• dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️
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    13016 days ago

    Anakin and Padmé meme: So we’re going to fine them that amount, or force them to refund it to their customers, right?

    Right?

      • @SpaceNoodle
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        6116 days ago

        I have altered the meme. Pray I don’t alter it more.

      • @[email protected]
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        1216 days ago

        I’m not usually a stickler for adhering closely to meme “rules” but this one drives me batty. I never have the courage to correct folks though, so have your lemmy gold!

    • @[email protected]
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      216 days ago

      Why though, what did they do wrong? They’re allowed to set their prices how they like as long as they’re not coluding with competitors.

      (I’m not saying it doesn’t suck, obviously, but they are just doing a capitalism)

      • @SpaceNoodle
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        616 days ago

        When you say “wrong,” what do you mean? Are you arguing that their actions are morally just, or merely not too illegal?

        • @[email protected]
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          15 days ago

          Capitalism violently forces people to serve capital for food, shelter, and other basic human needs.

          This situation is slightly worse than usual.

        • @[email protected]
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          016 days ago

          I’m questioning whether they did anything illegal. It’s quite obvious (to me, at least) that what they did is morally wrong

          • @SpaceNoodle
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            416 days ago

            “Wrong” is certainly the wrong word, then.

            Price gouging does run counter to some states’ consumer protection laws.

      • @beebarfbadger
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        515 days ago

        Were this capitalism, the competition would simply win by offering lower prices, but Kroger was allowed to grow to monopolistic proportions so that they’ve either bought up any and all serious competition already, muscled rivals out of business or settled on quasi-gerrymandered spheres of influence with their equally monopolistic competitors, so that nobody undercuts them when they abuse their status to not offer the best deals, but instead price-gouge the people stuck in their sphere of influence.

      • @[email protected]
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        114 days ago

        Price gouging is immoral and illegal in many states. Especially for needed things like food.

        Saying this is fine is cheering for the poor to starve.

      • @[email protected]
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        114 days ago

        First, I’d argue this was doing business in bad faith - they took advantage of a crisis to jack up profit on staple foods. That’s extremely unethical

        Second, they effectively did collude. McKinley is a consultant hired by Kroger (which owns many different regional chains) as well as their largest competitors and suppliers. They coordinated the price gouging - it doesn’t matter if an algorithm does it or a third party does it, it’s still collusion. Adding a degree of separation doesn’t change the nature of the act