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- Title
Non-Linear Pricing and Price Indexes: Evidence and Implications from Scanner Data.
- Authors
Fox, Kevin J.; Melser, Daniel
- Abstract
Non-linear pricing, the fact that prices do not necessarily change in proportion to size, is a ubiquitous phenomenon. However, it has been neither particularly well understood nor well measured. Non-linear pricing is of practical importance for statistical agencies who, in constructing price indexes, are often required to compare the relative price of a product-variety of two different sizes. It is usually assumed that prices change one-for-one with package and pack size (e.g. a 1-liter cola costs half as much as a 2-liter bottle). We question the wisdom of such an assumption and outline a model to flexibly estimate the price-size function. Applying our model to a large U. S. scanner dataset for carbonated beverages, at a disaggregated level, we find very significant discounts for larger-sized products. This highlights the need to pursue methods such as those advocated in this paper.
- Subjects
UNITED States; NONLINEAR pricing; PRICE indexes; COLA drinks; CARBONATED beverages; PRICES
- Publication
Review of Income & Wealth, 2014, Vol 60, Issue 2, p261
- ISSN
0034-6586
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/roiw.12000