Question

Merv's Hardware, a small family-owned store in Middletown, sells a 100-pack of garnet sandpaper for $35. The Home Shoppe, a large retail hardware chain in neighboring Morristown, sells the same product for $29. Based on this scenario, what would you expect Merv's immediate response to be?

Answer 1

Answer:

Merv's Hardware would most likely try to lower the sale price of the sandpaper. In order to do so, the family store would have to reduce the costs of production, both fixed and variable. It might not still be able to match the $29 price offered by The Home Shoppe, but it could expect to rely on convenience for customers because while the Home Shoppe offers a cheaper product, it is located on another town and some customers may not want to go there.