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Making money from 'Dean'
Francine Black/Dwayne McLeod, Staff Reporters
Necessity has certainly been the mother of invention for several Jamaicans who have been making money offering several services following the passage of Hurricane Dean.
Some persons have been making money by hiking prices while others have been offering services for a 'fee'.
Increasing the prices of some commodities has been quite popular across the island. In Old Harbour, St. Catherine, a flimsy flashlight that once cost $30 is now being sold for a $100, while a single D size battery has moved from $25 to $100.
There has also been an increase in cold drinks. The price of bag juice has moved from $10 to $20 and bottled sodas now cost $60, an addition $20 charge.
One vendor in downtown, Kingston, said she increased the cost for some juices because she had to buy ice to keep them cool. Ice, she said, is now a precious commodity.
The vendor said she had stored her juices in a deep freeze, which was still filled with ice and when it melts she may be out of business until electricity returns.
"Mi nah buy no more till light come back ... People buying a lot of cold drink. Like dis morning mi buy a case a Wata and it sell off cause it cool," she said.
There have also been reports that bus fares to some sections of St. Thomas have increased because of a detour.
Buses have had to drive through Easington instead of across the Yallas ford a section of it was washed away in the hurricane.
Now a trip from Kingston to Yallahs costs $150 up from $100, while a trip to Morant Bay has increased from $150 to $350.
In the district of Comma Pen, St. Elizabeth, Ras a supermarket owner, who owns a generator, is making big bucks, not from shelved items, but from the storage and refrigeration services he began to offer in the wake of Hurricane Dean.
THE STAR heard that since electricity has not been restored to the district, Ras uses his three freezers and two refrigerators to store perishable items.
According to residents, depen-ding on the amount of items, they pay as little as $1,00 or as much as $1000 for the service.
The store owner admitted to charging for both these services and also said that he has reaped handsome rewards.
"Yes man, mi charge dem a ting yes, depending pon di amount a tings weh deh waa mi preserve fi dem..rite ya now di freezer dem an di fridge dem still full up, nuh more space nuh lef. Mi eat a big food affa it yes," Ras said.
During the hurricane, Ras also used the space of his supermarket to store appliances and other items for residents who felt their roog tops would not withstand wind gusts.
This service attracted a charge of $1,500 for the evening of the storm, and $500 for any additional day.
"Bway it might soun' like a whole heap a money, but it worth it. Fi him roof a slab suh it naw blow off so it betta him keep di tings fi wi cause it work out cheapa anyway. Imagine if yu TV get wet up...yu affi go find way more the fifteen bills fi buy back one," Marcia, a resident who admitted to paying for the service, told THE STAR.
Chico, another supermarket owner from Mandeville, Man-chester, offers a cellphone charging service for as much as $300.
Residents claim that while they think the price is a little too expensive, they have no other option as their mobile devices are without battery life.
"Three bills dear yes, I naw lie but mi sen my phone up a Chico go charge yes, cause it dead and mi haffi use it do mi transaction dem," Milly, a resident said.
Chico who admitted to offering and charging for his service, also admitted that this was not the first time he had been involved in such a venture.
"One hand wash di odda eno... me charge dem phone and dem pay me. A nuh di first time either, when Ivan did deh yah mi did do it but a two bills dem time deh," Chico said. "If dem nuh have di three bills dem jus gimmi weh dem have an me will determine a reasonable amount a charging fi di money," he explained.
However the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is encouraging Jamaicans not to purchase goods at high prices. They are also asking persons to report all cases of price gouging to the commission who says it will investigate each case fairly. "We promise to investigate every single one fairly," Dorothy Campbell, communication specialist at the commission said. In addition she suggested that consumers shop around for services and goods before purchasing and also suggests that people shop with people who they know.
Francine Black/Dwayne McLeod, Staff Reporters
Necessity has certainly been the mother of invention for several Jamaicans who have been making money offering several services following the passage of Hurricane Dean.
Some persons have been making money by hiking prices while others have been offering services for a 'fee'.
Increasing the prices of some commodities has been quite popular across the island. In Old Harbour, St. Catherine, a flimsy flashlight that once cost $30 is now being sold for a $100, while a single D size battery has moved from $25 to $100.
There has also been an increase in cold drinks. The price of bag juice has moved from $10 to $20 and bottled sodas now cost $60, an addition $20 charge.
One vendor in downtown, Kingston, said she increased the cost for some juices because she had to buy ice to keep them cool. Ice, she said, is now a precious commodity.
The vendor said she had stored her juices in a deep freeze, which was still filled with ice and when it melts she may be out of business until electricity returns.
"Mi nah buy no more till light come back ... People buying a lot of cold drink. Like dis morning mi buy a case a Wata and it sell off cause it cool," she said.
There have also been reports that bus fares to some sections of St. Thomas have increased because of a detour.
Buses have had to drive through Easington instead of across the Yallas ford a section of it was washed away in the hurricane.
Now a trip from Kingston to Yallahs costs $150 up from $100, while a trip to Morant Bay has increased from $150 to $350.
In the district of Comma Pen, St. Elizabeth, Ras a supermarket owner, who owns a generator, is making big bucks, not from shelved items, but from the storage and refrigeration services he began to offer in the wake of Hurricane Dean.
THE STAR heard that since electricity has not been restored to the district, Ras uses his three freezers and two refrigerators to store perishable items.
According to residents, depen-ding on the amount of items, they pay as little as $1,00 or as much as $1000 for the service.
The store owner admitted to charging for both these services and also said that he has reaped handsome rewards.
"Yes man, mi charge dem a ting yes, depending pon di amount a tings weh deh waa mi preserve fi dem..rite ya now di freezer dem an di fridge dem still full up, nuh more space nuh lef. Mi eat a big food affa it yes," Ras said.
During the hurricane, Ras also used the space of his supermarket to store appliances and other items for residents who felt their roog tops would not withstand wind gusts.
This service attracted a charge of $1,500 for the evening of the storm, and $500 for any additional day.
"Bway it might soun' like a whole heap a money, but it worth it. Fi him roof a slab suh it naw blow off so it betta him keep di tings fi wi cause it work out cheapa anyway. Imagine if yu TV get wet up...yu affi go find way more the fifteen bills fi buy back one," Marcia, a resident who admitted to paying for the service, told THE STAR.
Chico, another supermarket owner from Mandeville, Man-chester, offers a cellphone charging service for as much as $300.
Residents claim that while they think the price is a little too expensive, they have no other option as their mobile devices are without battery life.
"Three bills dear yes, I naw lie but mi sen my phone up a Chico go charge yes, cause it dead and mi haffi use it do mi transaction dem," Milly, a resident said.
Chico who admitted to offering and charging for his service, also admitted that this was not the first time he had been involved in such a venture.
"One hand wash di odda eno... me charge dem phone and dem pay me. A nuh di first time either, when Ivan did deh yah mi did do it but a two bills dem time deh," Chico said. "If dem nuh have di three bills dem jus gimmi weh dem have an me will determine a reasonable amount a charging fi di money," he explained.
However the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is encouraging Jamaicans not to purchase goods at high prices. They are also asking persons to report all cases of price gouging to the commission who says it will investigate each case fairly. "We promise to investigate every single one fairly," Dorothy Campbell, communication specialist at the commission said. In addition she suggested that consumers shop around for services and goods before purchasing and also suggests that people shop with people who they know.
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