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People are scalping baby formula and I hate humanity. A rant thread.

Ouroboros

Ouroboros

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,012
United States
So both my brother and I have babies. It's his third and my second. They both are still on formula and it's near impossible to find in our area. I looked eBay and what we paid $50 for MSRP is going for $83.50 on eBay. That's absolutely disgusting and I think eBay should be delisting these posts.

Scalping a PlayStation or Deck or some piece of entertainment is one thing. Good for babies is downright evil. And please no "but it's capitalism and they have every right to do that" posts.
 
J2C

J2C

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,397
I've heard about this. Beyond fucked up, children's nutrition
 
TheXbox

TheXbox

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 29, 2017
6,558
Subhuman behavior. Sorry you have to deal with that bullshit.
 
SoH

SoH

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,736
Wouldn't baby formula be classified as a necessity making this illegal in all (nearly all?) states?

(Which is to say.. what the fuck are you doing, ebay?)
 

Deleted member 2802

Community Resetter
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
33,729
lake said:
Do we know why there's an apparent shortage?
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Heard on the news the factories are outputting at max capacity

Could be as a result of recalls
www.cnn.com

The baby formula supply problem is getting worse

For months stores nationwide have been struggling to stock enough baby formula. Manufacturers say they're producing at full capacity and making as much formula as they can, but it's still not enough to meet current demand.
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com
In February, the US Food and Drug Administration recalled three brands of powdered baby formulas made by the company due to potential bacterial infections, including Salmonella. The agency advised parents not to buy or use certain batches of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare powdered infant formulas
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Gpsych

Member
May 20, 2019
2,894
This is a huge struggle in my region too. Everyone is sold out. I have one canister left and Amazon is all, "Ships in 1 to 2 months…" except for a giant pack of six which goes for $200 (which is MSRP). I can afford to go ahead and pay $200 all at once, but many people can't just drop that much and do the one canister at a time thing. It's awful.
 
mhayes86

mhayes86

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,248
Maryland
My wife and I have been getting our formula from Aldi. As far as we have found, it's no different from branded formula other than it doesn't specify being GMO free. Our daughter took to it without an issue, it's half the price of brand formula, and people don't seem to even know Aldi sells formula so we've had no issues finding it even after the Similac recall.
 
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Nose Master

Nose Master

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,717
The grocery store I worked at 20 years ago used to stamp which store they came from on the bottom of the tins. Prolly more to deter theft but, scalpers are unsurprising
 
ElectricBlanketFire

ElectricBlanketFire

What year is this?
Member
Oct 25, 2017
31,854
There's a limit to the number of canisters you can purchase at our local grocery store.

Obviously, it's unenforceable.
 
Booshka

Booshka

Banned
May 8, 2018
3,957
Colton, CA
Poverty leads to some terrible things. Should have kept the Child Tax Credit going.

The "C" word is definitely a factor here. Instead of attacking systems that lead to horrific behaviors, let's just individualize and dehumanize people for the structural oppression that they live under.
 
themadcowtipper

themadcowtipper

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,112
Brannon

Brannon

One Winged Slayer
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
1,580
www.cnn.com

The baby formula supply problem is getting worse

For months stores nationwide have been struggling to stock enough baby formula. Manufacturers say they're producing at full capacity and making as much formula as they can, but it's still not enough to meet current demand.
www.cnn.com www.cnn.com

In short, factories are going as hard as they can making them, but the threat of rare bacterial infections contaminating several brands probably means that the other brands have to make up for it, probably getting spread thin.

edit-beaten
 
Diarrhea Day-Lewis

Diarrhea Day-Lewis

Member
Oct 27, 2017
20,761
Yeah me too. Got a 8 month old baby. I'm buying two formula boxes every time I see any in the shelves.

Honestly I wish people would meet up with the scalpers, record them, and then send the video to the news or something. Post on their social media about how they're scalping formula. Disgusting to scalp sell food, let alone fucking food for babies who can't help themselves at all.
 
Dr. Zoidberg

Dr. Zoidberg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,227
Decapod 10
The scalping/reselling is out of control. People will snap up anything they think they can resell for a profit. Specific brands of baby food, hair spray or toilet paper, you name it. If there's any scarcity whatsoever, people will take advantage. Any time I go into a thrift store these days I am convinced greater than 50% of the customers there are cruising the isles looking for anything that can profitably be resold. Hence why, outside of clothes, there is nothing but junk in them these days.
 
Birdie

Birdie

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
26,289
We've been out of Baby Formula a lot lately, thought it was a production issue or because there was a recall recently but damn.
 
smurfx

smurfx

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,578
Booshka said:
Poverty leads to some terrible things. Should have kept the Child Tax Credit going.

The "C" word is definitely a factor here. Instead of attacking systems that lead to horrific behaviors, let's just individualize and dehumanize people for the structural oppression that they live under.
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child tax credit wasn't gonna stop people scalping baby formula due to shortages. i don't doubt some that scalp are having financial troubles but lets not give every person an out because many do this as a business not because they have no other choice. whether its baby formula or playstation 5 many of these people are gonna scalp it.
 
RPGam3r

RPGam3r

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,513
Booshka said:
Poverty leads to some terrible things. Should have kept the Child Tax Credit going.

The "C" word is definitely a factor here. Instead of attacking systems that lead to horrific behaviors, let's just individualize and dehumanize people for the structural oppression that they live under.
Click to expand...
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I can say both are shit. My family was pretty fucking poor when I was a kid, my family didn't make it hard for other families to feed their babies.

Also, I have SERIOUS doubts that most of the people scalping the formula are in any dire straights.
 
Via_Purifico

Via_Purifico

Member
Oct 25, 2017
351
Booshka said:
Poverty leads to some terrible things. Should have kept the Child Tax Credit going.

The "C" word is definitely a factor here. Instead of attacking systems that lead to horrific behaviors, let's just individualize and dehumanize people for the structural oppression that they live under.
Click to expand...
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People who scalp are doing it for themselves no matter the situation and I'd call scalping baby food for a profit is oppressing parents in itself.. I've definitely fallen on hard times but that's no excuse to scalp baby formula.

They should definitely be demonized for this.
 
kmfdmpig

kmfdmpig

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
19,369
Booshka said:
Poverty leads to some terrible things. Should have kept the Child Tax Credit going.

The "C" word is definitely a factor here. Instead of attacking systems that lead to horrific behaviors, let's just individualize and dehumanize people for the structural oppression that they live under.
Click to expand...
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It's one thing to blame both, but I don't think someone scalping baby formula deserves a defense or should have their behavior excused because of capitalism.
 
Marion Cobretti

Marion Cobretti

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,241
USA keeps their baby formula locked up behind glass or in cages at grocery stores, says all you need to know about this country.
 
sn00zer

sn00zer

Member
Feb 28, 2018
6,090
We've been ordering from manufacturers directly. I recommend doing it as you get a monthly plan.
 
captive

captive

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,996
Houston
What kind of baby formula and where you live? If I can find some ill ship it for cost.

Fucking outrageous to be scalping baby formula.
 
Booshka

Booshka

Banned
May 8, 2018
3,957
Colton, CA
User Banned (1 Week): Concern Trolling; Excusing Scalping of Essential Goods
It's not even just being in dire straits or extreme poverty, it's the extent and levels of inequality that tends to promote antisocial behaviors and general social disorder.

Yes these people are doing shitty and awful things, but calling people subhuman and other dehumanizing talking points doesn't address fundamental causes that leads to these behaviors.
 
Thordinson

Thordinson

Member
Aug 1, 2018
18,029
Marion Cobretti said:
USA keeps their baby formula locked up behind glass or in cages at grocery stores, says all you need to know about this country.
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I've seen in this in poverty-stricken areas. I used to work at a Walmart that did and still does this.

Lord Fanny said:
Huh? That's not the case at my local stores, and I don't think I've ever seen a store with baby formula locked up like that
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It's not uncommon in areas with lots of poverty where I grew up. Laundry detergent is locked up there too.
 
Delicious Waffles

Delicious Waffles

Member
Nov 5, 2017
4,900
That's terrible. I'm in the same boat, OP.

Got a nine month old. We normally bought a big box with eight bottle of Pro Advance from Costco. They haven't had it for many many months. We've resorted to buying them individually wherever we can find them, which is mainly Target, in-store and online (they only limit you to 4 bottles so my wife and I each have to place an order), and at a local supermarket. We've been lucky that we're able to find bottles here and there but the fact it's so scarce is amazing to me.
 
Rosebud

Rosebud

Two Pieces
Member
Apr 16, 2018
43,583
Booshka said:
It's not even just being in dire straits or extreme poverty, it's the extent and levels of inequality that tends to promote antisocial behaviors and general social disorder.

Yes these people are doing shitty and awful things, but calling people subhuman and other dehumanizing talking points doesn't address fundamental causes that leads to these behaviors.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

But they are making people unable to feed their babies

If they want to scalp there's hundreds of entertainment products and sneakers that people pay tons for
 
megabyte

megabyte

Member
Oct 25, 2017
628
There really is a defense force for everything, huh.

That's despicable behavior OP, I'm so sorry. Since we don't have children, I hadn't realized there was a shortage until seeing this thread.
 
BringBackSonics

BringBackSonics

Member
Oct 27, 2017
45,194
Seattle
Ouroboros said:
So both my brother and I have babies. It's his third and my second. They both are still on formula and it's near impossible to find in our area. I looked eBay and what we paid $50 for MSRP is going for $83.50 on eBay. That's absolutely disgusting and I think eBay should be delisting these posts.

Scalping a PlayStation or Deck or some piece of entertainment is one thing. Good for babies is downright evil. And please no "but it's capitalism and they have every right to do that" posts.
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Have you tried reaching out to some of those new parent groups? They might have a spot where they get formula. Also Costco has good formula, is costco out?

edit: I don't know where OP is. OP. if you are in North America, Costco is a great resource.
 
Muu

Muu

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
1,970
oof, that sucks op. reminds me of when we were facing possible diaper shortages with no stock early in the pandemic.
 
Lord Fanny

Lord Fanny

Banned
Apr 25, 2020
25,953
Thordinson said:
I've seen in this in poverty-stricken areas. I used to work at a Walmart that did and still does this.



It's not uncommon in areas with lots of poverty where I grew up. Laundry detergent is locked up there too.
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I grew up in a small town that was pretty poverty heavy and never saw that. Not that I'm doubting it or anything, just surprising to me.

Booshka said:
It's not even just being in dire straits or extreme poverty, it's the extent and levels of inequality that tends to promote antisocial behaviors and general social disorder.

Yes these people are doing shitty and awful things, but calling people subhuman and other dehumanizing talking points doesn't address fundamental causes that leads to these behaviors.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I get what you're going for, but just so you know, you're wasting your time. Most people here have massive blind spots when to comes to systems in the US that lead to situations like this and will only demonize the individual. You see it all the time with discussions on voting, for instance. That and you're not going to get many to agree with you when it comes to something like this lol, too much emotional attachment
 
Thordinson

Thordinson

Member
Aug 1, 2018
18,029
Lord Fanny said:
I grew up in a small town that was pretty poverty heavy and never saw that. Not that I'm doubting it or anything, just surprising to me.
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Maybe state by state thing? Or a larger city thing? Or just a shitty store thing? lol

Booshka said:
It's not even just being in dire straits or extreme poverty, it's the extent and levels of inequality that tends to promote antisocial behaviors and general social disorder.

Yes these people are doing shitty and awful things, but calling people subhuman and other dehumanizing talking points doesn't address fundamental causes that leads to these behaviors.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This.

The systems in place cause folks to become this desperate or do shitty things. This doesn't absolve them of their actions but our ire should be more reserved for the systems that cause these things.
 
Marion Cobretti

Marion Cobretti

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,241
RPGam3r said:
I'm saying you can't just say the country does that like it's everywhere. The vast majority of places do not do this.
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The USA is a country that has many regions where baby formula is kept locked behind glass or in cages at grocery stores. It speaks volumes about the type of country it is.

Is that better for you?
 
Booshka

Booshka

Banned
May 8, 2018
3,957
Colton, CA
Rosebud said:
But they are making people unable to feed their babies

If they want to scalp there's hundreds of entertainment products and sneakers that people pay tons for
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The CTC program and direct impact payments reduced childhood poverty and hunger by around 40%.

I am not excusing these behaviors, just rather provide nuance and attack systems of oppression instead of people living under it. A lot of the people that are doing these heinous crimes come from marginalized and minority backgrounds as well, so the subhuman comments are especially problematic.
 
kmfdmpig

kmfdmpig

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
19,369
Booshka said:
The CTC program and direct impact payments reduced childhood poverty and hunger by around 40%.

I am not excusing these behaviors, just rather provide nuance and attack systems of oppression instead of people living under it. A lot of the people that are doing these heinous crimes come from marginalized and minority backgrounds as well, so the subhuman comments are especially problematic.
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People who do this are assholes. Full stop. They don't need a defense.
You can seek to understand why they do it, but you're doing more than that, IMO.
 
echoshifting

echoshifting

very salt heavy
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
14,722
The Negative Zone
Booshka said:
The CTC program and direct impact payments reduced childhood poverty and hunger by around 40%.

I am not excusing these behaviors, just rather provide nuance and attack systems of oppression instead of people living under it. A lot of the people that are doing these heinous crimes come from marginalized and minority backgrounds as well, so the subhuman comments are especially problematic.
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Nah they can scalp something else. This is predatory behavior. There's no excuse for it at all.
 
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