Best Buy Scumbags!
 

I just saw this and thought it was a pretty shitty thing to do. As you might expect pretty much every store in the path of the Hurricane Irene is selling out of bottled water. The Best Buy in Howell, NJ is selling bottled water for $40 per case.

Here is the story and a pic.

http://thechive.com/2011/08/27/not-c...uy-1-hq-photo/

I just picked up 20 one gallons of Poland Spring @ like $1.30 n change each @ Fairway here in NY...

Disaster type scenarios bring out the greediness on people and so on...

It's good to see there is still places you can get it for a reasonable price. You are right, disasters will always bring the greed out of some people.

Not only are they overcharging for WATER (something that pours free out of taps!)... They're making their employees work during all of this disastorous uncertainty!

Officially added to the list of No-buy zones. TSK TSK Best Buy.

What assholes! They should be first on the looters list!

They will get fucked if that's legit. There are some pretty harsh price gouging laws in regard to hurricanes and so forth to prevent stuff like this.

I know at least in FL they were pretty aggressive about these kind of reports when it has to do with fuel & food related items. Generators and so on were fair game supply vs demand but food/gas was a no go on trying to price gouge.

I am sure if you look at CL now in the NY area and so on you wwill see people trying to sell of generators for like crazy amounts of $$$$$


Same thing happened with snow blowers this past winter .... supply n demand +greed i guess

The last four times that story had been posted about other disasters it was false. The Chive, a silly humor site, is the only site I can find posting the story. I'm 90% sure it's false.

Imagine the price of Fleshlights if women disappeared!

Capitalism baby, you gotta love it! They have no obligations to the people, what are you some sort of socialist?

in best buys defense, they are not just making up prices, thats the cost for 12/24 bottles.

take the price of 1 bottle and times it by 12 and you will get the $23, same for the poland springs

Where are all the people from burrows supposed to go to?

Water 40 bucks/case, horrible.

So, turn on the tap and save your own water? Who goes to Best Buy to buy water anyway?

it looks more like someone walked into best buy with a couple of case of water, some paper, and a marker and is trying to make them look bad. they have no stock, what's the point?

I was going to Commack today for a family get together but it got cancelled, they said that losing power is their biggest issue.

I agree that the photo looks staged.

For those who think it might be staged I have no evidence to say it isn't, however, under the picture there is a post where someone from The Chive. Here is what it says form the site: "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."

I suppose he could be making that up, but it sounds kind of legit to me.

I have a feeling that is what is happening. They sell individual waters in the coolers by the checkout so they just grabbed the cases from the back and put the price on them as if you were buying 24 bottles at the single bottle price. In the process it makes them look pretty bad.

Again, who goes to Best Buy to buy water?

bottled water for $40 per case. That is a lot.

Who gives a shit, might be different if this was a grocery store, but Best Buy? I guess it's priced for people who love to pay for overpriced Apple products. I sure in the hell don't go to Best Buy and buy water

More Importantly, do they have the 99 dollar HP Touchpad in stock?

You might if every store in town was sold out. We aren't talking about an average day here. On an average day most people would never go there to buy water, but in this case as a last resort they might.

I doubt that's Best Buy's price change. There's probably a management issue in the store that's allowing some scummy employees to make a few extra bucks. Look at the home made signs.

Capitalism at its finest!

Adapt or Die...
Welcome to the world we've helped to create...FREE Enterprise, Yeah, BABY!!!!

So, you think this was a corporate decision? I have to admit, if I was searching for water, Best Buy would not even come up on my radar.

:2 cents:

Is this like a Super Best Buy where they have a grocery section?

I will have to try their produce.

I wonder if they carry apples.

I don't think corporate came up with the idea, but I think they approved it. I think they likely had someone ask them if they sold water by the case and they either offered to sell them the full case at individual bottle prices or they said no then a light went off and they realized it was in big demand so they might be able to sell it.

I wouldn't be shocked if the manager then called corporate and got their approval before putting it out on the floor at that price otherwise they likely wouldn't refer the caller to corporate when they called in.

You think corporate is open on Saturday?

makes perfect sense since that's the price they sell those for in the their cases up by the checkout, $2 a bottle of smart water, $1.75 for regular... do the math people!

They don't sell by the case normally.

They might be. There is no way of knowing that this didn't go up yesterday either and I'm sure they are open on Friday.

Maybe I am overreacting, but I am about 99% sure if you went into Best Buy on Monday they didn't have cases of water for sale. But then when they start selling out everywhere and the demand is through the roof suddenly they put them out there for a price that is likely 5 or 6 times what a grocery store sells it for. To me that is suspicious and pretty lame.

As has been stated numerous times, they did not up the price. They said, "Instead of carrying 12/24 individual bottles out, we will leave them in the case for you. No extra charge."

They do not sell cases. They sell bottles. You can buy 1, 3, 7, 12, 18, 24 or more. If you buy 12 or 24, they have them wrapped for easy storage, but you are not getting a discount just because you bought more. If you want it for $4.99, go to the supermarket. They offer water as an impulse buy product. Like the candy bars. If you buy a box of candy bars, are they supposed to give them to you at supermarket prices?

If so, why?

I guess the way I see it is if you want to buy 24 individual bottles from them you can ask and they can sell them to you. If $2 per bottle is their normal price than so be it. But to put it out and advertise it in a time of need just seems like a pretty desperate, low move, especially when they probably paid 30 cents per bottle or less. Maybe there are times in our lives when it is okay to make a little less money and help our fellow man out instead of milking them for every last penny you can in times of need. It comes off like they are trying to capitalize on a natural disaster and that doesn't sit well with me.

Again, maybe I am overreacting but my gut tells me doing what they are doing is pretty shady.

Your gut is right, always trust it!

They made a hastily, hand-made sign and stuck it out on display to play on peoples' fears and the state of emergency ongoing. It's probably not gouging, or illegal, but perhaps unethical and immoral. So, business as usual.

Best Buy is horrible anyway. I never shop there and took pleasure in forwarding this link to everyone I know and watching them do the same.

Only in america lol

Sorry, by the time I typed this Baddog had already explained it clearly.

Doesn't each individual bottle of water have a barcode on it which indicates the price you pay when you pull one bottle out of the cooler and hand it to the checkout to purchase. That predetermined price is in their system.

So lets say all the grocery and connivence stores are sold out of water but Best Buy has a pallet of water bottles stacked in the back with barcodes on them and employees bring them out front to the cooler when stock is needed.

I walk into Best Buy and tell the guy I'll buy all the water you got and he brings me out a case ( 24 Bottles ) that have been pre priced at $2 per to go in the cooler. I pay $48 total.

He knows someone else will need a case so he brings another one out and puts a sign on it $48 which is what you would pay if you bought each bottle individually out of the cooler.

Price gouging sucks and they don't let them get away with it here in Florida but I don't see how Best Buy is price gouging in this instance. They just aren't giving a great deal and your paying the premium price that's been predetermined for out of the cooler water bottles.

Typically a case of water will have two barcodes. There are those that are on the bottles themselves and different barcode on the case. The reason places like best buy and convenience stores and other places like that sell bottled water for $2 per bottle when you can buy it for 30 cents a bottle if you buy it by the case is because it is cold. You are likely paying for the convenience of it being chilled. The same goes for soda. A small bottle of pepsi that is chilled will often cost you more than a 2 liter that is warm. This water isn't cold. Still, that is just semantics. In the end this is likely not price gouging so long as the full case price is not any more than the price of the individual bottles times the number in the case, but to me it just feels like them taking advantage of people in need. They could sell it at half that price and still probably make 150% profit.

I've lived in Florida since 1967. I've had to deal with many Hurricanes in that time and I can't recall even once where a business slashed their prices so people could stock up on items before a Hurricane which they ultimately didn't need.

However, it is very common for many of those same business to donate goods to those that were actually affected by the storm and are in need.

Jeff, you are wrong. Sorry.

I guess that is how you see it. I would disagree. I see your point and I respect and understand it, but I think that Best Buy is taking advantage of a bad situation to put a little money in their pocket and it all seems a little shady to me.

Luckily, I have never lived somewhere that deals with this kind of thing on a regular basis so I don't have first hand experience in these kinds of situations. I know that most states have price gouging rules to keep people from flat out ripping off those in need. I don't think Best Buy is price gouging, but I think they are charging the same price for what is, essentially, a different product. One is cold, the other is not. You pay the premium price for the single bottle because it is cold, but here they are charging the cold price for the non-cold water.

I guess in the end, like I said above, it is all semantics and it is still water cold or not. I guess it is all part of what fascinates me about this country. We will go to war and fight to the death to defend each other's rights and freedoms regardless of whether we agree with how we each use them them or not. We will stand united and die for each other to stop someone we see as a threat to our country, but when it comes to money we will take advantage of each other in any way we can and then tell those who we bleed dry that they were dumb for letting us do so.

I think they should have just refused to sell cases.

:thumbsup

I should have thought of that one in my op. :Oh crap

I bet Best Buy is going to go from the red to the black this quarter because of this move.

Those capitalist bastards.

/sarcasm

See, this is the problem with America today. It's the entitlement mentality. Broke ass bitches crying because they can't afford a Bentley. I just bought 3 cases of $40 water!

The first thing you need to understand is people are buying water and batteries as a precaution in case the storm knocks out their power or contaminates their water supply.
They DON'T need it. They MIGHT need it. Why would any business cut their prices for someone that may or may not actually use the product. This is the particular instance with this Best Buy.

They did not raise their price. You can say you pay extra for the water being cold. I can say the water is priced warm and they put it in the cooler as a free service to their customers. Doesn't matter in this situation. One bottle of water is $2 buy 24 and pay $48.
There is no hurricane threat here in Florida at this time. If I go to my Best Buy tomorrow and ask the manager for 24 bottles of water and he rings me up at the same price they are paying in NJ would you feel differently.

Would you feel better if Best Buy kept all the water in the back so those customers that were looking for a lot of water couldn't find it at all.

Again, this is a different situation than if the Hurricane had already moved through and people were without water and were in need.

What I do agree with is the atrocity of paying $2 for a bottle of water. I'm old enough to remember when you got water for free and you could put air in your tire for free. When those bottles of Perrier Water came out and people were actually paying for it I thought it was the dumbest thing ever. Now look where we are today :upsidedow

I thought you were just setting us up for the


http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...TYYNbvJ8F6MaRn


I like Kane, but I think the hippy in him is coming out. Oregon will do that to a guy. ;)

Only thechive.com is running that story. A chive is an onion. Has nobody heard of theonion.com ?