WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- Don't let price gougers fool you this hurricane season.
Palm Beach County's Consumer Affairs Division recently conducted a price survey of popular commodities needed in preparation for a hurricane.
The county surveyed 75 items, including chain saws and plastic tarps, among 40 small and large retailers in Palm Beach County this year. Some items, such as pull-start generators with 1,800 to 1,399 watts of power, came down in price from an average cost of $679.66 in 2008 to $568.89 this year.
However, other items, such as propane lanterns, jumped up more than 40 percent in price to a cost of $31.98.
For a complete list of commodity prices, go to
www.pbcgov.com/consumer and click on "Hurricane Info" and check under "Hurricane Directory" for the "Emergency/Hurricane Commodity Survey Results."
