Sorry, your co-worker is exactly correct.
If you start selling toilet paper at $10 a roll, pretty soon other people with toilet paper will show up on the same corner offering it for $9, soon, the $10 guy lowers his to $9, they will continue to do that until they get back to slightly increased prices.
Plus, at $5-8 a roll, people will buy 2-3 rolls and everybody can get some. Instead, as we’re seeing, the real selfish louts hoard all the cheaper toilet paper assuring that very few get it.
You should do some research into basic conservative economics. John Stossel has some good video’s on youtube
I understand economics and agree with it. I disagree with price gauging in a time of crisis. There’s a reason why there are laws against it.