The Writers' Corner ~ The Gouger

With a "Harump!" and a wagging of his finger, Farmer Brown told the town's only storekeeper that he was price gouging. “Consarn, Clarence,” he told him, “jes cuz yer the only game in town doesn’t give ya the right to exploit folks.”

Clarence Green smiled condescendingly and replied, “Now Bill, you hafta understand the problems of commerce at the retail level. I’m competing with those giants like Walmart, Home Depot and the like. Even if they’re miles away, their prices are fairly well know, and folks here abouts expect me to match ‘em.” He shook his head, “Cain’t do it, Bill.”

“Hell,” Bill Brown responded, “It’s getting so it’d be worth the time and gas money to drive the forty miles to Walmarts, jes to put you straight. We’re not damn fools around here. We expect to pay a little more, but....” He shook his head disgustedly, picked up a sack of fertilizer and continued, “See this here? I know Walmarts sells it for twenty-five percent less, at least.” He poked his face closer to the storeowner, to emphasize the point.

“But, Bill, they buy in bulk, far cheaper than I can. Believe me, I’m struggling to keep this store open. How would you feel if you actually had to drive way off to Walmart on a regular basis?”

All at once, Bill began to see things as they were. “Okay, Clarence, let’s say that I do see your problem. That sure doesn’t mean I need to make it mine.” He hoisted the sack over his shoulder and headed out to his pickup truck. His mind was working overtime.

First, he went to the Town Hall and had a long talk with his brother, who was on the town council. His brother made a few phone calls, warded off some arguments and gave up on a few others. After an hour, he said to Bill, “Okay, you’re all set. I’ve got enough backing for you. The rest is up to you. You do know the impact this will have on Green’s business, don’t you?”

“Yep. Ain’t trying to destroy him, but the fella has to be held in check with his pricin’. The man reckons he’s holdin’ all the cards.”

Bill and his wife, Charlotte, spent the next few days typing up flyers on their computer, posting them in prominent places around town, and then sat back to wait for the phone to ring. Word spread fast, and in only two weeks time, there were thirty people lined up for the regular run to Walmart once a week on the school bus. All of them were quite willing to pay the two dollar fare to offset the fuel cost.

In a short time folks noted that Green’s prices were considerably lower. However, the bus became so popular, that the store owner continued to lose money and, in fact, now was struggling to stay in business. On the other hand, he had a lot of Walmart stock in his portfolio.