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Now that states of emergency have been declared, price gouging is now illegal. The penalty varies depending on jurisdiction. New York for example, fines people $500.

Even before that, Amazon and Ebay were taking down marketplace sellers that were price gouging. For some that can be more painful. Since Amazon court is very tough and an Amazon ban is forever.

The stores I was in this last week limit quantities. For example 2 or 4 items per person per category.
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I bought TP about 10 days ago, before the craziness. I buy the 6pack that is the equivalent of 24 rolls usually last 4-6 weeks. So until the panic and hoarding is over I should be set.

Went to Wally World yesterday. Packed, this store in this small town is NEVER packed. No TP, no ibuprofen, no allergy meds, no naproxen. I did need ibuprofen PM which was still on the shelves. Maybe people should buy more of this so they can relax, even just a bit, through this panic. 😦
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Purely out of curiosity I stopped in at the local supermarket this morning - I had already witnessed the empty shelves and frenzy when I did my weekly shopping the other day. The woman ahead of me in the express checkout had one package of toilet paper (it looked like a 12 roll pack), it was $27.99. Say what?
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Thought I'd see what KimberlyClark had to say - zip. But my online research does reveal that a mysterious supplier nearby has plenty of toliet paper for sale, whatever toliets are. Would you buy this product from someone who can't even spell it???
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We've got no loo paper, GA. I didn't take too seriously the news reports about riots in the supermarket aisles over the last few packets, but nope. Went to two, one yesterday and one today, and there's not even a solitary taggy box of Izal to be seen.

I was fuming about rice stocks too yesterday, but today I'm a little ashamed about that. There is a shortage, but that's because people have been buying it "in case," rather than hoarding or panic-buying as such; and although it has been on my list all week and I am down to my last two helpings, I was certainly never in "danger" of having to eat my chilli with garlic bread instead. Anyway, dear old Waitrose had plenty this morning, what a fuss I made about nothing.

I didn't even bother looking for hand gel, partly because I'm fine for now, partly no doubt I was subconsciously afraid people would laugh at me for even looking, and partly because we're supposed to be issued with it at work, and if *they* run out - then I don't know what.

But we all know it, and yet "we all" (I know not all, but enough as makes no difference) do it. The ONLY reason there is a shortage of hand gel is that people have been buying stocks they don't need; and one reason for that is there is money to be made; and the only reason for that is that people allow themselves to be blackmailed.

It's not insulin. It's not anti-venom. It's not even soap or clean water. It's hand gel - it is NOT going to save anybody's life. Do not pay silly amounts of money for it just so you'll have something to tell your great-grandchildren about what you did in the Great Covid-19 War.

I agree that profiteering is vile, and such people are extremely cynical. But for one thing it is something that governments can easily put a stop to within days (rationing and distribution of essential supplies); and for another the answer lies in the consumers' hands. The sharks may be irresponsible but so are people who buy from them.

I gave the bottle I carried in my tunic pocket to a client three weeks ago, not because of the corona virus but because he had D&V and he does the cooking for himself and disabled wife 😱. It's now sitting on his side table next to a jumbo sized bottle that his son brought him and I'm quite tempted to pinch mine back. Except that I don't exactly know where it's been...
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