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Consumer Shopping Behavior: How Much Do Consumers Save?

delete2009-04-01
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OA
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R
Rachel Griffith *
A
Andrew Leicester
A
Aviv Nevo
DOI:10.1257/jep.23.2.99delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
This paper documents the potential and actual savings that consumers realize from four particular types of purchasing behavior: purchasing on sale; buying in bulk (at a lower per unit price); buying generic brands; and choosing outlets. How much can and do households save through each of these behaviors? How do these patterns vary with consumer demographics? We use data collected by a marketing firm on all food purchases brought into the home for a large, nationally representative sample of U.K. households in 2006. We are interested in how consumer choice affects the measurement of price changes. In particular, a standard price index based on a fixed basket of goods will overstate the rise in the true cost of living because it does not properly consider sales and bulk purchasing. According to our measures, the extent of this bias might be of the same or even greater magnitude than the better-known substitution and outlet biases.
Keywords:
PRICE-INDEX
SALES
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Journal

J
Journal of Economic Perspectives
IF:
8.8
Papers:
1.8K
Citations:
2.0W

Organization

L
London School Economics and Political Science
Scholars:
3.8K
Papers: 3.2K
Citations: 40
U
university of london
Scholars:
21.5W
Papers: 19.7W
Citations: 305