When we were first told to wear masks in early April, the first place i
turned to was Amazon. i ordered 50 disposable face masks for less than $20.
Unfortunately the manufacturer was in China, and I guess because of the
initial demand for masks, and the distance, it took me 3 months to get them.
Initially, I couldn't get any masks online, only preorders that took several
weeks to get, and I needed masks right away. What I did was to download the
nextdoor app and join the Nextdoor community, which is like a micro social
network that focuses on your neighborhood. I posted my need for masks, and
found that several folks in my neighborhood were making masks in their
homes, some selling them, and some giving them away, and I ended up getting
my first two masks for nothing. Since then my preorders arrived, and now i
have enough masks to start a store.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, September 14, 2020 3:15 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Bezos Doubles Wealth as Amazon Essential Product
Prices Rise 1000% Amid Pandemic
Bezos Doubles Wealth as Amazon Essential Product Prices Rise 1000% Amid
Pandemic
A report by Public Citizen found that "Amazon is engaged in price gouging on
products it sells directly" through its Amazon Essentials line, with
products like facemasks and corn starch seeing elevenfold increases in
price.
by Alan Macleod
September 14th, 2020
By Alan Macleod
Anew report from advocacy group Public Citizen details how retail giant
Amazon "misled the public, law enforcement, and policymakers about price
increases during the pandemic," raising their prices on essential products
"to levels that would be considered violations of price gouging laws in many
states." The prices of many products in high demand during the pandemic
jumped by over 1,000 percent when compared to this time last year.
As accusations of price gouging began, Amazon blamed "bad actors," declaring
in an official statement that, "there is no place for price gouging on
Amazon," committing itself to "working vigorously" to ensure fair pricing,
and "collaborating with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies"
to "hold price gougers accountable" and to protect the interests of their
customers.
Yet Public Citizen's report found that "Amazon is engaged in price gouging
on products it sells directly" itself, through its Amazon Essentials line.
Disposable face masks and corn starch were the most inflated prices, jumping
elevenfold from earlier in the year. Below is a list of ten Amazon Essential
products tracked, including the percentage the items increased in cost.
Similar price rises were tracked among third party sellers on the platform
as well.
Disposable face masks - 1,000%
Hand sanitizer - 48%
Disinfectant spray - 87%
Antibacterial soap - 470%
Disposable nitrile gloves - 336%
Toilet paper - 528%
Paper towels - 303%
Flour - 425%
Sugar - 520%
Corn starch - 1,010%
While there is no federal law protecting the public from the practice, price
gouging is illegal in 35 states, with some states deeming that increasing
prices by just 10 percent constitutes breaking the law.
Thanks in no small part to increased profits from sales, Amazon founder and
CEO Jeff Bezos has seen his wealth almost double during the pandemic, from
$113 billion in March to $206 billion today, according to the Institute for
Policy Studies, who calculated that America's billionaire class of 467
plutocrats have seen their wealth spike by nearly a trillion dollars since
lockdown began on March 18. Much of this has been down to an enormous tax
break for the ultra-wealthy that the Trump administration snuck into its
first coronavirus relief bill. Bezos, who retook the title of the world's
richest individual from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates late last year, has
said that he is so rich that he can only imagine spending his wealth by
plowing it into space travel.
Yet even as he becomes the world's first individual to reach a net worth of
$200 billion, Bezos' employees are struggling just to eat or avoid
homelessness. According to the company's own data, a great number of Amazon
employees rely on SNAP (food stamps) just to eat. That number is as high as
one third of all Amazon workers in Arizona, with company employees
nationwide far more likely than most to need to use food stamps. Instead of
giving his employees a pay rise, "arch-philanthropist" Bezos decided to
start a charitable foundation for them, asking the public to donate money to
help them pay for basic necessities. And when staff at Bezos-owned Whole
Foods Market asked for higher pay and better working conditions, the company
instead gave them a free t-shirt that called them "hardcore" "heroes" for
working through the pandemic.
Price gouging is widely considered a highly immoral practice, akin to
profiting off the desperation and suffering of others, with some of the only
people willing to publicly defend it being economics professors and
highly-paid columnists in corporate media. Professor Lili Carneglia of
Valencia College, Florida, for instance, writing in libertarian think tank
FEE, argued that neighborhood 7-Elevens charging $20 for a case of water
after a hurricane is a good thing, claiming without them there would be
shortages in supply (although, she admits, she is unable to convince most of
her students). Likewise, the Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby claims that price
gouging is not a problem, but a solution to a problem, suggesting that it
actually helps consumers.
Public Citizen did not agree. "During emergencies, people are scared,
desperate, and in need. Price gouging is an insidious exploitation of the
most vulnerable. There is no excuse for the most successful corporations
preying on vulnerable consumers," it concluded.
