• dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️
    link
    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
        link
        6116 days ago

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

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        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]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      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
        link
        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]
          link
          fedilink
          2
          edit-2
          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]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          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
            link
            416 days ago

            “Wrong” is certainly the wrong word, then.

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

      • @beebarfbadger
        link
        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]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        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

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        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]
    link
    fedilink
    9516 days ago

    Yeah, he was literally bragging about it on the quarterly earnings calls as it was happening. They’ve only paused the price gouging now that it’s a hot topic, don’t think for a minute prices will go back down or that this won’t resume in a year or so when there’s some other distraction available.

    We need regulations to stop this predatory behavior, and we desperately need to break up monopolies like Kroger, if this problem is to be mitigated.

    • Karyoplasma
      link
      fedilink
      2715 days ago

      Nono, you misunderstand! Prices going down is a very bad sign as it means something is very wrong!

      -Every economist ever without explanation or clarification whatsoever

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        1315 days ago

        They don’t clarify, because if they did it would be clear who it’s “wrong” for.

        Spoiler alert: It ain’t you and me.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        815 days ago

        The problem is we talk about the economy in terms like “revenue” “profit” or “prices”.

        We need to change the language of the economy to appeal to its true creed: line go up. It’s Economics 101. Line go up, forever.

        Hence, I propose we talk about the cost of things on units of “not getting fucked”

        Use phrases like, “the not getting fucked on tomato sauce has been dropping lately”

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      2616 days ago

      Why break them up when you can just let them get bigger. I’d bet my job the fucking merger is still happening.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        17
        edit-2
        16 days ago

        Of course it’s still happening, this is just a side puppet show to distract from that fact. Now they’ve realized most of the population would vote in an uneducated felon again, so they see they faked having a heart for nothing. Which was cutting into their profits all along.

        Until there’s serious consequences and bankruptcy looming, they’ll continue shitting on us like we’re Japanese businessmen with a fetish.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        314 days ago

        Lina Kahn has been going hard after monopolies lately. I will take that bet so long as she is FTC head.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        111 days ago

        What merger?

        And Kroger is a monopoly? I see Walmarts everywhere. Target to a lesser extent. Definitely an oligopoly.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    4015 days ago

    We price gouged the plebs. We know the government isn’t going to do anything and if they try our good ol’ friends at SCOTUS will make sure nothing happens to us. Long live the line always going up!

    -Andy Goff

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    33
    edit-2
    16 days ago

    “There is not just one bad apple in this bunch,” Powers said, adding that most companies who engage in price gouging receive limited consequences.

    Because customers generally still have choices to shop at other grocers like Walmart, Thompson said Kroger is unlikely to experience any severe consequences from the FTC.

    Despite the fact that this is likely a larger problem in the grocery sector, Ryan said consumers could react swiftly with their wallets.

    Yeah, and go to the next grocery store with the same prices and behind-the-scenes policies, and buy the same overprices eggs… But hey, at least they didn’t admit to the lie.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      415 days ago

      Unfortunately Kroger is the cheapest option where I am. I refuse to support the dumpster fire that is Walmart. Every item at Albertsons and Safeway, especially produce, is at least 50 cents more expensive than at Kroger. Too bad Trader Joe’s doesn’t offer a little more selection. You can’t even get a whole cabbage there.

  • @LovingHippieCat
    link
    2816 days ago

    Hmmmm. Maybe, since all stores are doing this, we should just institute price fixing on certain goods? Oh but I forgot, that’d be bad for the corporation and their profits, and that’s obviously more important than citizens being able to afford groceries at a reasonable price.

  • @TommySoda
    link
    2516 days ago

    I wish I could pirate food.

    • @wreckedcarzz
      link
      English
      215 days ago

      I mean, they give you a speedy cart with wheels and everything…

      • @TommySoda
        link
        215 days ago

        Not anymore. They recently added those locks that lock up the wheels when they get too far away from the store. And they also threw out all the shopping baskets.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          English
          114 days ago

          they also threw out all the shopping baskets

          I hate stores with a passion that do this. If I’m getting a basket amount of stuff why must I either juggle everything in my hands or shove a cart with broken wheels around?

          • @TommySoda
            link
            114 days ago

            I live in a pretty conservative area. I think they were stealing them because they refuse to buy reusable bags since plastic bags were banned.

      • @TommySoda
        link
        2516 days ago

        I live on the top floor of an apartment with no balcony. I wish I could pirate a house.

  • @Fedizen
    link
    2415 days ago

    so there’s already not enough competition in the grocery store market. Why is kroger being allowed to merge at this point?

  • @exanime
    link
    2315 days ago

    but don’t worry!, there will not be any negative consequences for him or his company!

    • @bamfic
      link
      English
      514 days ago

      And now his workers are on strike

    • @Dozzi92
      link
      514 days ago

      They promise they won’t do it again.

      • @exanime
        link
        114 days ago

        The audacity we have to put this TiTAn oF iNdUStrY in a position he had to issue a promise

  • Noxy
    link
    fedilink
    English
    2315 days ago

    And yet they may still be allowed to merge with assimilate Albertson’s, leaving so many neighborhoods with less (or even zero) choices for where to buy groceries get price gouged

    • @Stamau123
      link
      715 days ago

      Hopefully the colorado suit shuts that down

  • @RagingRobot
    link
    2015 days ago

    For all of these companies trying to merge the default answer should be no. Merging companies isn’t good for capitalism at all in any way so if any company wants to merge they should have to get special permissions. This shit is out of control.

    • @breetai
      link
      814 days ago

      Agreed. I have no issues with capitalism but I have a huge issue with monopolies. Just buying out the competition isn’t competing.

    • @SlopppyEngineer
      link
      415 days ago

      One of the possibilities would be a cooperative chain. They don’t go for profit so can seriously undercut these price gougers.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    1615 days ago

    I stopped getting my groceries at Kroger unless I need just a few items quickly (I have 2 less than 2 miles from my house). Most stuff is more expensive at Kroger than Meijer or even Walmart and if doing the whole list it ads a lot to my expenses

    • @PriorityMotif
      link
      215 days ago

      If you have a ruler foods it’s just stuff from Kroger but a lot cheaper.

    • @FlexibleToast
      link
      2315 days ago

      Kamala is proposing making it illegal at the federal level.

          • @postmateDumbass
            link
            215 days ago

            Harris will be painted as socialist/communist. It will be interesting to see how much stigma those labels still carry.

              • @Fedizen
                link
                115 days ago

                I mean it would be funny to turn the tables on their nationalist rhetoric by noting the USSR wasted a lot of resources on border security and stupid walls. We’ve gone from a country that celebrates walls coming down to a country that will never be satisfied with the worlds largest contiguous wall.

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            English
            114 days ago

            I feel like that happens no matter what? Doesn’t make it right. Like, we install dictators all the time that commit genocide.

        • @FlexibleToast
          link
          111 days ago

          I mean you can drop the sarcasm indicator and actually be correct. Every single state has price gouging laws already. However, I know Republicans will now act like it’s a terrible “communist” plan just to obstruct it.

    • @Maggoty
      link
      415 days ago

      It’s supposed to be, but laws generally only kick in if there’s an emergency like an earthquake or hurricane.

        • @Maggoty
          link
          115 days ago

          Yup and the argument over if it qualifies or if they were doing it at the time is for the lawyers.

            • @Maggoty
              link
              215 days ago

              Right? My favorite. It’s not really something that’s enforceable on that level though. It would be easier to bring prices down by breaking up these large companies. And if that fails, just start a government grocery store that opens up in food deserts first, then in high cost of living areas. See what happens to prices when they need to justify people going there instead of the government store.

              • @postmateDumbass
                link
                215 days ago

                Depending on how the recenr precedent curtailing the agency of government agencies holds up, teams of lawyers presenting teams of scientists to judges with political agendas may become the norm.

                Legally, criminalizing systemic food waste would be a good step.

    • @PriorityMotif
      link
      415 days ago

      Some jackass economist will pop in and say that there’s no such thing as price gouging. That prices are set by market demand. It is true to an extent, because if people weren’t buying things at those prices, then the store would lower the price. The problem with groceries is that there isn’t really a price discovery method for the average person unless they go to every possible store and price compare. It’s not like you can go online and find prices for every option and alternative for groceries. People just assumed that prices have gone up due to natural inflation, which isn’t the case here.