Well, that's different. If someone wants the luxury of having X product first, then sure, they can pay whatever they want. Which just made me realize that this is what theeboredone is doing, LOL. But I think you're mixing up that scenario with my scenario since nobody goes into a store and yells "I'll give you 10 bucks for that loaf of bread!" and another person yells "Yeah? I'll give you 20 bucks!"
Like I said, it's reasonable to increase their prices but not so much that it's just almost ridiculous and that's my entire point.
That scenario is where it could happen, people making a line to buy food because of a flood (which I experienced one), a tornado or whatever. The supply is low, the demand is very high. Someone will always speak up and ask for it first no matter what it takes because they all know it's scarce and they really need it.
As a shop owner you need to worry about yourself too, you need money as well if not even the products you are selling.
"Why sell X for 2 bucks when every other store is selling it for 20, and people are actually buying it? At this rate I will sell everything and not profit as much as the competition". In fact, that is even a virtual loss, when you profit with a sale but that could have an even higher profit.
Knowing when to raise the prices is not being a scum, it's just being a good trader. As I said, if every other store will raise the prices, then it's more than fair to raise the price as well, it's how the market has always been going. Raising the price before if not at the same time as the other shops does not make you a bad person. Money is just virtual method for us to trade and give value to things after all, if those household essential items suddenly become more valuable due to their scarcity, then it's more than reasonable to ask for said value trough the universal converter of values (money).
Anyway, I think we are going way off topic. :o
