Journal of Political Economy Vol. 99 No. 1 1991
Price Discrimination and Retail Configuration
Abstract
The hypothesis that price discrimination based on willingness-to-pay for quality can occur in multifirm markets is confirmed using microdata on gasoline retailing. A test that discriminates between price structures associated with discrimination and with cost-driven, competitive differentials is developed and implemented with controls for variation in outlet and market characteristics. A second test based on profitability variation rejects a competitive, peak-load pricing explanation for the observed price dispersion. The data suggest that price discrimination at the retail level adds at least nine cents a gallon to the average price of full-service gasoline.
- DOI
- 10.1086/261739
- Volume
- 99
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 30-53
- Language
- en
- Sources
- crossref openalex