PHOTO: Hurricane Irene inspires Best Buy in Howell NJ to sell 24-pack Dasani Water for $40.56

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Not Cool, Best Buy (1 Photo)

August 27, 2011 | Author: John | In: WTF

http://thechive.com/2011/08/27/not-cool-best-buy-1-hq-photo/



As hurricane Irene bears down on the Jersey Shore, the Best Buy in Howell, NJ has taken it upon themselves sell cases of Dasani water for $40.56. One of the DJs for New Jersey 101.5 just sent this photo to theCHIVE.

At a time when it’s so important for these seaside communities to come together to help each other out (maybe even lower the price on water, eh), it’s disappointing to see a massive corporation like Best Buy not only assume zero social responsibility, but also go the extra mile to make a buck by selling bulk cases of water at the single bottle price during an emergency.

***

UPDATE: I just called Best Buy and spoke to one employee and a manager to confirm the photo. Both refused to answer my questions and told me I had to call corporate offices. My response was, ‘All you have to do is deny that you are doing this. It’s that simple.’
Neither party denied it. Instead I was rudely directed to corporate and then they hung up on me.

UPDATE #2: The manager of the Best Buy has responded and said, “… Sunday August 28th 2011, we will (be) price matching any local supermarket’s price for cases of water if they are needed for one day only as a gesture of good will.”

[Renew Deal]

1. I offered to sell someone 1 gallon bottles for $10 a bottle.

He refused. :evilgrin:

Seriously though, water was available enough that people shouldn't need to pay $40 for bottled water.

[Lasher]

7. I fill up empty milk jugs with water from the spigot.

I think it's just as good as bottled water.

[Patiod]

20. That's what I don't understand - why buy bottled before an emergency?

Just fill up some pitchers with tap water. Although the water in some shore communities can be pretty brackish.

[Lasher]

36. Right. After all, we call them emergencies for a reason.

Even if your particular tap water doesn't taste as good, it's not going to kill you to choke some down in an emergency. And by drinking tap water you're not clogging up landfills with all those little bottles.

[kenfrequed]

98. I don't care.

It is wrong to do this. It is wrong to gouge people this way during the lead up to an emergency to make a quick buck.

Just because you can maybe get a bit of water and store it in your fridge does not mean that we should accept gouging and predatory capitalism like this. We draw a line in the sand and punish them for this or else we will end up eventually being gouged on the things we cannot live without.

[skyounkin]

144. Like life saving medications...

we are already are being gouged.

[kenfrequed]

154. Too true!

I thought about that after I posted. And then I also had to ask myself "how long cana human live without potable drinking water.

[skyounkin]

143. There are potential issues with local area

water becoming contaminated with flood water during flooding, hence why you should be careful of drinking it.

[Renew Deal]

41. Many of us don't have enough pitchers to meet the recommended amount

3 Gallons per person. Bottled water is a simple solution for that. They are sealed. You can buy as many as you want. And they are easy to return.

[pipi_k]

52. That's my problem too...

I have no room for storing pitchers and bottles just in case I have to fill them, so we have to buy drinking water since the well won't work if the power goes out.

As it was, I had to fill the bathtub with water to use for toilet flushing if needed.

Power went out for a few hours earlier, but it's getting windy now and may go out again

[Lasher]

76. Do you think the bathtub is a better container for drinking water than milk jugs?

I don't.

[Renew Deal]

84. The bathtub is for toilet water.

:hurts:

[Hubert Flottz]

119. I think that water will rust your pipes...

drink beer!

[Lasher]

142. Sage advice, which I employed to survive the hurricane!

I am sitting here at my keyboard typing this message, as living proof that beer saves lives. I would wash my hair in it but that would be a waste.

[tpsbmam]

133. I always drink distilled water......

I have a water cooler that'll work without electricity -- the water just doesn't get cooled. But I drink distilled water because my water comes from a shared well and the neighbors who are physically able to check the well water for bacteria once or twice a year don't do it and don't care. When I first moved here, I DID check it and it DID have enough bacteria that I treated it (chlorine, just like a swimming pool).

Among other things, I have chronic renal failure -- my kidneys are only functioning at about 25% capacity. Because of that, my immune system is suppressed. I'm CONSTANTLY picking up infections. The last thing I need is some intestinal infection, so I stick to distilled water and use ice (well water) sparingly.

There truly is a reason some people drink bottled water. Granted, that's not the case for the majority of people, but some of us are wise to do so, so don't automatically judge everyone who drinks/buys bottled water.

As for storms/emergencies, I fill up my two bathtubs for toilet water. I also regularly "reclaim" water -- instead of just letting the water run down the drain when I'm waiting for hot water, I fill jugs with the water that's running until it gets hot. When the jugs are full, I store them in the garage (a luxury lots of people don't have). So, in the event we get a power outage without warning, I can flush for a good long time using the "if it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down" rule. :rofl:

[RaleighNCDUer]

152. And if you are forced to evacuate, you're supposed to carry those

pitchers of tap water with you?

Bottled water is an ESSENTIAL emergency supply. Of COURSE, you fill up pitchers and jugs with tap water, but you also have a case of bottled water in your trunk, along with your dried food, batteries, flashlight, emergency radio, blanket and first aid kit. When you have to run, you may have to RUN. Otherwise, you wind up having to purchase these things from fucks like this.

[Mariana]

167. I froze a bunch of tap water in 2-liter plastic soda bottles

a couple days ahead. Then I had plenty of ice AND emergency drinking water. Any plastic jug, bottle, or other container would work as well, I just happened to have a dozen 2-liter bottles in the bin to return for deposit. Fortunately, we only lost power for a day and a half and our water supply wasn't disrupted or contaminated.

[Patiod]

21. That's what I don't understand - why buy bottled before an emergency?

Just fill up some pitchers with tap water. Although the water in some shore communities can be pretty brackish.

[Dappleganger]

47. Fill up gallon jugs, stick them into the freezer.

Then it does double-duty for keeping your food frozen a little while longer as well as providing drinking water for an emergency. Leave some room at the top for expansion.

[Lasher]

77. That's just what I do.

And when a more conventional situation comes up when you actually need ice, you're in the driver's seat.

[jmowreader]

106. I don't have that many pitchers

Most people don't have enough pitchers to do that.

[Mariana]

168. It doesn't have to be pitchers, lots of things will hold water!

Vases, kitchen canisters, saucepans, mixing bowls, salad bowls, large drinking glasses, etc, etc. Yes, it's a drag to do that, but it's cheaper than buying bottled water and better than drinking contaminated water or going without if your supply gets disrupted.

[theHandpuppet]

67. Milk jugs not a good idea

"Also note, we have reaffirmed that milk jugs are designed for one-time use and water should NOT be stored in them. The Food & Drug Administration and the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service have jointly shared information that reveals that proteins and lipids (fats) are retained in the biodegradable plastic of milk jugs, and are not washed out easily. The residual milk proteins and lipids easily contaminate water stored in the jugs and provide "food" for bacteria, algae, and other harmful organisms to grow."

Here are some tips for water storage:
http://faculty.deanza.edu/donahuemary/Storewaterforafteranearthquake

[Lasher]

75. Glass bottles should not be used?

At first glance I am inclined to ignore advice from this source.

[jeff47]

91. Well, reading the source reveals that the concern about glass is it can break.

Which is, in fact, true.

[Lasher]

102. I understand their reasoning, I just don't agree with it.

I'm not going to get rid of glass containers just because they can break. There's lots of glass containers in my house, Yours too.

[jeff47]

160. There's a difference between using a glass in normal situations and in disaster situations.

You are storing an emergency supply of drinking water. You don't want to bet your survival on glass pitchers not breaking. Especially since trees falling on or near your house can shake things up quite a bit.

[Lasher]

163. Then in an emergency, shouldn't we get rid of our glass jars of jelly in the fridge?

I put up garden produce like tomatoes in glass mason jars. That sort of practice helped get my father and his siblings through the Great Depression. They bet their survival on that and they all lived. What about the glass windows in our houses? Should we brick up all our windows so we'll be safer? How about that glass kerosene lantern that's helped my family through many a power outage? Gotta go?

You are defending a flawed premise because you don't want to admit you're wrong.

[jeff47]

164. You can survive in the dark without eating for a long time. You will die quickly without water

The issue isn't the broken glass, or the loss of a jar of preserves. It's the fact that you don't have any potable water anymore and may not have any for several days. That will kill you. While you can survive the loss of some foodstuffs and can clean up the kerosene without dying.

"You are defending a flawed premise because you don't want to admit you're wrong."

You've got that backwards.

[Renew Deal]

85. Interesting

I didn't know that. :thumbsup:

[w0nderer]

97. been pushing that since yesterday sometime

one CAN get them clean, it's just a lot more work than most people want to do
also depends on water

where i am, really soft water, it's easy nuff
hot water, soap, rinse in hot water, repeat 2-3 times then hit it with a solution of chlorine
and refill with water

i did live in a medium hard water area..couldn't get the milk containers clean using same technique

[Retrograde]

104. So rinse them with bleach first

your water may taste a bit like a swimming pool, but it will keep you alive for a few days. We're talking emergency measures here, not long term storage.

[Shagbark Hickory]

128. That's price gouging.

[Renew Deal]

134. I know.

It was a joke with my friend, though he didn't accept. ;)

[Shagbark Hickory]

136. Smart friend.

Maybe he'll be your pen pal when you're in the big house. :+

[babylonsister]

2. Disgusting. Rec'd for exposure. nt

[geckosfeet]

3. Aren't there laws against gouging like this?

[spin]

6. There are in some states. (n/t)

[kdmorris]

9. In Florida there are

But we get a lot of these tropical systems so if they didn't make it against the law, we would be paying $40 for water from June to November of every year.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

11. I don't know, but it's a common practice...

...my family moved from Massachusetts in a U-Haul truck.

We got to New Jersey and it was coming down in SHEETS.

We stayed at a Holiday Inn right off the freeway.

The restaurant had a "Flood Menu." There were two items on it, steak or shrimp, and they were priced at around $35 each. This was DECADES ago...in 2011, someone might think thirty five bucks, SO WHAT...so imagine the normal cost of these dinners was probably somewhere under 10 bucks.

We went back to our room and saw a family loading their car, but they were really scurrying. We stopped to chat with them and they told us about the weather report. We packed our stuff and got the hell out of there too. If we'd spent the night, with the rains that were expected, we most likely would have been stranded there and gouged to death by the local merchants. We could have spent the entire budget for getting across the country right there in New Jersey.

[coalition_unwilling]

15. To steal a line from the SNL 2009 season: "New Jersey is

'Deliverance' on snow mobiles' :)

[Lex]

29. Yes in NC

http://www.wwaytv3.com/2011/08/25/state-price-gouging-law-effect-due-to-irene

[whistler162]

159. Yup.. but the good news is there will soon be

a job opening as a Best Buy manager in Howell NJ.

http://knsfinancial.com/price-gouging-laws-new-jersey/

[Pab Sungenis]

4. We need anti-profiteering laws to guard against this.

Fat chance of getting them while the Republicans and "moderates" are in control.

[quakerboy]

81. I doubt its would be covered under any sort of law.

40.56 for a case works out to 1.69/bottle. Which is probably their normal charge per bottle. Same as at most convenience shops. People just dont think about it since we generally don't see it as a single price.

Granted Ive been making a point to not shop there for other reasons (the political donations some time back took them and target off my list.)

[Trekologer]

93. NJ does have an anti-gouging law

Stores can't increase prices by more than 10% during a declared state of emergency. But as the previous reply pointed out, 1.69 x 24 = $40.56. That actually was the regular price.

[Dem2theMax]

112. A prepackaged case, like the one in the photo, goes for $5.00.

I buy them to keep us stocked up for emergencies.

Does anyone have Keith Olbermann's email addy? Shoot this story off to him.

Would love to see these jerks as 'the worst persons in the world.'

[Ikonoklast]

132. You are saying those bottles retail at $0.21 each?

I doubt that is correct, more like a $1.21 each.

[quakerboy]

157. You have seen a prepackaged case

of Dasani at Best Buy for $5? I am not inclined to believe the veracity of this.

Ive never seen a prepackaged case of water for sale at Best Buy, back when I used to shop with them. They don't have a grocery section. They have an impulse buy section where they sell single bottles to people who got thirsty right at the end of their shopping as they leave the "candy land" of air conditioned isles of toys and head back out into the hot dusty real world where they cannot actually afford an induction oven and 17 types of laptops and the biggest TV screen you can imagine fitting into your apartment.

And the price in those Impulse fridges is never under a dollar apiece, normally approaching $2 now days. They are an awesome scam, because of the lack of math/thought among our populace. Few people ever stop to think that if they buy a nice cold bottle of water every day at lunch for a buck sixty nine, at the end of the month they have actually spent 40 bucks on water.

So on the one hand, best buy is preying on ignorance/lazyness with this price. On the other hand it is entirely probable that that price is their regular price, and no worse than what you would pay to buy it at your local convenience store, or at your favorite food cart(if you have those in your area).

[spartan61]

5. Price gouging should be against the law.

Best Buy needs to be exposed so everyone will know and remember their greed during the hurricane.

[Lex]

28. In NC we have anti-gouging laws that go into effect after storms and they are enforced.

http://www.wwaytv3.com/2011/08/25/state-price-gouging-law-effect-due-to-irene

[tawadi]

39. Thought it was against the law.

If it's not, I agree that it should be.

[Dokkie]

158. So I guess u would be writing your

state leaders about the price gouging done by airlines when you buy tickets close to the depature date, price gouging that is done by pharmaceutical companies or the millions of other examples of circumstance based priced inflation that occur in our daily lives. I think any state planning on banning price gouging should do the same for extreme discounts. Because it is not fair to allow bestbuy on one had to sell me a sony viao laptop at $250 less than what sony was selling it and not allowed to add a couple more cents to their bottled water.

Its only the fair thing to do

[spartan61]

166. If you check Orbitz, Expedia, etc.,

you will find that airlines sell their tkts close to departure date cheaper, not more expensive. They would rather receive some money for that seat instead of the plane departing with empty seats. In the case of Best Buy and water, the price wasn't just adding a couple more cents to the price but raising the price significantly. Besides, the water was necessary (per the news) and BB knew people would pay any price for the water. That is why it is called gouging.

[Dokkie]

169. Lemme ask you

What would you think would happen if Best buy sold water at regular price(no bump) during hurricane? I don't know about you but people would come with friends (if theres a limit per customers) and buy up all the water being sold. I remember one of the gasoline stations owners in Nigeria during a fuel shortage, he was one of these righteous christians who refused to raise his prices to take advantage of the fuel shortage. Anyway to cut a long story short, people bought up all his gasoline in mins and then went around and sold it for 15-20x the gas station's price. Not saying Americans would act like greedy Nigerians but its very likely to happen.


And about the airline ticket gouging, I would say this. Round trip tickets from Omaha to Lagos, Nigeria goes for $1800 if you buy the ticket 2 weeks before departure time and about $1000 if you buy it 6 months away and that is the gouging am talking about. The fewer the available seats (and in this case water shortage), the higher the price. The ole demand and supply rearing its ugly head, we may not like it but thats how the world works.

[spartan61]

170. So I guess what you are saying is

that price gouging is perfectly fine during a hurricane. I still say it isn't right and the price should be what the price is, but I have no objection to limiting the number allowed to purchase. I'm not familiar with plane tkts to Nigeria, but I am very familiar with domestic travel. As I said before, airlines don't like to see their aircraft departing with empty seats and try to dump seats at the last minute for a reduced price because half a loaf is better than nothing. Of course the employees of the airlines don't like it because they are non rev fliers and fly stand by. They want that empty seat.

[kdmorris]

8. Yeah, that's not price gouging at all

sheesh!

[Ineeda]

10. That's totally illegal in Florida.

It's clearly "price-gouging" or "profiteering". NJ residents should forward this photo to newspapers and their A.G. -- It's despicable. I'd be boycotting that retailer and encourage everyone I knew to do the same.
EDITED TO ADD: Also illegal in New Jersey, with $10K per incident or higher fines. Here's a link:
http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2011/08/state_issues_warning_about_hur.html

Please, any NJ DU'er report this!!

[tridim]

12. Isn't that close to retail price?

$2.00 / bottle

Not excusing this at all, but I swear I've seen water that expensive at 7-11. Obviously I've never bought any.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

13. Yes, but that's not the issue

The person who wrote the piece states that they are selling cases at the per-bottle price.

No one in their right mind pays the bottle price times 24 to buy a case of water. That's why it's sold in cases.

[mythology]

44. Actually most people do, just not all at once so we don't think about it in the same way

Buying anything in an individual unit is generally cost inefficient, but most of us, me included, do so regularly.

[Ter]

60. If you paid more than $5.50 for 24, you paid too much

n/t

[Xithras]

62. With Dasani, you're always paying too much.

It's a brand name thing.

Kinda like paying a premium for Levi's.

When I buy bottled water (which I try to avoid, but there are times when it's the best solution), I usually only buy store brands and pay a few bucks a case for it. Dasani is ALWAYS expensive, and I never buy it. It's a huge profit center for Coca Cola.

[Xithras]

61. Actually, the Glaceau Smartwater in that photo is at its REGULAR PRICE.

The normal retail price for a 12 pack of Glaceau SmartWater is $22. It's "electrolyte balanced", and they charge a premium for it. It look like water, but it's marketed for athletes. The $24 price in that photo isn't inflated at all.

I just did some quick Googling, and it looks like the regular retail price for a 24 pack of Dasani 20oz bottles is $18-$25, depending on the retailer. Charging $40+ for it is definitely gouging.

[sammytko]

73. Its about 1.50 in the vending machine - 16 oz

People pay that all the time. Its just scary when they put it all together - lol.

[Angry Dragon]

103. Normal price for a case of off brand water 24 bottles = $4.29

[Loge23]

14. Wow! They better be well guarded!

Why does the media always show the looters but never the corporate looters?

[coalition_unwilling]

16. F-U Best Buy. Hope this story and pic puts them on the road to going out of

business. One can hope :) K&R

[Dreamer Tatum]

151. I'm sure they'll be out of business in a couple of weeks.

:eyes:

[JHB]

17. What were plastic containers going for?

I'm glad this store's price-gouging has been exposed, but how many people just bought water without thinking? The shelves with water are bare, but an aisle or two over, Look! plastic tubs, bins, and storage containers are still there! They hold water too, y'know.

Not to mention the glasses and bowls they might have in their cupboards at home. Fill them with tap water, cover with a bit of plastic wrap. Even flower vases and humidifier reserviors can be pressed into service. Any beverage bottles not sent to recycing yet? rinse 'em out and fill. And for non-drinking water, if the recycling bin doesn't leak you can use that too.

[Chimichurri]

18. They should be publicly admonished for this shit. Free markets, my ass.

[kestrel91316]

19. I have a question: WHO buys bottled water in bulk at an electronics store??

[SoCalDem]

22. Lazy office managers who call in one order to one place

and whose bosses don't question them..

[greytdemocrat]

27. I second that...n/t

[lynne]

31. People with more money than time or sense -

- they're in Best Buy for batteries, emergency radio's, DVD's to keep the kids occupied, etc. and water is a spur-of-them-moment purchase. If they were charging a reasonable price for it, I would consider it a good marketing move by Best Buy and a convenience for their customers. If this $40 price is true, it's blatant price gouging.

[sammytko]

74. wondering the same thing!

[jeff47]

92. They have coolers with a variety of beverages, meant for single-bottle purchase

Kinda like at the checkout of most supermarkets. This is probably some of their stock from the back.

[Dokkie]

123. dupes

They might as well be buying tooth brush from the dentist's office. Btw those bottles sell for $1:50 each and multiply that by 24 and you get $36. The 4 extra dollars maybe just the price you pay for buying your drink at an electronic store and last minute. Nobody bats an eye lid when those store sell them back to school items for cents on the dollar but once they increase their price by $4 then we call for their heads.

For people calling for gouging laws, all I say is that the opposite be also implemented. Any store selling products at a huge discount should be punished just as severly as the gougers. That would teach them a lesson not to sell me my whole back to school items for $13. Stupid capitalists

[Chan790]

126. My former employer...

actually they buy it from Staples. We have a sole-supplier agreement and they cut us 10% off. So: Computers, printers, pens, pencils, office furniture, toilet paper, bottled water, coffee filters, printer paper, business cards, lollipops, everything else. Staples.

Nevermind that we'd save 30% if we shopped around.

[KansDem]

23. "Free-market capitalism?"

:shrug:

[Lucian]

24. 1. That is highly unacceptable and reprehensible.

2. Who would pay such a price for that?
3. Why would someone buy water from a Best Buy?
4. Who would pay retail price for one bottle of water like that? Tap water is free.

[gristy]

25. Looks fake to me

Fake display. Fake signs. Somebody with a camera.

[cwydro]

30. I think so too. nt

[Amerigo Vespucci]

34. Well, it's all over the Web, and Best Buy isn't denying it...

Daily KOS posted the same info and photo in my OP plus the following:

After checking online the price for Dasani water 24 packs is anywhere from $3.99 store price to $18.95 online delivery price.
Feel free to let them know how you feel about price gouging during a natural disaster.

Best Buy - Howell‎
4250 Route 9
Howell, NJ 07731
[phone]

Looks like this store has some splaining to do.

NEWARK — Attorney General Paula T. Dow and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs today warned gasoline retailers, grocers, and other merchants that price gouging is prohibited during the State of Emergency declared in advance of Hurricane Irene.

Dow and Thomas R. Calcagni, director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, reminded retailers that the State of Emergency declared by Gov. Chris Christie automatically activated New Jersey’s price gouging law.

The law makes it illegal to sell merchandise at excessive price increases during a State of Emergency or within 30 days of the termination of the State of Emergency.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/28/1011278/-Price-Gouging-Another-Reason-to-Hate-Best-Buy

So if it's fake, all Best Buy has to do is confirm that it's fake. Pretty simple, and in their best interests.

[Fumesucker]

38. Exactly, our good corporate citizens would *never* do something so despicable as price gouging..

In an emergency.

Corporations are people too, good people.

[LanternWaste]

156. What precisely looks fake?

What precisely looks fake?

[seabeyond]

26. they look like big bottles. 24 @ 40. is under 2 dollars a bottle.

i dont buy water often, at the store. how much do they go for?

curious

[Amerigo Vespucci]

32. I'll occasionally buy one at the local Lucky for $1

I'm out on the road a lot and getting a cold bottle of Dasani is often cheaper than buying a Coke.

But the issue is that no matter what the per-bottle price is, the case price never equals bottle price times the number of bottles.

I just Googled "dasani water 24 bottle case" and at the first link that came up (http://www.drsoda.com/dawac.html) it says:

Dasani Water

24-20oz Plastic Bottles

$18.95

[seabeyond]

37. they look to be a liter, or 1.5 liter. but i couldnt find a cost on them.

not real good at search

btw... on edit: i certainly agree it is taking advantage. i think the whole bottle water issue is doing just that.

i buy it when on a trip and dont want a coke, just want water

[Mosby]

49. best buy does not have a case price

Which is why they probably are not (technically speaking) engaging in price gouging, they didn't raise any prices.

[dems_rightnow]

33. I have never seen a Best Buy that carried water at all

Which leads me to question this photo.

[Xithras]

63. Here's my guess, which would explain the whole thing...

Many Best Buy's do sell water, in small refrigerators next to the checkout stands so that you can pick up a drink on the way out. They keep flats of water in the storeroom to refill them when they get low.

Best Buy does NOT sell water by the case, but only sells individual bottles. The store manager probably hauled some cases out of the back room to sell in bulk but, because it's not an item they normally sell, they had to be rung up as individual bottles. Ergo, when you buy a "24-pack", you're actually buying 24 bottles at their full (normally overpriced) retail cost.

The funny thing is, people are getting worked up over this, but you're actually just seeing a rare illustration of how badly the major bottled water brands gouge consumers every single day. If you've bought 24 bottles of Dasani, in total, during the course of that brands existence, you've paid $40 a case for water. Even if it was just "a bottle here, a bottle there", those purchases add up to about $40 a case.

Those single-serving retail water bottles are overpriced as hell.

[theblasmo]

117. Exactly

While this looks bad, it isn't price gouging. Best Buy is selling that water for what they normally sell it for, but instead of breaking up the cases as they normally would, they're selling them by the case. The price is accurate, and the convenience of being able to pick up a full case of water at a Best Buy actually seems more like they erred on the side of convenience. I don't like Best Buy myself, but this is a non-issue, unless you had no idea how much the mark up on bottled water can be. The Chive has taken a non-story and blown it up. The prices aren't necessarily fair, but they are the prices you would normally pay for that type and size of bottled water at those locations at those amounts. The store management could have knocked the price down a bit for buying a full case, since you're buying a larger quantity at that location than normal, making it easier to make your money back, but this isn't price gouging.

[malaise]

35. But but but

corporations are people
:puke:

[ixion]

40. Best Buy sucks. It has for a long,long time now

so it's no surprise.

[BoWanZi]

42. Apples and oranges. I really doubt that Best Buy corporate told the store to sell bottled water

I bet that was just the manager and employees wanting to make some quick extra cash.

[ixion]

50. well, no it's not...

Best Buy Corporate doesn't give a rat's ass about their customers once they've purchased their products. That a local store would go ahead and gouge the local community is just that much worse. But keep on defending the GOP lovin' Best Buy. :eyes:

[wxgeek7]

146. Yep, agree

I only shop there if I'm absolutely desperate for an item. Their stuff is usually WELL over-priced (actually should be called Worst Buy, imho). You'll find much better deals at Newegg or Fry's.

[tabbycat31]

43. Howell is near me

And somehow that does not surprise me. It is a VERY red municipality.

[former9thward]

45. Can't get my outrage worked up.

Nobody is being forced to buy the water. If you want water use the tap. It was available and best yet it is free. If you are that picky that you can't drink perfectly fine free tap water then go ahead and pay $40 for water at a electronics store.

[baldguy]

46. Clean, safe drinking water should be free. Selling it should be a crime.

[former9thward]

55. Clean, safe drinking water is free.

Go turn on your tap. If people want to fantasize that the bottled water they pay for is better let them.

[A HERETIC I AM]

57. How do you figure tap water is free?

Don't you have a water bill where you live?

No drinking water is free, unless you have a stream running by your house, but even then you need to either purchase or make a method to convey the water to where you need it.

I am NOT defending price gouging, however. The poster above who states that drinking water should be free must think pipe, pumps, purification systems etc. are built out of the goodness of some unnamed hearts.

[former9thward]

59. No it is not free but it is free relative to buying bottled water.

Everyone pays in some way for tap water. Either a direct bill or as a part of the total rent. But you pay for it whether you use it or not. So it is free compared to going out and paying for bottled water.

[jeff47]

94. Well, it's free here

"Don't you have a water bill where you live?"

Nope.

City is old enough that much of it was built without water meters. They ran the numbers a couple decades ago, and figured out installing water meters wouldn't make 'em enough money to be worth it.

'course, part of property taxes goes to maintaining the water system, so one could argue that there's a very round-about water bill.

[A HERETIC I AM]

96. So there you go. Part of your property taxes pay for it.

No public water system can operate without funding, be it by directly billing the users or by other taxes.

As I indicated above, pipes, pumps, purification systems and all the rest cost money. It can not be avoided.

[woo me with science]

48. There is a larger issue here.

Private corporations are in the process of buying up the rights to the major freshwater supplies on earth. One more reason to wake up and realize that we must stop the corporate purchase of our government.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=1717490

[999998th word]

111. This is a great concern. Check Veolia co. etc.

[supernova]

51. Disaster price gouging laws

are a good thing.

While I can see wanting to make some extra cash selling needed items that aren't your normal stock, there is no morality in charging people through the nose for it who have little to spare anyway.

Having said that, no way in hell I'd be buying water at Best Buy.

[itsrobert]

53. $4 a bottle is the going rate at any amusement park

Restaurant, movie theater, etc.

$4 x 12 = $48
$4 x 24 = $96

Does that give Best Buy an excuse. Nope. Just shows you that people are being screwed when they buy bottled water.

[Lorien]

71. Bottled water is an absurd ripoff to begin with

It never existed until some canny marketer decided that a huge percentage of the population will buy anything if it's marketed correctly. Testing shows that it is no more "pure" than tap water in most places. A Brita filter will give you cleaner water at a fraction of the price. Plus the BPA in the plastic messes up human hormonal systems. I keep glass storage containers and steel bottles around the house that I fill up before storms. For daily drinking water I carry a Sigg bottle with me everywhere and fill it up at various public drinking fountains.

To see how bad the scam is, view the documentary "Tapped out."

[Fuddnik]

54. Another reason I refuse to buy ANYTHING at Best Buy.

They fucked me a few years ago on a re-stocking fee on a defective GPS. Haven't bought anything there since.

If I want something, I'll go there and check it out. But buy it online or somewhere else cheaper.

[Odin2005]

56. That should be illegal. Bastards.

[1monster]

58. That same water pack regularly sells for $3.99 to $4.99 depending on which store it is purchased

in this part of the world.

[RagAss]

64. If you bought it...you're retarded !

[Initech]

65. Yeah not cool. Really really not cool.

[Cool Logic]

66. Supply and Demand...is the most basic of economic principles. As is Law of Scarcity...

When prices rise as a result of limited supply, or potential thereof, people only buy what they need. If prices remained low, people would buy more than they needed, due to limited supply; which actually makes them more scarce.

Subsequently, the "we need to grab it while we can" mind-set, equates to tough luck for the poor family who got there too late.

[Fuddnik]

68. Law of Supply and Demand.

You have a supply of money and they demand it.

Fuck them. Scumbags.

[Lex]

79. Price-gouging is illegal in many states, including mine (in NC). nt

[MrSlayer]

69. That's capitalism.

Buy low, sell high. If you pay these prices, you're a fool. Which leads us to "a fool and his money are soon parted".

[Earth_First]

70. Are we absolutely sure that this is 100% legit?

Was this just a smartass employee or two making light of a situation that, yes; does happen...but thought s/he would make a satirical statement...

[jeff47]

95. They sell individual bottles in coolers at the registers, like most supermarkets

This is the same single-bottle price, times 24. It's probably some of the cases they would normally use to restock the cooler.

[spanone]

72. ah, america, taking advantage of those in need. the land of capitalism.

[dems_rightnow]

78. The Store Manager has replied on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Best-Buy-of-Howell-NJ/230638555453

"Hey everyone this is the store manager, and I wanted reply and explain what happened here. A few customers came in to ask if they could buy water earlier today as we understand it is in short supply. Unfortunately the only way for us to sell water with out systems is to charge for each individual bottle. The price that you saw was simply the unit price for 24 bottles and nothing more. We certainly apologize if there was any confusion."

Exactly. It's not price gouging if it's the same price they would have sold it at otherwise. Indeed, the same price they sold it for last week. I understand that you should get a discount for buying in bulk. But not discounting the price isn't price gouging.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

107. He's still an idiot although he's right

The distributor's agreement doesn't allow them to sell in bulk for anything less than the individual price you'd charge in the cooler. However, all this guy did was open himself and the company up for abuse by marketing it. He should have simply told the customers who asked they'd have to pay the per bottle price and moved on. Hopefully people are smart enough to realize why buying individual bottles of spring water is a total rip when I've never seen a 24 pack for more than six bucks in any grocery store.

[Amaril]

137. Ok, so which is worse........

....admitting that you're a greedy bastard who is taking advantage of the situation.............or admitting that even though you have an entire squad of geeks, you can't figure out how to manipulate your computer system to allow for a discounted -- i.e. SALE -- price on multiple bottles of water?

[trueblue2007]

153. the manager should have taken it on himself to LOWER THE PRICE

BECAUSE OF THE DISASTER!!! BEST BUY SUCKS

[pacalo]

80. That's horrible! My state attorney general had told us after Katrina that any price gouging should

be reported to his office. Because it's CRUEL!!!

[pitohui]

90. price gouging was not common in louisiana or mississippi but it was prosecuted

i'll be honest, most of the prices i saw in the affected communities were fair and reflected the sense that we were all struggling together

i did see ridiculous price gouging (mostly on gasoline) in alabama and tennessee but was told that in those states it is legal, which i think disgraceful

you are right, it is not just a crime for profit, it is a cruelty that robs people of their sense of common humanity and human decency

people are dying and some scumbag thinks, oh this is the great time to raise my prices?????

[Selatius]

116. I would argue it's not just cruel; it's looting in the name of business.

So you're looting people's wallets because they need something badly that you possess, and you're taking them to the cleaners because you can. It's no different than if I kicked in the shop windows and stole whatever I could carry out because I can.

[marmar]

82. Exploiting the desperate.....It's the basis of our economy these days.

nt

[Chipper Chat]

83. "Corporations are people too"

...Mitt Romney 8/14/11

[Modern_Matthew]

86. This is sickening, but so is the anti-bottled water crowd...

I would bet my whole paycheck that some bottled water, especially Deer Park, is a whole lot cleaner than some nasty tap water. Especially mine. So back off.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

105. I know.....

Jesus, some people take some issues so seriously......

If your water goes off, you save the stored tap water for cooking, flushing the toilet, washing and so on. The bottled water comes in handy when you don't want to drink out of a bucket. God forbid......

[Dokkie]

125. i suggest you buy yourself a

solid water filter. Your municipal tap water is bad is not a good excuse for dumping our environment with plastic bottles.

[DeSwiss]

87. Now, now. Be nice. Remember, corporations are people too... :-/ K&R - n/t

[pitohui]

88. price gouging illegal in many states

for example it is illegal in louisiana and mississippi, apparently it is legal in tennessee and alabama

FIND OUT if it is illegal in new jersey, if it is, REPORT IT and stay on the case until there is restitution made to the community

if it is legal, try to find a way to publicize it and get it made ILLEGAL

price gouging during a hurricane is the work of a true scumbag

[thelordofhell]

89. Big Oil to sue Best Buy for intellectual copyright infringement

[pepito]

99. 8 drops of clorox

or any non perfumed bleach,in a gallon milk jug makes water DRINKABLE
simple.the end save your 40$ for a steak dinnerO8)

[CC]

100. You should call corporate

and send the photo. I bet they didn't know a thing about this and bad press will piss them off.

[Safetykitten]

101. A reptilian company that is by all standards of humanity a cesspool of morons and grifters.

[sfpcjock]

108. Oh wow! A Jackson just fell on me, LOL

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

109. Technically, it's not price gouging

It should however be a lesson to anyone who buys individual waters and soda out of a cooler as to what they are really paying. In pro wrestling, they'd call it "killing the town", but sadly most shoppers aren't savvy enough anymore to see it. The manager was an idiot for unwittingly revealing the price of convenience.

[999998th word]

110. Just a taste of what will happen if they privatize our water supply.

[Dokkie]

124. I bet you forget

all those other times Best buy sells you a $600 Sony computer for $450, sells you writing pads and exercise books for 2c each. We love the yearly discounts they offer when they lose money trying to attract new customers but once they trying to put a $4 on a pack of premium bottled water, we complain.

I hope you are not suggesting they nationalize Best buy.

[klook]

127. Opposing privatization of the water supply =

advocacy for nationalizing Best Buy.

I think maybe you left out a couple of steps in that syllogism. :smoke:

[Dokkie]

145. Exactly

You should be calling for the nationalization of Best buy if you are so mistreated by capitalist best buy. But you are not doing that. The truth is that we all benefit from the capitalist system which enables best Buy to exist. The free phones we get every 2 years even as our coverage improves and our phone bills decrease (constant price with an ever inflated dollar), the ridiculously discounted back to school item prices, access to quality, cheap computers year round.

I am sorry but the constant demonization of capitalism in DU and on this thread is whats frustrating me. We don't see people calling for the end of free speech every time neo Nazi's protest on Cinco de Mayo but every time capitalism shows its ugly side, we have the mass of DUers calling for its head.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

148. The real problem with this thread is the complete lack of critical thinking

Best Buy and a zillion other places charges that as a per unit rate for water EVERY SINGLE DAY.

[999998th word]

171. Thats why it's called 'Free Speech' I guess.

:shrug:

[mwrguy]

113. 40.56 for a case works out to 1.69/bottle.

That is the normal price that morons pay for bottles water around here.

[Renew Deal]

135. I pay at least that if not more in NYC

I get a bottle of water a lot of times with lunch. I usually get charged between $1.50 and $2. It's a ripoff. A case of poland spring goes for around $7 at Costco.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

141. So why aren't you bringing your own water?

I'm sorry, but that's just silly to pay that price every day and realize you're doing it. It's why retailers do what they do. I could see if you forgot one day, but go to Costco and buy a case. You've got a drink everyday for a month for less than 30 cents a day.

[Renew Deal]

149. Because I don't want to drag it into the city every day

And I don't want to refrigerate it. Also, I don't need it every day. So the days that I want it, I get it. The only lunch spot I know that doesn't rip people off on Poland Spring is Whole Foods. I can get the medium sized bottles for 69 cents. Other than that, soda is generally cheaper than water. :crazy:

[davidthegnome]

114. In my neck of the woods...

you can buy gallon bottles of spring water for a dollar. Not sure what pricing is like in other areas, but I think if someone tried to charge 40 bucks for a dasani 24 pack they'd be rather quickly driven out of business due to bad press and local rage. One of things about living in small towns I guess.

[wial]

115. they could use some store reviews

I see it's already started on google maps.

Meanwhile, I'll be shopping at Fry's (they're better anyway).

[era veteran]

118. If I ever go into one of their dens of thieves

I will break something. Looting the people.

[Hubert Flottz]

120. Now Now...

Capitalism is a wonderful compassionate thing. Gawd likes it!

Who would JeeBus Gouge?

[TxVietVet]

121. Conservanazi free market at work.

"Fuck the consumer in a crisis situation". I personally witnessed price gouging in SE Texas right after Hurricane Ike. They have no conscience about screwing you when you need something. American capitalism at work. That is what we have become.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

122. They were charging $7.99 a pound for chicken at the Super Stop and Shop

in Bayonne, New Jersey.

[Shagbark Hickory]

129. They made the penalties for price gouging pretty severe in floreeduh.

Hopefully these punks will get what's coming to them.

[liberal N proud]

130. Criminal

[DirkGently]

131. Our area had a "boil your tap water" warning last year due to some mishap. Local grocery (Publix)

put bottled water *on sale* and had plenty prominently displayed (at the sale price). I wrote corporate a letter of thanks, to which they responded kindly.

Surprised to see anyone trying to gouge like this. And Best Buy? Kind of going out their way to be jerks, given it's an electronics store.

[slackmaster]

138. Taking advantage of people who are too stupid to fill up a few plastic jugs with tap water

:rofl:

[Turn CO Blue]

139. Actually, that looks like Smart Water which is supposedly

better. I don't buy into the pseudo-science for Smart Water, but if this is the product I heard about -- then it is supposedly is engineered with extra Oxygen atoms to make a more stable H2O compound - supposedly more thirst quenching.

Anyway, those specialty waters with electrolytes and/or vitamins, etc. are ALWAYS more money than regular water. Have you checked out what it costs to buy Gatorade for the kids on a soccer team? Yikes!

Also "branded" waters are always more than the generic non-brand water (like the grocery store brand).

Not really defending it - just offering a possible explanation.

[orbitalman]

140. Can you say "Gouging?"

Such a typical corporate ATTITUDE, in general. I hate just about all of them. The only time I would use a corp is when there is nothing else available. And then, it just grates on my nerves.

[jeff47]

161. It's not gouging.

They sell single bottles of water in coolers by the registers. Like most grocery stores. This 24-pack is 24 times the price they charge for the single bottles.

Since the price didn't change, it's not gouging. They always charge too much for water.

[racaulk]

147. Capitalism at its finest.

Increased demand = higher prices.

Yay for the invisible hand of the free market!

:eyes:

[Dreamer Tatum]

150. Did you miss where they didn't increase prices at all?

Guess so.

[SavWriter]

155. Criminal.

Best Buy what they thought of that.

[TNLib]

162. I think I'm done shopping at best buy.

That's pretty disgusting.

[Dokkie]

172. while you are at it

Please please please whatever you do, do not check the price of those Dasani water at your local gas stations. Because that may cause you to stop shopping at any gas station with a convince store. Also remember not to buy heavily discounted items because thats disgusting to business who cannot afford to lose money on merchandise in order to compete with big name stores. Fair is fair right?

Thank you :)

[SunDrop23]

165. I stopped shopping there over ten years ago, when I was told...

i couldn't make a payment on my best buy card in store (which i had done for years prior).
if i need something that best buy sells, i buy local mom and pops. there are still a few out there.

[Dokkie]

173. You must be thinking of Office depot

because even though Best buy outsourced its credit card business to HSBC, you can still make CC payments at any Best Buy store. I suggest you check back again with them cos I just called the local best buy store to confirm that you can make CC payments in all US best buy store