When Price-Gougers Are Your Friend
In an emergency, unless you are very, very poor, and whenever Actual Human Beings1 are involved. Because AHBs do stuff you know? Because unless you are too poor to afford even the basic necessities, you can probably set priorities about what you're going to buy. Because, in an emergency, you really need that propane tank:
The other factor I explain to folks is that when they shop day in and day out it looks like a ton of merchandise on the shelf. For example a store may stock 60 propane bottles for camp stoves on a regular basis. But in an emergency situation whether it has happened or only predicted the customers who get there first to buy some don't just buy one or two. They will buy at least 10 so then only the first six customers get any.
This is part of a longer article, "The Truth About Your Grocery Store" about how modern JIT inventory practice affects what you find on the shelves (and what you won't find) in an emergency. It's not really about elementary economics at all... it's just the kind of thing that pops out when someone with real-world experience: in this case 25 years of working for a major retailer, starts talking about his work.
It's the kind of thing that never, ever, crosses the mind of a well-meaning academic-cum-politician. It helps that, for a long time now "intellectuals" have defined knowledge/intellect as "stuff you find on a college campus" and not "25 years of industry experience."
Which kind of explains the mess we're in now. Not that I told you so, or anything: I'm just anti-"intellectual."
The other factor I explain to folks is that when they shop day in and day out it looks like a ton of merchandise on the shelf. For example a store may stock 60 propane bottles for camp stoves on a regular basis. But in an emergency situation whether it has happened or only predicted the customers who get there first to buy some don't just buy one or two. They will buy at least 10 so then only the first six customers get any.
This is part of a longer article, "The Truth About Your Grocery Store" about how modern JIT inventory practice affects what you find on the shelves (and what you won't find) in an emergency. It's not really about elementary economics at all... it's just the kind of thing that pops out when someone with real-world experience: in this case 25 years of working for a major retailer, starts talking about his work.
It's the kind of thing that never, ever, crosses the mind of a well-meaning academic-cum-politician. It helps that, for a long time now "intellectuals" have defined knowledge/intellect as "stuff you find on a college campus" and not "25 years of industry experience."
Which kind of explains the mess we're in now. Not that I told you so, or anything: I'm just anti-"intellectual."