By Joshua Huff, sports editor
The Better Business Bureau reported on Wednesday that price gouging has risen throughout this past week as the nation deals with the economic complications brought on by the coronavirus.
The BBB issued a release stating that it has seen an increase in consumer complaints regarding price gouging of essential items such as bottled water, hand sanitizer, face masks, and food supplies as social distancing restrictions go into effect in many locations.
The nonprofit organization urges consumers to report price gouging at BBB.org/AdTruth. The BBB will follow up with companies that have inflated priced and will work with state attorney generals “to address particularly egregious cases”
The BBB defines price gouging as “raising prices to an unreasonable extent beyond a business’s own increased costs is a violation of its Standards for Trust, which encourages businesses to build trust through honesty, transparency, and integrity.”