Page 22 - AHATA

A2 UP FRONT
Friday 20 March 2020
and potatoes in Idaho. In days. After customer back-
Connecticut, a seller was lash, the retailer called the
reportedly hawking medi- tweeted advertisement a
cal masks at more than "false post" and lowered
10 times the normal value. the prices.
One couple in Ohio re- Another warning letter
ported that a thermometer went to the home improve-
they bought for $8 at a na- ment chain Menards. Some
tional chain store cost $26 of its stores doubled the
two days later. price of a gallon of Clorox
"This is so wrong at a time of bleach to $8.99 and of-
crisis," the wife wrote in her fered two types of 3M res-
report about the thermom- pirator masks for an "every-
eter. "Contact them and day low price" of $39.95 a
tell them they can't do this." pair — more than four times
Some rural states reported what Home Depot adver-
no complaints. A small slice tised.
of reports involved not high "I'm very disappointed with
prices but false claims that Menards' choice of actions
products or services can during this uneasy time,"
test for or even cure the vi- one man who believed
rus, which in most people he was overcharged for
causes only mild or moder- bleach wrote in an affida-
ate symptoms but can be vit. Menards spokesman
deadly for some. The U.S. Jeff Abbott said in a state-
Food and Drug Administra- ment that the Wisconsin-
tion has approved no treat- based chain considered
ments or vaccines, and the the Clorox price reason-
National Institutes of Health able because the product
says no scientific evidence had a higher bleach con-
exists to suggest alternative centration that would last
remedies can prevent or customers twice as long.
cure the illness. The statement didn't ad-
That hasn't stopped the dress the respirator masks.
likes of televangelist Jim "We are disappointed and
Bakker pushing treatments are taking this very serious-
with tiny silver particles and ly," Abbott said.
conspiracy theorist and Authorities in states includ-
This March 10, 2020 photo made by an investigator with the Michigan Attorney General's Office
shows gallons of Clorox bleach on display priced at $8.99 each at a Menards store in Jackson, Infowars host Alex Jones ing Florida were forwarding
Mich. A price sticker on an empty shelf elsewhere in the store listed it as $4.47. advertising toothpastes, to the nation's online retail
Associated Press creams and other prod- giants — including Ama-
ucts on his radio show. Both zon, Walmart and eBay —
An Associated Press sur- Many others merely went States are still checking out were targets last week of reports that third-party sell-
vey of state attorneys gen- to the court of social media many of the claims. While cease-and-desist letters ers on their sites were over-
eral or consumer protec- to vent their outrage. some have gone to court from New York's attorney charging.
tion agencies across the "STOP SHOPPING HERE!!" against sellers, others have general, and the federal In a statement, Walmart
country found the number one woman blared on determined cases didn't government has sent warn- spokesman Kevin Gardner
exceeded 5,000, with hun- Facebook next to cell- meet their legal standard ing letters to seven compa- said the company is "tak-
dreds more coming in ev- phone photos of a South- for price-gouging, which nies over false claims. ing a firm stance" against
ery day. ern California grocery generally involves an in- Pennsylvania, which with possible price-gouging
"Greed is a powerful mo- charging $6.98 for a gal- crease of more than 10 more than 1,200 reports on its Marketplace site.
tivator for some people," lon of milk and $14.99 for percent. About 10 states had the most in the nation, Walmart's policy calls for
said Josh Stein, the attor- cheddar cheese. "There have no such law. created an email address removing listings that are
ney general of North Caro- are families out there who States typically try to re- dedicated to complaints. unfairly priced.
lina, where the number of really need groceries and solve reports not by pursu- Oregon launched a price- On Wednesday, a bipar-
reports jumped from 72 to they're overcharging." ing fines or criminal charg- gouging hotline this week. tisan group of House law-
131 in a day. "It is inexcus- Beyond AP's state count, es but by confronting the Oklahoma's attorney gen- makers urged the Justice
able to prey on people in a efforts to prevent exploita- retailer, which typically eral is shifting agents to its Department — which has
vulnerable time to make a tion are also being carried apologizes and lowers the consumer protection unit. so far focused on false
quick buck." out by individual cities, such price. In Maine, investiga- In Michigan, where reports claims rather than high
AP's survey is the most com- as New York, which alone tors had photographic evi- spiked from 363 on Tuesday prices — to police price
prehensive look so far at has received more than dence from a shopper to morning to 572 by Wednes- gouging so that people
the emerging problem. In 1,000 complaints, issued back up the convenience day afternoon, Attorney "have access to the items
all, 40 states responded 550 violations and imposed store sale of the $10 rolls of General Dana Nessel's of- they need to protect them-
with numbers that included $275,000 in fines for goug- toilet paper. In Tennessee, fice issued cease-and-de- selves, their families, and
both tips and formally filed ing, including one case in where state lawyers forced sist letters instructing busi- their communities."
complaints against every- which a store was accused two brothers to stop selling nesses and online sellers to In an AP interview this
thing from individuals and of selling bottles of Purell at the more than 17,000 bot- correct their pricing or risk week, Attorney General
mom-and-pop stores to $79 each. Among the items tles of hand sanitizer they further action. William Barr pledged that
big-box retailers. The count the city is preventing stores had hoarded, investigators One went to an Ann Arbor the Justice Department
is certainly low because from jacking up the prices checked out a tip that a cleaning store that used would "come down hard"
it only includes cases in on: aloe vera and rubbing store was charging $1 for a its Twitter account to ad- on profiteers so they are
which someone went on- alcohol, the ingredients squirt of sanitizer. vertise Purell at prices that not "taking advantage to
line or called to register a that can be combined to There were reports of over- soared from $7.50 for one further hurt the American
grievance. make hand sanitizer. priced rice in Wisconsin large bottle to $60 in mere people."q