WTF, Price Gougeing at Home Depot.
 

I was just at Home Depot last week, and plywood was almost $20 per sheet. Now that Ivan is coming toward our area, I went there today to get some supplies, and the price of Plywood was up to $26 per sheet, and there was about a two hour line to even get any! That is bullshit!! It's hard enough trying to prepare for the hurricane, especially one this big, but then to get fucked over at the same time. And I keep hearing this commercial on the radio about how Home Depot is helping our community by keeping hurricane supplies in stock. NO SHIT!!! If you can jack the price up over 30% and have a 2 hour line out the door, I'd keep it in stock as well!

Anyways, just my :2 cents:

It's only price gouging if they raised the price... if they passed on a price increase of their supplier's you've gotta look higher for the gougers.:thumbsup

Lumber prices change daily, not just in times of hurricanes.

:2 cents:

Supply and demand, would you rather they keep the prices constant and instead you end up waiting in line 10 hours and finally end up getting nothing because it is sold out?

Right I agree with you, but I just finished building my new house and I've been at Home depot every week for the last year 1/2. The price of plywood went from about $16 to almost $20 in about a 19 month period, raising by roughly $.25 or so per price increase. But to jump $6 in one week is a bit excessive. I would be curious to know what the price increase of plywood was at home depot in Idaho. I doubt it was $6 in less than one week.

I would bet that it's higher ups that made the decision it's hard to travel in florida right now and the supply is low it sucks but I don't think it's gouging I just think it's an over burden on the system...

Believe me Home Depot is afraid of lawsuits they are not going to take part in price gouging. I'm sure it has everything to do with the suppliers in that region. With plywood in such high demand for over a month worth of storms it has to be hard for the suppliers to keep it in stock themselves. So now you have the lumber mills working harder and longer hours to keep up with the demand thus increasing labor costs.

Supply and demand. Idaho is not eating up plywood at an alarming rate, your area is. So the lumber yards are increasing the amount of money to slow down the amount of wood being taken, paying the extra hours of the workers who are spending more time producing sheets and probably also to make more money. Capitalism at its finest.

Why not just get metal roll downs on the windows?

Fuck plywood, its all about the steel.

That's insane! Plywood prices in Texas are around $6.95 to $8.95 per sheet. The price gougers should be strapped with a few tons of lead weights and tossed into the ocean in the middle of the storms.

:321GFY

Metal is the way to go 100%!! I wasn't getting plywood for me, but I felt bad for those who were having to get it.

ALL the new houses on the beach have metal shutters.

I have seen these metal roll downs in North Carolnia on the some places close to the beach lately. Looked like a much better idea than wood.

To do an average size house in metal is $5k+, and to do it in plywood is about $600. That's why most don't have it.

It's called supply and demand. The supply is low while the demand is high, of course they're going to raise prices. You're willing to pay X but Bob is willing to pay X + 1, they're going to take Bob's offer before yours.

Now before you cry about it not being fair, step back and realize that you would do the same. Who would take a $10 an hour job when they can do the same exact thing for someone else and make $11 an hour?

$5k isnt bad for a house that is $500k on the beach :)

I dont think that the little bit that they rasied it qualifies as gougeing.

I think that it has to be raised by more than 100% for it to be illegal.

Its called supply and demand.

Really if you live in South Florida you SHOULD HAVE SOME FUCKING PLYWOOD already.. it's not like these hurricanes happen every 20 years. :2 cents:

I didn't have to buy any plywood, but I know several of those people really couldn't afford it to begin with, much less at the new prices. And I don't make it my business practice to increase the cost of goods based on the misfortune of others. If I know my profit margin is good, would I risk losing future customers to make a few extra bucks, or would I want to keep them as long term customers? I personally will now be going to Lowes for as much as possible now. I fully understand the concept of supply and demand, but a business in the community has an ethical obligation to that community. If the price hike was brought on by the manufacturer of the plywood then they have every right to increase the cost to keep their profit margin, but I'm sure the plywood in this area is all shipped from the same warehouse in this region, but I doubt areas in the region that aren't in teh direct path of the storm saw the big jump.

$500k on the beach? You can't even put a tent on the beach for $500k! :1orglaugh

Plywood isn't a treated wood. You really can't keep it around like that once it sits in water. It curls up like a corkscrew in no time.

Take it to the local news. After 9/11 remember all of the gas stations that set their prices at like $4.50/gallon?

only an idiot would live in hurrician central and not have plywood on hand instead of having to buy it last second.

here's :2 cents: buy a clue

it's called economics..

is how they make money

economics 101 - supply and demand