Price gouging because of SBE

Is price gouging by a pool hall near SBE good practice?

  • Price gouging is great because room owners deserve all the profits they can get

    Votes: 43 54.4%
  • Price gouging sucks and only greedy pool room owners do this

    Votes: 36 45.6%

  • Total voters
    79

kaznj

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Can someone give us some actual examples? How much did it cost for table time, and at which pool halls?
 

jhanso18

Broken Lock
Silver Member
If that were to keep even ONE pool room open that would have other wised closed, then good.
 

UrackmIcrackm

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If that were to keep even ONE pool room open that would have other wised closed, then good.

This is basically the same thing I was thinking. So many pool rooms have closed over the last 20 years that it is truly saddening. It is very difficult for rooms to stay afloat, esp ones that cannot serve alcohol which is the bread and butter for the ones that can serve it.

Events like this can be the deciding factor on whether a place stays in business or not. Because of all the gun control issues of today, one of the largest outdoor sports shows on the East Coast was recently canceled. I read more than one story in the paper from small business owners that said they didn't think they would be able to stay open through the end of the year due to the loss of revenue that they rely on from the show.
 

TSW

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Look at it the other way. You want to play at a pool room. All of a sudden there are thousands of additional pool players in the area. Demand for pool tables is way up; supply of pool tables is constant. The usage of tables has to be rationed somehow; such as by raising the price, establishing long waiting lists, capping the amount of time on a table, etc. Raising the price is a far better choice, since money is a much better medium of exchange than time.

I don't consider it "gouging." I fully support room owners raising the price due to high demand. That's basic economics.
 

TheBook

Ret Professional Goof Off
Silver Member
Whenever there is an event the prices go up.

Parking for any sporting event, concert and etc rises

Drink prices rise, there are no happy hours except for the owner.

Hotel prices increase.

Just the way it is, take advantage of the opportunity.

When business is slow you decrease prices to attract customers, if they are beating down your door you don't need to offer discounts.

.
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
I think it is call supply, v/s demand.

When demand increases, and suppply decreases, price follow in a upward spiral.
 

Jodacus

Shoot...don't talk
Silver Member
Twenty years ago my wife made a
product (usually for children) that
became so popular that it was taking
up all of her time.

She started out making these things
for free for her friends and their kids.
The product became so popular that soon
complete strangers were calling and asking
for special orders for their kids. At first my
wife obliged everyone because it was mostly
for the kids but soon it became way too much.

I suggested she charge for her product and
charge the amount that allowed her to make
as many as she was comfortable with and still
produce free ones for her friends. She wasn't
comfortable charging people so instead she
quit making the product completely.

That is the result of an inability to charge
what the market will bear. The free market
is the absolute best price regulator available
for most products. There are exceptions, of
coarse, but those are rare.

It's no secret that most people are too stupid
and/or to selfish to govern themselves.
 

SUPERSTAR

I am Keyser Söze
Silver Member
Hotels are more expensive on the weekends.
Airfare goes up in the summer.

These are not instances of "price gouging".
Neither is a poolroom raising their rates when an event is in town.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_gouging

"Price gouging is a pejorative term referring to a situation (EXPO) in which a seller (POOL HALL) prices goods or commodities much higher than is considered reasonable or fair (ONLY TO SOME). This rapid increase in prices occurs after a demand or supply shock (POOL HALLS IN SHORT SUPPLY, MORE POOL PLAYERS IN AREA)"

Hopefully you realize, that there will be certain people who consider the prices reasonable and fair, and others that do not.
 

krupa

The Dream Operator
Silver Member
Hopefully you realize, that there will be certain people who consider the prices reasonable and fair, and others that do not.

Of course, but just having a few people think a price is unreasonable doesn't make it "price gouging."
 

Nine ... corner

BANNED
Silver Member
I don't agree with it at all. I was vice president of a sports memorabilia company for about 11 years until they went bankrupt. I remember when Earnhardt died, the very next morning everyone except for us had jacked up prices to ridiculous amounts. I just couldn't justify making a profit like that off someone's tragedy. I realize that's not the same thing the OP is talking about but that's the main reason I don't agree with it in any instance.

This situation is also about supply and demand. While Earnhardt's death was tragic, obviously the supply of Earnhardt memorabilia just stopped. Your competitors were just reacting to market conditions. Your company's inaction to the same market conditions could have been a contributing factor leading to its going bankrupt.
 

Nine ... corner

BANNED
Silver Member
What do you guys think about local billiards establishments close to the expo, jacking up their prices on things as a result of the expo being in town.

From food items to table time, etc etc.

Do you agree with this practice or not?

The totally biased way that you posed the two choices did not deter me from casting my vote for room owners having every right to sieze on a market condition and make a few extra bucks for a short period of time.

News flash --- every notice that a tuna sandwich costs about $12 at the airport???
 

kaznj

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I still haven't heard any specific facts. Is this just another rumor? Does someone just think the prices where raised because it is more expensive to run a pool hall in New Jersey then in most other places?
Does anyone know if any pool hall in the area raised its prices just for this event?

Did anyone buy a Qpod? I would like to know who thought this was worth the $80- $1000 price for something that you put your chalk into?
 

bdorman

Dead money
Silver Member
Has anyone in the history of the world, upon selling their house, ever said

"No, I don't want to list my house at the going rate because that's too high. I'll take a lower price."

It's only gouging when the other guy does it.
 

Nine ... corner

BANNED
Silver Member
It's only gouging when the other guy does it.

Lol ... isn't that the truth! I would bet if we put this thread next to the one concerning how much money Allen Hopkins was going to make that the posters that have their panties in a bunch due to alleged gouging would be the same ones that felt that Hopkins was making too much money.

Ya' gotta love the way the two choices in the poll were worded. Geez I wonder how the writer of the poll voted. :rolleyes:
 

Rain-Man

Team Deplorable
Silver Member
....

I don't agree with it at all. I was vice president of a sports memorabilia company for about 11 years until they went bankrupt. I remember when Earnhardt died, the very next morning everyone except for us had jacked up prices to ridiculous amounts. I just couldn't justify making a profit like that off someone's tragedy. I realize that's not the same thing the OP is talking about but that's the main reason I don't agree with it in any instance.


Maybe thats why they went bankrupt....:rolleyes:
 
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