It dosent pay to loot.......

[Dphins4me]

You're right....... People weren't too kind to price gougers either.  I broke a guy's nose after he tried to sell me a can of baby formula for $75.

Luckly you didn't find yourself in a cell with these people.

Just curious.

Do you do this to a ticket agent at the airport when you need a flight quickly?

Going off on a tanget.  Isn't it strange how no one thinks of it as price gouging when the airlines do it?



 

[Buddhagirl]

This is more than stealing. Its looting, which is a much harsher crime. Maybe if these thugs know thay they will get 15 years, they will think twice before looting.

I think stealing is a harsher crime because someone might be there.  Looting? Generally no one is there.  Weapons aren't usually involved, etc. 

I think 15 years is too long for someone to be in jail for taking booze.  Period.

[TonyB0D]

well we could be talking about 2 totally differnet things here....

if they're repeat offenders, its still excessive, unless they are on probation or something, or have a lonnnng history of crimes.  15 years for JUST that is absolutely ridiculous.

if its their 1st offense, even 15 weeks is too much.  give them a suspended sentence, and get them tons of community service and fines.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Luckly you didn't find yourself in a cell with these people.

Just curious.

Do you do this to a ticket agent at the airport when you need a flight quickly?

Going off on a tanget.  Isn't it strange how no one thinks of it as price gouging when the airlines do it?

Because everyone knows that you have to book a flight seven days in advance in order to get a good fare.  The only exception is bereavement. 

[Dphins4me]

Because everyone knows that you have to book a flight seven days in advance in order to get a good fare.  The only exception is bereavement. 

  Why do you have to do that?  If it cost $200 to fly two weeks from now, then why should it cost 300 to fly tomorrow?   They already have a plane heading in that direction with a empty seat.  Should not matter when you call them about getting a ticket. 

But you are right, its simply become common practice of price gouging by the airlines, so excuses are made that it is acceptable..

Frankly, I do not believe there is such a thing a price gouging.  To me its a free market.  I have something you want/need & no one is forcing you to purchase the product from me.  If I've invested my money to purchase the product, then I should have the right to price it however I see fit.  Its my money that was used to purchase it, so why should anyone else to allowed to tell me how much I can ask for it?

That is why nachos at the ball park cost 10 bucks.  That is price gouging, but where is congress on that one?  No one is making you go to the ball park.

However, as with gas, it is acceptable when the company marks up the product, but when the local man does it they want to prosecute them. 

[pintofguinness14]

Price discrimination (by airlines or movie theaters, for example) is a perfectly acceptable practice of separting customers into groups by how much they are willing to pay for a good or service.  This allows airlines to charge less price sensitive business travlers more (since they often book travel at the last minute) and to charge more price sensitive tourist/vacation travelers less (since they tend to make travel arrangement 6 or more weeks in advance).  Considering that none of the major American airlines are making money these days, banning price discrimination would probably result in higher prices for most of your personal travel and possibly slightly lower prices for business travelers. 

Price gouging, on the other hand, is the rather dispicable practice of preying on the needs of fellow citizens during an emergency by charging far in excess of the normal price.  It's no different from offering to let your neighbor use your hose to water his lawn for $5 and then asking him for $100 when he needs the hose to put out the fire in his living room.  It's immoral.

I'm fine with the 15 year sentence for the looters.  Robbery during an emergency situation (like the aftermath of Katrina) where there has been a breakdown in law & order is looting.  It's a different crime than normal robbery and the penalties should be stiffer.  I'm not sure if this sentence will actually deter looting the next time their is a natural disaster, but it's worth a try. 

[Dphins4me]

Price discrimination (by airlines or movie theaters, for example) is a perfectly acceptable practice of separting customers into groups by how much they are willing to pay for a good or service.

Movie Theaters are not in the same group.  They are giving you a discount for coming at a time when less are coming & the later shows are in more demand.  (Suppy & demand ) if you miss the showing then you can come back tomorrow at the lower cost time, not wait 6 weeks or however long it is to get the lower price from an airline.

This allows airlines to charge less price sensitive business travlers more (since they often book travel at the last minute) and to charge more price sensitive tourist/vacation travelers less (since they tend to make travel arrangement 6 or more weeks in advance).

Makes good sense, but simply raises the cost of goods/services of the companies paying the cost.

Considering that none of the major American airlines are making money these days,

Find this very hard to believe.  Companies are not in business to loss money.. 

banning price discrimination would probably result in higher prices for most of your personal travel and possibly slightly lower prices for business travelers.

  Lower the cost of business travel, lowers the cost to make the product, which in turns lowers the cost of the goods.   Saves me money.

Price gouging, on the other hand, is the rather dispicable practice of preying on the needs of fellow citizens during an emergency by charging far in excess of the normal price.  It's no different from offering to let your neighbor use your hose to water his lawn for $5 and then asking him for $100 when he needs the hose to put out the fire in his living room.  It's immoral.

Its supply & demand that runs a free market place.. Is it not?   The fact is, it is acceptable when a company hikes up the price because supply is lower during an emergency, but when its a local marketer that is doing it, then it becomes immoral. 

Now $75 bucks for baby food is out there especially considering that if the person does not buy it then a baby will go hungry.  That is immoral.  However, if its a $2 item & they are asking $5 bucks for it now then that is not out there, but people profit off the misery of others all the time.

I'm fine with the 15 year sentence for the looters.  Robbery during an emergency situation (like the aftermath of Katrina) where there has been a breakdown in law & order is looting.  It's a different crime than normal robbery and the penalties should be stiffer.  I'm not sure if this sentence will actually deter looting the next time their is a natural disaster, but it's worth a try. 

I disagree.  They are equal.  Robbery is robbery, but I understand when people are stealing food in a emergency when there is no one there to sell it to them. 

But according to the papers blacks loot & white people find.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

I don't give a fuck about any laws when it comes to protecting my house...... You loot, I shoot, simple as that. 

Just ask the guy who lost his shoe after trying to break in my house one night.... I put two bullet holes in the door.... and I swear I aimed right at his head.... he must've heard me coming

[Dphins4me]

I don't give a fuck about any laws when it comes to protecting my house...... You loot, I shoot, simple as that.

  Refering more to stores, not homes.

Just ask the guy who lost his shoe after trying to break in my house one night.... I put two bullet holes in the door.... and I swear I aimed right at his head.... he must've heard me coming

Just so you know.  Most likely you would have been arrested & charged with manslaughter or something like that, had to connected with his head & killed him.  From my understanding of the law, they have to be in your house in order for you to defend yourself of course that might be a state thing also.

Actually the way the law is written in my state is you pretty much have to be backed into a corner with no means of escape before you can defend yourself.  OF course that is not enforced that way, but it is written that way.

[pintofguinness14]

Movie Theaters are not in the same group. They are giving you a discount for coming at a time when less are coming & the later shows are in more demand. (Suppy & demand ) if you miss the showing then you can come back tomorrow at the lower cost time, not wait 6 weeks or however long it is to get the lower price from an airline.

Sorry, I was referring to senior citizen and student discounts, not matinees.  Seniors and students are more price sensitive than working adults.

Makes good sense, but simply raises the cost of goods/services of the companies paying the cost.

Everyone's gotta make a buck.

quote author=Dphins4me link=topic=10008.msg101818#msg101818 date=1151761067]
Find this very hard to believe.  Companies are not in business to loss money.. 

Nevertheless, the major airlines haven't been doing well for years.  You're right to say they are not in business to lose money, which is why they would not be able to absorb the cost of eliminating price discrimination without increasing the direct cost to leisure travelers.

quote author=Dphins4me link=topic=10008.msg101818#msg101818 date=1151761067]
Lower the cost of business travel, lowers the cost to make the product, which in turns lowers the cost of the goods.   Saves me money.

I think it would save you money if you didn't fly anywhere on personal travel, but that's hard to prove.

quote author=Dphins4me link=topic=10008.msg101818#msg101818 date=1151761067]
Its supply & demand that runs a free market place.. Is it not?   The fact is, it is acceptable when a company hikes up the price because supply is lower during an emergency, but when its a local marketer that is doing it, then it becomes immoral.

You're right. If we actually had a completely free market economy, then sellers would be free to set prices wherever they saw fit.  Of course, we don't live in that world.  I'm not a fan of all of the government's attempts to interfere in the economy, but there are some negative externalities which a completely free market system doesn't handle so well, which is why we have laws against price gouging. 

Your reasoning would leave us without a minimum wage or required employer sponsored health insurance or required employer contributions to Social Security since, in a truly free market economy, workers would be able to sell their labor for any price and employers would be free to pay only what they feel is fair.

quote author=Dphins4me link=topic=10008.msg101818#msg101818 date=1151761067]
I disagree.  They are equal.  Robbery is robbery, but I understand when people are stealing food in a emergency when there is no one there to sell it to them. 

But according to the papers blacks loot & white people find.

We disagree on this one.  Also, the criminals in question here were stealing from a liquor store, not the local bakery.  I don't think they were stealing to avoid starvation.

[Dphins4me]

 

I think it would save you money if you didn't fly anywhere on personal travel, but that's hard to prove.

I rarely fly, but I know the practice they use & its price gouging at its best.  You need it faster & more urgent.  It will cost ya.

You're right. If we actually had a completely free market economy, then sellers would be free to set prices wherever they saw fit.  Of course, we don't live in that world.  I'm not a fan of all of the government's attempts to interfere in the economy, but there are some negative externalities which a completely free market system doesn't handle so well, which is why we have laws against price gouging.

Your reasoning would leave us without a minimum wage or required employer sponsored health insurance or required employer contributions to Social Security since, in a truly free market economy, workers would be able to sell their labor for any price and employers would be free to pay only what they feel is fair.

   Why should employers be force to overpay? Employers make the profit they want to make regardless of how much the Gov forces them to pay.  They simply raise the price of good produced to offset the cost of labor.  So basically the employees are gaining little if nothing.     Things get better when companies compete for business. 

Minimum wage is useless & a joke & is only used for an election tool.  Check out when the subject is always brought up.  Election years.   Social Security is one if not the biggest money scams ever invented.  If people would learn to take care of themselves then we all would be richer.

Actually its programs like that make people live of the Gov.  Too many healthy able body people depend on the Gov to take care of them, instead of taking care of themselves.

We disagree on this one.  Also, the criminals in question here were stealing from a liquor store, not the local bakery.  I don't think they were stealing to avoid starvation.

What if they were able use the liquor to barter for food?  Just because its not a grocery store does not mean the items taken cannot put food in a childs mouth.

[ADeadSmitty]

I think what makes price-gouging offensive is that the gouger is profiting from a disaster. It's not necessarily offensive to engage in price discrimination; as other posters have pointed out, theaters and airlines and insurance companies do it all the time. But in normal times, it's just negotiation. I know you're willing to pay more than average for something, so I'll make you pay more than average for it.

The question is why is someone willing to pay a lot for something? If it's just their personal preferences or whatever, then they just got out-bargained. No one thinks it's objectionable to sell a Mickey Mantle rookie card for hundreds of thousands of dollars to a huge Mickey Mantle fan, even though very few other people in the world would be willing to pay that much. The seller deserves to be that much richer, if he was able to find and negotiate a favorable price with that buyer. But where the big demand is the result of some kind of major misfortune, it doesn't seem appropriate for there to be such a large transfer of wealth from the buyer to the seller.