voiceofreason
Senior News Editor since 2011
https://www.nj.com/hudson/2020/03/j...amid-coronavirus-outbreak-city-officials.html
Jersey City store hit with $90K in fines for price gouging amid coronavirus outbreak: city officials
Updated Mar 13, 2020
Jersey City has slapped a dollar store with $90,000 in fines after accusing the owners of exploiting the coronavirus crisis by overcharging customers for cleaning supplies.
Municipal Prosecutor Jake Hudnut, who heads the city’s Quality of Life Task Force, said the 99 Cent Dream store on Newark Avenue was issued nine tickets — at $10,000 per offense — for inflating the price of disinfectant wipes, disinfectant sprays and rubbing alcohol.
“The city received concerns through social media that certain stores were raising the cost of cleaning and disinfectant supplies,” Hudnut said. “As always with our quality-of-life enforcement, the number one goal is compliance rather than punishment.”
The two owners of 99 cent Dream could not be reached for comment Friday.
Hudnut said first offenses are $10,000 each and any offense that follows carries with it a $20,000 fine.
“The officers did have a conversation with the store owners that responded, we do believe that the prices were returned or lowered to the lawful amounts after our response,” Hudnut said.
Mayor Steve Fulop, who was with Hudnut at the store Thursday, tweeted footage of officers looking through the store. One example of the price gouging at the store was a bottle of rubbing alcohol raised from $2.99 to $6.99, Fulop said.
“We won’t accept people taking advantage of residents,” Fulop tweeted. “People sometimes can be terrible in how they treat each other.”
https://www.manta.com/d/mmgm2cv/99-cent-dream
99 Cent Dream
167 Newark Avenue 169 Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201) 433-0001
Owner Mohammed Iqbal
Jersey City store hit with $90K in fines for price gouging amid coronavirus outbreak: city officials
Updated Mar 13, 2020
Jersey City has slapped a dollar store with $90,000 in fines after accusing the owners of exploiting the coronavirus crisis by overcharging customers for cleaning supplies.
Municipal Prosecutor Jake Hudnut, who heads the city’s Quality of Life Task Force, said the 99 Cent Dream store on Newark Avenue was issued nine tickets — at $10,000 per offense — for inflating the price of disinfectant wipes, disinfectant sprays and rubbing alcohol.
“The city received concerns through social media that certain stores were raising the cost of cleaning and disinfectant supplies,” Hudnut said. “As always with our quality-of-life enforcement, the number one goal is compliance rather than punishment.”
The two owners of 99 cent Dream could not be reached for comment Friday.
Hudnut said first offenses are $10,000 each and any offense that follows carries with it a $20,000 fine.
“The officers did have a conversation with the store owners that responded, we do believe that the prices were returned or lowered to the lawful amounts after our response,” Hudnut said.
Mayor Steve Fulop, who was with Hudnut at the store Thursday, tweeted footage of officers looking through the store. One example of the price gouging at the store was a bottle of rubbing alcohol raised from $2.99 to $6.99, Fulop said.
“We won’t accept people taking advantage of residents,” Fulop tweeted. “People sometimes can be terrible in how they treat each other.”
https://www.manta.com/d/mmgm2cv/99-cent-dream
99 Cent Dream
167 Newark Avenue 169 Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201) 433-0001
Owner Mohammed Iqbal