So Frustrated By Pandemic Price Gouging

LoveMeSomeQVC · ‎05-14-2016

I have posted on a couple of threads about how I have had luck finding Clorox Wipes and Lysol type products for friends and family by going in to Walmart right when they open. Over the past couple of weeks, the same guy has been right ahead of me in line and he has literally cleaned the shelf off of Lysol and Microban before any of the others on the aisle can get any. I asked the cashier about limits (which I thought were one or two) and she said they are hard to enforce.

I finally realized he is most likely reselling this stuff, so I went out to ebay to look at some Lysol and Microban listings, thinking I may find a few, but certainly not dozens upon dozens of listings with ridiculously inflated prices! I thought it was against the law (not to mention common decency) to do this on sanitation related products? I'm talking in some cases a 1000% markup plus over inflated shipping!

So, I spent the better part of this past hour reporting a bunch of these listings to ebay. I doubt it will do much, but makes me feel a little better.

Thanks for letting me rant!

4kitties · ‎03-09-2010

I am surprised to hear stores in your area are allowing this. The stores in my area have limits and they are enforcing them. Walmart, Aldi, Kroger, etc.

“I heard the sound I had to follow”
In Your Wildest Dreams by Justin Hayward

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

@LoveMeSomeQVC wrote:
I have posted on a couple of threads about how I have had luck finding Clorox Wipes and Lysol type products for friends and family by going in to Walmart right when they open. Over the past couple of weeks, the same guy has been right ahead of me in line and he has literally cleaned the shelf off of Lysol and Microban before any of the others on the aisle can get any. I asked the cashier about limits (which I thought were one or two) and she said they are hard to enforce.

I finally realized he is most likely reselling this stuff, so I went out to ebay to look at some Lysol and Microban listings, thinking I may find a few, but certainly not dozens upon dozens of listings with ridiculously inflated prices! I thought it was against the law (not to mention common decency) to do this on sanitation related products? I'm talking in some cases a 100% markup plus over inflated shipping!

So, I spent the better part of this past hour reporting a bunch of these listings to ebay. I doubt it will do much, but makes me feel a little better.

Thanks for letting me rant!

They aren't hard to enforce if there are signs up on the shelves. See it all the time at the registers.

GenXmuse · ‎05-15-2016

Can you use the Clorox disinfecting spray with a paper towel?
Stores should limit the number of items that are in scarcity that people can buy at a time. The companies have said they can't keep up with demand so it might be better to find alternatives even if it's not exactly what you want.

Sushismom · ‎03-09-2010

What's so hard about saying "Excuse me, but there's a limit of 2 for each of these items." And then NOT ringing up any excess.

As far as I'm aware, only certain sellers can sell these wipes on eBay. And since sellers pay fees on the TOTAL amount (including shipping), I'm not sure what the over-inflated shipping would do for them. But, yes, some of their prices are indeed gouging.

queendiva · ‎03-12-2010

Of couse limits on such items can be enforced- by the cashiers or those monitoring self checkouts.

If it were me I would tell the hoarder nicely that I would like one of the items he was grabbing and see how he would respond.

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

@Sushismom wrote:
What's so hard about saying "Excuse me, but there's a limit of 2 for each of these items." And then NOT ringing up any excess.

As far as I'm aware, only certain sellers can sell these wipes on eBay. And since sellers pay fees on the TOTAL amount (including shipping), I'm not sure what the over-inflated shipping would do for them. But, yes, some of their prices are indeed gouging.

@Sushismom I agree...it seems to me like it would be very easy to enforce if the merchant has a spine. Walmart obviously just doesn't care.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

Sushismom · ‎03-09-2010

@Kachina624 wrote:

@Sushismom Walmart obviously just doesn't care.

Or perhaps there's another reason...

Leggett28 · ‎12-17-2011

The Costco near us won’t allow the clerk to ring up over the limit. It just won’t ring up. So you can only get the limit.

Pearlee · ‎06-11-2011

@LoveMeSomeQVC. I know this was just a typo (and I certainly make my share of those!) but I had to chuckle at your thread title. "Goughing" should be made a new word in this pandemic since it combines "gouging" with "coughing" as in COVID, so it is really the perfect word for inflating prices during this pandemic! 🙂👍