NEW YORK—New Yorkers are buying out hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes amid the viral outbreak.
On March 10, New York City effectively made it illegal for business owners to drastically increase the price of these products. The mayor called it immoral.
“Business owners, and I think this a small minority of business owners, but don’t even think about price gouging in the middle of this crisis,” said the Democratic mayor on Mar. 9. “It’s absolutely immoral. It’s unfair to your fellow New Yorkers.”
The New York Post reported that one store sold two-liter bottles of Purell for $109. Online, these bottles can go for about a quarter of that price.
Mayor de Blasio confirmed that Scheman & Grant Hardware was fined. The city said it can give business owners fines of up to $500.
But should the city determine what price is too high, when people have the option to find the same product elsewhere? Not everyone we interviewed agreed.
“Absolutely, I understand that, but I also understand supply and demand,” one said. “Obviously, retailers shouldn’t be charging more, but I see people on the street selling it, so I guess that if they’re selling it on the street, they can sell it for whatever.”
Another said, “you know, people have died over insulin gouging.
“And that’s really greed at its worst, it’s unconscionable, and this is sort of along those lines, at least the way I see it.”
And state officials are also taking action. Governor Cuomo is showcasing his state’s brand of hand sanitizer.
NYS Clean Hand Sanitizer will be distributed to schools, public agencies, and the areas most affected by the Wuhan virus. Cuomo said they could supply up to 100,000 gallons of hand sanitizer each week.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department also warned that: “Individuals or companies that fix prices or rig bids for personal health protection equipment such as sterile gloves and face masks could face criminal prosecution. Competitors who agree to allocate among themselves consumers of public health products could also be prosecuted.”
The city’s order also prohibits businesses from requiring a minimum quantity of hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes. Nor can they require customers to buy other items in order to purchase these two items.
