eat. I hope they're remembered for the next couple of decades as punks who were willing to let people get sick for the sake of a few dollars. In fact, I'd like to see them sit in jail for a while to think this over.
Hoarding toilet paper has its funny side. This does not.
paleotn
(17,915 posts)May they be boiled in their own hand sanitizer they can no longer move. Taking advantage of others in a crises. That's the only crime where capital punishment should be the default sentence.
MFM008
(19,814 posts)Roland99
(53,342 posts)or hand out to the homeless or setup distribution tables at area schools
Drum
(9,161 posts)musette_sf
(10,201 posts)and now this "public servant" seems to have been sufficiently publicly shamed into a modicum of ethical behavior:
LisaL
(44,973 posts)I guess some people can be shamed into doing something proper.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,986 posts)Poor jackass contributed to the shortage and now can't profit off it.
gopiscrap
(23,761 posts)I also hope that if he makes any profit the IRS will make him declare it and tax him on it
Niagara
(7,610 posts)price gouging and profiting over 70k with Lysol disinfecting wipes. It probably won't be the last time that we read about these pieces of crap.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213096590
LisaL
(44,973 posts)Niagara
(7,610 posts)We need to win in November since apparently we need protection laws from price gougers.
littlemissmartypants
(22,656 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,163 posts)Return might be the path of least red ink.
cstanleytech
(26,291 posts)IronLionZion
(45,442 posts)this is going to cost them in other ways even if they don't get robbed by heavily armed and desperate idiots
gulliver
(13,180 posts)GaYellowDawg
(4,447 posts)Have the state gov't buy it at 10 cents on the dollar and give it away. Make him an example of what hoarding and price gouging gets you.
Laffy Kat
(16,379 posts)Hamlette
(15,412 posts)I'm glad there are safeguards in place for a time like this but still . . . we do nothing about big corporations profiting from our stupid neverending wars.
roamer65
(36,745 posts)Sapient Donkey
(1,568 posts)of course given the markups he sold them at, i doubt this scumbag would actually do the right thing.
C Moon
(12,213 posts)They weren't concerned with the well-being of the country.
They were only focussed on making money on a deadly disease that was spreading across the world.
Family man (his t-shirt says)? What about the families you were planning on gouging after you emptied the stores of essential goods?
Gouging is a common knee-jerk reaction of get-quick thieves. Don't defend these bastards.
When we finally make it though this pandemic, I think the stores should refuse returns on mass quantities of toilet paper, paper towels and hand sanitizers. Because that is the next step for these assholes.
bucolic_frolic
(43,163 posts)But they can bathe in the stuff for 18 months if need be, so who's to judge success?