The increasing cost of respirator masks and other personal protective equipment has led to complaints of price gouging in B.C. For one company, it shared that its increased prices reflect the reality of getting sought-after goods into Canada in the midst of a pandemic.
The Showcase store at Lansdowne Mall was selling N95 mask for $10 apiece and the similar KN95 masks, which Health Canada recently approved as an alternative to the N95, for $8 per piece.
Even in bulk, the company charges $399.99 for a box of 50 KN95 masks through its website, a price some customers felt was unreasonably high. For the CEO of Showcase, the company is charging less than its usual markup for the masks, indicating a huge increase in the cost of getting goods into the country, including a 1,705 percent hike in air freight charges.
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Learn how to stay safe by enrolling in a mask fitting test which is a requirement for many workplaces and school admissions or the available masks for sale by visiting our face mask sale page.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html