During this pandemic, my office has received numerous calls and emails from consumers about the prices of many items that you and your family rely on each week, including toilet paper, hand sanitizer, bottled water, and some food products. With so many Americans out of work or working reduced hours, truly tough decisions about how you spend your money are becoming more commonplace. It’s only natural to be frustrated when you go to the grocery store and see increases in the cost of the staples you need.
My office has been investigating these complaints and sending out cease and desist letters where potential price gouging could be at play. And, we have been just as aggressive at investigating whether the seller is a brick-and-mortar shop or an online seller on eBay, Amazon, or Facebook.
However, I do want to caution you that not all instances of higher prices are price gouging. Changes in supply and demand and increases in costs along the supply chain can cause prices at the check-out line to go up without any unfair windfall to the farmers who grow the products or even the stores who are selling them to you. This has been particularly true when it comes to food commodities, like eggs and ground beef, which are becoming an even more important part of our daily diets with more people eating at home.
We are all feeling the tight economy right now, whether you are the farmer producing the eggs, the local grocer selling them, or the consumer buying them to feed your family. My office will not tolerate price gouging, but I encourage everyone to help one another get through this crisis. We will emerge stronger because we will do it together.
