Best Buy explains why it charged $42 for a case of water in Texas during the hurricane in 'a big mistake'

Social media lit up on Tuesday after a picture was posted by a reporter on Twitter which appeared to show a Best Buy in Texas charging $42 for a case of Dasani water.

The picture also showed the price for a case of SmartWater at $29, with a sign noting that there was a "limited supply" of it.

Subsequent commenters accused the store in the Houston suburb of Cypress, Texas of price gouging. A 24-pack of water like that usually costs anywhere between $15 and $20 - even online.

In a statement, a Best Buy spokesperson told Business Insider the pricing was "a big mistake." The price was seen only on Friday, and was due to an employee mistakenly pricing the entire case of water using the price for a single bottle and multiplying it.

Best Buy does not typically sell cases of water, the statement notes, and so the point of sale system had no price for the entire case.

The Best Buy location has been closed after Friday due to the storm. 

"As a company we are focused on helping, not hurting affected people. We're sorry and it won't happen again," the statement says.

Though Best Buy wasn't participating, price gouging for essential goods is routinely an issue in the wake of natural disasters. The Texas Attorney General told the same reporter that the office had received 225 emails and 550 complaints of price gouging since Hurricane Harvey devastated the Texan Gulf region.