Hellobee Boards

umm, assholes!

I think it's completely immoral and unethical, but just goes to show the fabric of America and all that is wrong with it.

I agree with @Mamaof2 and @catomd00.

Both?

Greed, plain and simple.

greed. taking advantage of people in a dire situation can't be anything else imo. I hope it bites him in the ass and no one buys it and he's stuck with it.

@yoursilverlining: LOL, yep

It's greed. What a terrible human being.

Wow! That is bizarre and pretty terrible, considering a generator could save someone's life (elderly, if temps get low).

Imo the problem with capitalism is that there is no call for values. So I am not sure if the two terms in question are entirely different.

@Greentea: I dont know that I would say capitalism has no values. There is a place for values in companies when it ties to the profit of their product. Many companies that have strong values do see stronger profits (think Costco). Companies have lost profits for being boycotted for unfair labor practices for example (think Nike in the 90s).

I think it's greed (says the girl who paid $40 for a PLASTIC snow shovel before snowmageddon in 2010).

But...as some have said, snow blowers aren't a necessity. So it's not as if they're stealing from the poor. Poor people use shovels, not snow blowers.

(missed the generator part. Those might be more essential. But again, I don't know many poor people who have generators? And those that really need them - for medical equipment or such - do they wait until right before a snow storm, or are they more prepared than that?)

I think it's neither, it's playing on fear.

For all those that say it's not capitalism - how is it not?

He found a way to turn a bigger profit, sure it wasn't the nicest way but lots of places have not ideal cost cutting measures to bolster profits or silly fear mongering or hoarding to inflate value / immediate need. It seems like how to turn a profit 101

OMG asshole!

Greed.

Capitalism to me would be choosing to sell your pre-existing snowblower to turn a profit and shovel instead...

Both! Yes, the guy is greedy, but he's able to work the system. He created a monopoly on a product everyone wants and is able to price gouge. Too bad the big store where he first made his purchase didn't set quantity limits.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: this. I'm really surprised the store didn't set quantity limits. Even online children's clothing stores like Gymboree prevent shoppers from buying more than "x" quantity of the same item to try to deter resellers....and toddler leggings aren't exactly essential in natural disasters

Price gouging in "times of disaster" is illegal in a some places, so I'd say it goes beyond (regulated) capitalism.