Is it "just business"? Or is it a sign of a serious challenge to the "good faith" in business philosophy which traditionally has made consumers willing to buy so the economy can function vigorously?
Today (May 16, 2010) in a brand name gasoline station in Northeast Pennsylvania there was a double pricing "bait and switch". The large street sign advertised a gallon of 87 octane for $2.79. At one set of pumps the price was $2.89. At the second set of pumps the price was $2.99. 20 cents per gallon is a rather large difference in price from sign to pump to pump.
Surprisingly, some people find it silly to object. Others say "it's just business", the owner/manager is simply trying to increase profits. For many innocent customers, who did not check the pump price, it could be an expenditure the customers did not wish to make and might not have made. At the least, it could be a not very nice surprise when checking the receipt or credit card statement.
Our economy is becoming increasingly difficult for the average consumer to navigate successfully. A trend toward less honesty in pricing and to a meaner profiteering business approach make it all the more difficult.
It may be time to renew an older more consumer-oriented, or more realistic, business slogan, "Caveat Emptor": "May the Buyer Beware".
Graphic: "Sitting Justice", a blindfolded woman holding a sword and scales on which to weigh truth, rests on a throne in an 18th Century engraving, in "Law and Politics A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia", D.P. Strouthers, ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara, CA, 1995.
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