Price gouging - coronavirus

Cantona's Collars

Danno wrote: »

Diesel is €1.16,9 in Johnstown NW Kilkenny just off the M8

Still at 129.9 around Enniscorthy, it's like a cartel here with maximum 1c in the difference between stations.

ted1

Cantona's Collars wrote: »

Still at 129.9 around Enniscorthy, it's like a cartel here with maximum 1c in the difference between stations.

I’ve a Circle K fuel card which gives 4c off a litre. Got it for 1.26 earlier in Dublin

Del2005

ted1 wrote: »

Supply and demand is fair enough basis for an economy.

But when there is a national emergency with the country shutting schools, putting together a 3.4 Billion budget together and so on, profiteering an a product such as disinfectant is morally and ethically wrong

Hotels, restaurants and Uber and luxury indulgence and not critically to life

If people weren't hoarding it there'd be no shortages. If people are buying loads of a product it's ingredients prices go up on the wholesale markets. So the panic buying is leading to the price increases, therefore it's people that are causing the prices to rise and the shortages. Why does someone need 300 rolls of bog roll, 50 bottles of hand sanitizer, 200 pack of anti bac wipes etc? Because that's why the shelves were empty. Give it a week or so and they'll all be in people's bins.

mean gene

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

Bobby Kerr had another lad from the petrol “lobby” explaining why the pricing is “complicated” and won’t be dropping down with the dip in oil pricing.

A number of “factors”. Very complicated. Two thirds of the prices goes on tax, you know?

but it is dropping I just got unleaded in cork city for 127.9 it was 140 last week whats bobby on :P

EmmetSpiceland

mean gene wrote: »

but it is dropping I just got unleaded in cork city for 127.9 it was 140 last week whats bobby on :P

Long may it continue!

They had a guy on with Pat Kenny earlier in the week and then a lad on today.

Pat pointed out the price per barrel was at where it was when the price was €1.20, the guy replied that it wouldn’t go down there again due to complicated “factors”.

The lad on with Bobby was singing from the same hymn sheet. I’m annoyed now because I was paying €1.36 for diesel there on Thursday.

KevRossi

Fuel is usually purchased in bulk several weeks in advance, that's why the price doesn't automatically fall when the barrel price drops.

The real gouging is when they put the price of the fuel up the day the price rises internationally. They would have purchased/ordered it several weeks previously at a lower price, now they are just flogging it for the max that they can get.

And as someone said above, local cartel's do operate. I know someone with a garage in a town in the west where the next stations are well over 10Km away and the three stations charge the exact same, usually 5c above any other place. He's admitted to me after a few pints that they have 'an arrangement' with each other.

Happy4all

gmisk wrote: »

Are we allowed to post here naming and shaming price gouging in relation to the coronavirus or is it outside of the rules?

Chemist in town just tried to charge me 28 euro for three plastic travel bottles of 70 percent alcohol...can I name and shame?

Any other people with more examples?

A know a pharmacist and it's the supplier than is putting up the cost. Your chemist and staff do a great job.

touts

Chemist shopn in Cahir co. Tipperary selling disposable masks for €2.99 each. They used to sell packs of 10 for around the same price. They had the brass neck to even have the pack open on the counter and a handwritten €2.99 each sign beside them.

Any bollox who price gouges the vunerable in this crisis can't be trusted after the crisis is over.

BENDYBINN

touts wrote: »

Chemist shopn in Cahir co. Tipperary selling disposable masks for €2.99 each. They used to sell packs of 10 for around the same price. They had the brass neck to even have the pack open on the counter and a handwritten €2.99 each sign beside them.

Any bollox who price gouges the vunerable in this crisis can't be trusted after the crisis is over.

3euro for a face mask is super value.

Mitchomagic

you think its bad here !!!!!

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/coronavirus/he-has-17700-bottles-of-hand-sanitizer-and-nowhere-to-sell-them/ar-BB11b9OC?ocid=ientp

anewme

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Saw a WhatsApp message last night about supervalu gouging on pasta. .94c/kg pre corona virus to €4.98 / kg when restocked . Same brand. The same feckers telling us there won't be food shortages. But people will be shafted from profiteering.

People should be banned from circulating what they read on WhatsApp.

Unless you experienced this gouging personally by Supervalu do you think it's responsible to say this?

Did any of you read the thread last week here on Boards, where someone passed on rumours a Restaurant relocating was not honouring vouchers.?

The Restaurant owner came onto the thread and put the poster firmly in their place. The person admitted they had heard third hand in the pub. Why they thought it was ok to post this on boards with no real facts is beyond me. It was shocking.

Businesses are going to struggle to survive. There are peoples livelihoods and staff's jobs at risk.

We need to be mindful and responsible of this.

whisky_galore

Pharmacies always gouged for mundane stuff.
Look at the prices they have on sunscreen, supplements and things compared to Lidl or Aldi.

kirving

Of course people will blame the retailer, the general public have no insight into the complexities of the hand sanitizer supply chain, a supply chain currently in crisis. Why would they?

If retailers are so upset about being accused of price gouging, they should publicise how much they're being charged by the manufacturer or distributor.

If the profit from the customers 99% of the time, I feel they do have some duty to protect their customers in more difficult times. They're the ones with the buying power that can negate price gouging by the distributors.

By that I mean, the retailer cannot and should not expect to make profit on every single product, 100% of the time. In any case, they're still making a fortune on all other staples that people are bulk buying.

duffman13

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Of course people will blame the retailer, the general public have no insight into the complexities of the hand sanitizer supply chain, a supply chain currently in crisis. Why would they?

If retailers are so upset about being accused of price gouging, they should publicise how much they're being charged by the manufacturer or distributor.

If the profit from the customers 99% of the time, I feel they do have some duty to protect their customers in more difficult times. They're the ones with the buying power that can negate price gouging by the distributors.

By that I mean, the retailer cannot and should not expect to make profit on every single product, 100% of the time. In any case, they're still making a fortune on all other staples that people are bulk buying.

Working in the industry and a manufacturer wanted 3.99 last week for a 30ml hand sanitizer, moving through wholesaler then to a store your looking at a retail of 7.99. That's madness, with all the gouging discussion going on, a decision was made to leave it to someone else to buy them. I hope no one did but doubtful

ArmaniJeanss

Xenji wrote: »

18.00 Euro for a 500ml bottle of hand sanitizer in Castlebar.

Is this actually a bad price?
From memory the little 50ml or 60ml bottles they sell in Aldi/Lidl are about €1.29. Your bottle in Castlebar is 8 or 10 times this size. It seems ballpark OK for a pharmacy.

Del2005

Kevin Irving wrote: »

By that I mean, the retailer cannot and should not expect to make profit on every single product, 100% of the time. In any case, they're still making a fortune on all other staples that people are bulk buying.

If businesses don't make a profit 100% of the time they'll soon stop existing. How do they pay staff, rates, insurance, electricity etc when they don't make a profit on what they sell?

Del2005

whisky_galore wrote: »

Pharmacies always gouged for mundane stuff.
Look at the prices they have on sunscreen, supplements and things compared to Lidl or Aldi.

Your local pharmacy is probably buying a box of these from a wholesaler, Lidl and Aldi are buying container loads from the manufacturer. Your local pharmacy will be paying more for the item than the supermarket sells it for and they still have to make a profit to cover their expenses.

The One Doctor

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Saw a WhatsApp message last night about supervalu gouging on pasta. .94c/kg pre corona virus to €4.98 / kg when restocked . Same brand. The same feckers telling us there won't be food shortages. But people will be shafted from profiteering.

That's bull, it's still the same price, I checked. Believe social media at your peril.

ressem

BENDYBINN wrote: »

3euro for a face mask is super value.

Face masks / respirator filters are meant to trap water particles that carry the virus.

If you're reusing a face mask (intended for disposable use), you'll need to figure a way to heat it evenly at over 70 degrees for over 30 minutes between uses, to dry out the mask while de-activating the virus present.
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/3QYVWO4kj5qwuSHnhcM9uQ

(Microwaves usually don't offer sufficient control over heating and heating is uneven, time is short, plus elastic and plastic bits could catch fire.)

https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/pdf/guidelines/disinfection-guidelines-H.pdf

silver2020

ednwireland wrote: »

are you sure its not just that their organic pasta is the only one left (which is normally that price ? ):rolleyes:

be careful giving normal answers that actually explain things properly - the fakebook generation don't like it - that HAVE to be in hysterics

theguzman

Mitchomagic wrote: »

you think its bad here !!!!!

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/coronavirus/he-has-17700-bottles-of-hand-sanitizer-and-nowhere-to-sell-them/ar-BB11b9OC?ocid=ientp

Good enough for the lowlife scumbag, I'm delighted ebay and Amazon stopped this nonsense. All the people in those small towns who might have bought those items and he has surely caused the infection of at least one if not multiple people.

PopePalpatine

whisky_galore wrote: »

Pharmacies always gouged for mundane stuff.
Look at the prices they have on sunscreen, supplements and things compared to Lidl or Aldi.

That reminds me, I was in Portugal last September and the pharmacies there charged something like €20 for a 250ml bottle of sunscreen. Good ol' Lidl had them for €3 each.

kirving

Del2005 wrote: »

If businesses don't make a profit 100% of the time they'll soon stop existing. How do they pay staff, rates, insurance, electricity etc when they don't make a profit on what they sell?

I said "every single product , 100% of the time". Loss leaders are nothing new to the retail world, and they're consistently lobbying against below-cost selling laws, but play the poor mouth and blame distributors when it suits them.

The company I work for regularly soak up price increases from suppliers on individual components, because our sale prices have been contractually set with our customers in advance, and the assembly as a whole remains profitable.

I'm just saying that with the good comes the bad, and retailers on the recieving end of negative press should could more upfront with customers.

10000maniacs

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Is this actually a bad price?
From memory the little 50ml or 60ml bottles they sell in Aldi/Lidl are about €1.29. Your bottle in Castlebar is 8 or 10 times this size. It seems ballpark OK for a pharmacy.

Yes when you consider it was €6.99 before the pandemic for the large bottle.

iLikeWaffles

Why buy robbing alcohol when you can buy rubbing alcohol

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Isopropyl-Rubbing-Alcohol-First-Antiseptic/dp/B08627D899/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=rubbing+alcohol&qid=1586262733&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rubbing-Alcohol-Ink-Cleaning-Isopropyl/dp/B07D4N472Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?dchild=1&keywords=benjamins+rubbing+alcohol&qid=1586262555&refresh=1&sr=8-2-fkmr2

Bought one of these ages ago (2014) for €3.35

https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/product/B007XVCYBC

If you do end getting a bottle don't mix the 70% IPA with anything. Has to be 99.9% IPA to be able to dilute with moisturisers etc when you mix the 70% it drops the potency off considerable. The 70% on its own is much better at killing pathogens as the 30% purified water bounds to the pathogen and the alcohol kills them. 99.9% on its own can take longer to kill. (Up to 2 hours.)

PhilOssophy

There must be any amount of businesses that have ripped people off throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
Expert hardware is the best I've seen yet. €5 for 100ml of hand sanitiser, €20 for 10 masks, and €12 for 25 pairs of gloves. Robbery all round.

Foweva Awone

Supply and demand. If you consider it a rip-off, buy elsewhere, or not at all.

Pkiernan

Masks are €4 a piece at my local petrol station.

Beasty

Threads merged