Quote:
Originally Posted by Tahoe_Hybrid
considering the lowest price in the state for gas is $1.55
and
$2.99 is more then 10% of $1.55, it is PRICE gouging 
the market does not bare that price.. |
There's no monopoly at petrol stations; so if you're seeing $2.99, that is the market price.
Quote:
[B]
as a state of emergency as been declared
Once a state of emergency is declared, California Penal Code § 396 prohibits “excessive and unjustified increases” on a range of basic goods and services. Barring justification, an excessive increase is an increase of more than 10 percent above the price charged by the person in question for the same goods or services immediately before the declaration of emergency. (Cal. Penal Code § 396(a).)
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Did the price per gallon increase more than 10% after a state of emergency was declared? That would be up to CA to investigate and enforce (though it's pointless).
At any rate, that law is flawed and hurts everyone. If they had economists writing the laws, everything would be better. Instead they have politicians that don't know even the basics of supply and demand. The language of the law undermines itself rendering it ineffective. "prohibits excessive and unjustified increases". I can justify a price increase by saying I'm competing in a free market where supply/demand set the price. Unless the state can show collusion or other anti-competitive behavior, they've got to accept that answer.
As I've said, there is no such thing as price gouging, and you've provided no evidence that there is. An arbitrary law saying prices can't rise more than 10% is not evidence.
I'm annoyed that the price of TP hasn't gone up enough so that there's some available to purchase. It's been 2 months now since I began looking for TP and haven't seen any since. Fortunately my family is already frugal so we've gotten by with the few rolls given to us, but I'll be more desperate in a month if things don't improve.
Eggs were sold out at one point, and then I noticed egg prices shot up by about 1/3rd. There's now eggs on the shelf available for purchase.