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It's funny, we're so highly dependent on electricity for everything that there's not more failsafes in place. Generators aren't exactly super cheap, but they're
by nicholassmith 14y ago
It's funny, we're so highly dependent on electricity for everything that there's not more failsafes in place. Generators aren't exactly super cheap, but they're at a price point where if your business requires power then having one in the wings is useful. Even more surprising that a big petrol station wouldn't have one.
It's also telling that when power goes down, or there's a big event (inclement weather and so on), there's a rash of panic buying, some incredibly ugly behaviour (looting, greedy price increases) but offset by some truly wonderful behaviour (free gas to stranded people? Friends for life at that stage). Society might be a veneer of polish, but at it's core there's still a lot of incredibly nice people.
- olliesaunders 14y agoPrice increases are the natural response from market forces given the reduction or merely risk of reduction in supply. This has at least two important beneficial effects: 1) people are less likely to panic buy 2) the incentive for supplying increases.
- nicholassmith 14y agoNo doubt, free market economies do love price increases but it's often at a level that could be viewed as price gouging to make money off someones misfortune. Whether that's a truly bad thing is probably a longer conversation for a different day (is there a morality in the marketplace, and so on).