曼昆经济学原理第5版中文(陈宇峰编译)第17章.pptVIP

* * As I prepare this PowerPoint, I am shopping for a home theater sound system. My experience is relevant to this slide, and students have had similar experiences when shopping for stereo components, computers, or other products. I visited a local store to check out different brands and models. The salesperson at this store is very knowledgeable, and the store provided several comfortable, sound-proofed rooms where I could spend as much time as I wanted “auditioning” the various components without the intrusion of outside noise. Based on this shopping experience, I have selected a particular model made by Denon, a high-end brand that you really have to hear to appreciate. Now that I have decided on a brand and model, my incentive is to buy from a discount retailer. If I do, the discount retailer is, in effect, free-riding off of the full-service retailer I visited. If all consumers used the full-service retailers only for information, and then purchased from discount superstores, then full-service retailers would all go out of business. Denon knows this. They also know that consumers are less likely to choose their equipment over cheaper brands if consumers do not have the opportunity to hear how great Denon’s gear sounds. So, to prevent discount retailers from driving full-service retailers out of business, Denon engages in a variation of the “fair trade” practice discussed on this slide: Denon only honors its warranty if the consumer purchased the product from an “authorized retailer.” For a retailer to be “authorized,” it must agree to sell Denon’s products at prices not lower than Denon specifies. I can find unauthorized retailers who will sell me Denon gear at lower prices, but Denon’s practice of not honoring the warranty gives me an incentive to pay a few extra bucks to buy it from an “authorized” seller of Denon products. * * Regarding the last two points: Predatory pricing requires selling products below cost, generating losses. Th