Price Gouging in the Shoals

If you've been online at all, you're read complaints of price gouging by a small local grocery chain. Now someone has filed a complaint with the attorney general's office against a Russellville store. So, what is price gouging? From the BBB: 

Price gouging is a term referring to when a seller spikes the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair and is considered exploitative, potentially to an unethical extent.

Most states specify that this is during a time of national emergency and refers to food, medicine, and gasoline. States also differ in the minimum amount of increase to create gouging.

In California, 10% is the legal limit. This may be the lowest amount of increase in any state to count as gouging. Alabama attorney general Steve Marshall recently used 24% as a guideline.

With some products that's not that great a markup. In other words, a normal dollar product couldn't be sold in California for more than $1.10. In Alabama, the same product would have to sell at $1.25 to be considered gouging.

We're guessing the grocery products that have experienced a recent price increase are marked up much more than that. It's sad stores take advantage at a time like this, but obviously some will.

If you've seen price gouging, please take a photo and share with us.