‘Get rich or die trying’ takes on a sinister edge in 2020, where capitalism and the COVID-19 virus have met head-on.

While most people are sitting in the safety of their homes, trying to keep their immune systems strong while sticking to online shopping, others have identified a business opportunity.

While we’re usually all for entrepreneurship, this is not cool.

And it’s not just individual opportunists. Retailers are using fear to slap more zeroes on their price tags.

A New Zealand publication, Newshub, says that prices went up, there, as soon as the first case of coronavirus was announced.

“Fear can make us do irrational things, leading to some people taking advantage of this moment to capitalise on panic buying consumers. In the wake of New Zealand’s first case of COVID-19 being officially confirmed on Friday afternoon, Stuff reported that a pack of two respirator face masks were selling for $100 on Trade Me (Mitre 10 sells these for $10.73 and a set of four travel-size hand sanitisers for $50, or $12.50 each (Kmart sells these for $3.50).”

According to The Verge, Amazon is trying to crack down on what people are calling ‘coronacapitalism’ by restricting items like face masks and hand sanitisers, and prosecuting those whose pricing borders on extortion.

The Telegraph explains that it isn’t just hygiene items that are going up in price. Companies are capitalising on the best video conferencing apps, used to cut down on human contact:

Other sectors likely to make money off the outbreak include the video game industry (holing up with the latest in gaming technology while the world descends into chaos seems like a reasonable idea), fresh food delivery companies, home fitness (live-streamed workouts with an instructor are now a big thing), video streaming (you’ve heard of ‘Netflix and chill’, now get ready for ‘Netflix and wash your hands’), pharmaceutical companies, and e-commerce stores in general.

One journalist from The Guardian has called these opportunists “the grifters”:

“Take Scott Disick. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star is selling T-shirts and hoodies with PLEASE WASH YOUR HANDS written on them. The hoodies cost $129.

This is nothing compared with the US televangelist Jim Bakker, who recently got in trouble for a claim made on his show that a product for sale on his website, called Silver Solution, could cure coronavirus.”

Never trust a televangelist.

Stay strong – there’s no need to bankrupt yourself.

This too shall pass.

[sources:newshub&thetelegraph&theguardian&theverge]