Michael Giberson Michael Finney observes that Girl Scout cookies sell at different prices in different locations, and he asks (tongue in cheek), is it “Girl Scout cookie price gouging?” No, actually it is more like “zone pricing“ price discrimination – setting the price to a level that the local market will bear. (EDITED, see comments …
Michael Giberson A federal court in Massachusetts has dismissed a class-action claim filed against four Martha’s Vineyard gasoline retailers. The suit claimed the stations engaged in price fixing over several years and in price gouging after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Fall 2005. Defendants argued that pricing patterns observed by plaintiffs were insufficient to support …
Michael Giberson From the Fredericksburg, VA, Free Lance-Star, “GAS-TAX PINCH OR GOUGING?“: Spotsylvania County Supervisor Hap Connors threatened yesterday to file price-gouging complaints because of a lobbying association’s campaign that blames a Virginia Railway Express tax for increased gas prices. The county became a member of the commuter rail service Monday and enacted a 2.1 …
Michael Giberson Reports from Haiti suggest that prices for many useful and necessary goods have jumped considerably since the earthquake. Candles, matches, ice, water, food items, bus trips from the capital, petrol, plastic sandals, charcoal, rice, sugar – the list of items now selling at dramatically higher prices seems endless. Last week I suggested that …
Michael Giberson One bill,, submitted to the New York State Assembly last year (but, so far as I can tell, not passed into law; ADDED: See status note below.), proposes to grant consumers a private right of action when they become victims of price gouging in times of emergency. Currently only the state’s Attorney General …
Michael Giberson A “price gouging” search brings up pre-holiday complaints about the online secondary markets for Zhu Zhu Pets (like via Amazon and eBay): There is a move on auction sites such as Amazon and eBay calling for buyers to boycott any vendor who is price gouging the public on the much wanted Zhu Zhu …
Pre-holiday Price Gouging: The View from Six Weeks Later Read More »
Michael Giberson What does “price gouging” mean? Commonly it is taken to refer to merchants raising prices substantially on necessities during emergencies. Each of the three elements – substantial price increase, necessary items, emergency periods – is part of a proto-typical case of price gouging. However, the term is frequently also used in cases lacking …
Stretching the Meaning of “Price Gouging” in Venezuela and Alaska Read More »
Michael Giberson Last year thousands of Florida consumers called the state to complain about price gouging on gasoline after Hurricane Ike. This year, hoteliers, gas stations, and other business owners are saying they are being price gouged by the Florida Department of Transportation. The issue: the fee the state charges business owners who wish to …
Is Florida Agency Price Gouging or Just Charging What the Market Will Bear? Read More »
Michael Giberson Another few price gouging cases settled by the Attorneys General of Virginia and North Carolina arising from complaints filed during Hurricane Ike in September 2008. From North Carolina, via the AG’s press release: Cooper filed suit in October of 2008 against Steve Compton, owner and manager of Tire Pro, also known as Troy …
Michael Giberson It looks like we may get through the 2009 hurricane season without any new evidence generated of the harm due to anti-price gouging legislation. The lack of a lot of hurricane damage is good, obviously (but I foresee that it may leave me bereft of new material for blogging on price gouging). Wikipedia …
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