North Texas Daily

With all the chaos ensuing, essential supplies have been scarce for weeks now. Things like toilet paper and hand sanitizer are absent on store shelves, and even Amazon is not getting these items to their customers for weeks. Amazon Prime is nearly nonexistent, and there seems to be more panic as the days go by. 

One thing people are not paying enough attention to are the people trying their very hardest to financially capitalize on the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether they are big name celebrities or normal people hogging as much hand sanitizer as humanly possible, trying to profit off of the virus is something that should be heavily frowned upon, or even punishable.

Scott Disick, most commonly known for his relations with the Kardashian family, is selling hoodies and shirts that read, “PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS.” These hoodies are going for nearly $130. When people see a Kardashian wearing a hoodie with a message that also relates to what is going on in the world, chances are they will want to buy it. But $130 for a hoodie is ridiculous. I think it is one thing to sell the hoodies and donate a profit of the sales towards research or organizations trying to put a stop to the virus, but as far as any news goes, Mr. Disick is making no attempts to do so.

Noah Colvin purchased nearly 18,00 bottles of hand sanitizer, hoping to jack the prices up and resell to make a ginormous profit. There are many families out there who could have used those hand sanitizer bottles, but because of people like Colvin, essential items like these are now in short supply. Fortunately, Colvin is unable to resell any of the bottles because sellers like Amazon and Ebay are fighting against the risk of price gouging, so Colvin is now stuck with nearly 18,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. Colvin has begun donating bottles around his town, but his primary intentions were still present. If Amazon and Ebay hadn’t taken a stand, who knows what kind of financial damage Colvin could have done. 

It is also scary that so much food is being taken off the shelves at such a high rate. Some families are forced to leave the house in order to acquire their essentials, and if you or someone you know is in this situation, please do your best to support the local businesses that need your help during this time. It is crucial that you practice social distancing, but in the case where you need to retrieve some essentials, try and do so from a Denton-based store or restaurant. A situation like this could end the business of so many smaller places, but with the cautious help of the public, there is a chance that we can all do our part and keep all parties afloat.

In the end, keep washing your hands and practicing social distancing. The more days go by, the more news comes in and the more progress we make in flattening the curve. People shouldn’t be price gouging essentials, they should be donating them to families and businesses in need. Times like this require us all to be good people by bringing everyone closer together as a community, just six feet apart.

Featured Illustration: Miranda Thomas