[Editor Charlie sez: This is what happens when Silicon Valley gets its paws on the food supply. But Amazon will get away with it, not least because the lawyer who kept Larry Page and Eric Schmidt out of the slammer for violating the Controlled Substances Act is on Amazon’s board of directors: Jamie Gorelick.]
Amazon is under fire for reportedly inflating prices as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Irma.
With local grocery stores selling out of basics such as water and other emergency supplies, many shoppers have turned to Amazon to prepare for the Category 5 storm.
However, some people have been disturbed to find wildly inflated prices for essentials such as water on the e-commerce site.
For example, a 24-pack of Aquafina — typically sold for less than $6 — was priced at $20. And, Deadspin editor Diana Moskovitz reported that a 24-pack of Nestle bottled water with expedited shipping was priced at $179.25.
Price gouging on essential items during emergencies is illegal in Florida, the Miami Herald reported. While Amazon is not based in Florida, the Florida Attorney General’s office told the Miami Herald that “If a business is selling an essential commodity to persons who are using it in Florida as a result of the emergency, the business may be subject to Florida’s price gouging law.”
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