Question

Sam is a retiree with considerable resources, so he doesn't really spend much time on purchase decisions. His belief is that the most expensive brand is probably also the best in terms of quality. Sam uses price as a _____ indicator of quality.

Answer 1

Answer: completing the last sentence in question:

Sam uses price as a surrogate indicator of quality.

Explanation: From the question, Sam when making purchases, has a believe that the costlier goods posses more quality than other cheaper goods. Therefore he is indirectly taking price as a key indicator of quality or a replacement for quality.