A gas station in Georgia is accused of price gouging a community left devastated in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Video uploaded earlier this week to the now-private TikTok account BGGFarm showed a crowd of people around a gas pump at Pope’s Grocery Store (Formerly Smile Grocery) in Augusta, Georgia, as a man, presumably an employee of the gas station, filled a container on the ground.
The man behind the camera questioned employees on how much was being charged per gallon, but he was immediately questioned about why he was recording a video.
“One more time, how much a gallon?” the man asked. “I just want to hear.”
A woman standing at the pump began calling him out for recording the alleged price gouging.
“Why is he taking a video?” she asked. “He’s taking a video!”
A man then stepped into frame and confirmed the price being charged for a gallon of gas was $10. “Video me,” he told the person making the recording, pointing to himself as the video ended.
Although the original TikTok account is private, the video has now been uploaded across the internet.
OUTRAGEOUS: Gas station in Augusta, GA is engaging in price gouging, charging $10 per gallon!
If you suspect price gouging, report it to the Georgia Consumer Protection Division at:
Consumer Complaints: (404)651-8600
Toll-free in Georgia: (800) 869-1123
Or Online Complaint… pic.twitter.com/1XqF2ABbaJ
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) September 30, 2024
Users were furious over the video, with many calling for the gas station and its owners to face severe repercussions.
Price gouging in a national emergency is against the law this is why they don’t want to be recorded. Turn them in.
— Tiger🇺🇸 (@TinyTiger1962) September 30, 2024
Hope they go to prison and lose their store
— Ryan – Wake up America (@RyanLayne17) September 30, 2024
Their licenses should be revoked and the business closed. There’s no way to justify theft.
— CaptainUSATX (@CaptainUSATX) September 30, 2024
The change in the location’s name from Smile Grocery to Pope’s Grocery Store appears to be a very recent adjustment, as Google results from before Helene’s landfall showed no listings for Pope’s Grocery at the gas station’s location.
Should price gouging be illegal?
Georgia businesses are prohibited from price gouging during a declared state of emergency.
After an emergency is declared, the governor must then specify which goods, if any, the law will apply to.
“Businesses may not sell any of the specified goods or services at prices higher than the prices at which those same goods or services were offered before the declaration of a state of emergency,” a post on the Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division website said. “Nor may a business raise the price of supplies or services for the purpose of salvaging, repairing or rebuilding structures damaged as the result of a natural disaster.”
Violators of this law can be fined anywhere between $2,000 and $15,000 per violation.
Governor Brian Kemp’s Sept. 24 executive order declaring a state of emergency over Helene specified fuel as one of the items that is now protected under the price gouging law.
In the order, Kemp declared “price gouging related to good and services necessary for preparation, response and recovery activities for this State of Emergency for Tropical Storm Helene, including motor fuel, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products, would be detrimental to the social and economic welfare of the citizens of this State and is therefore prohibited.”
Helene’s destruction was felt across multiple states, seeing homes and communities virtually wiped off the map.
Looting has also been a concern for survivors of the disaster, and law enforcement has already made multiple arrests in the region. Officials have put guards on food, water and fuel supply caches in many areas.
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