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Competition in Posted Prices with Stochastic Discounts

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  • David Gill
  • John Thanassoulis

Abstract

We study price competition between firms over public list or posted prices when a fraction of consumers (termed 'bargainers') can subsequently receive discounts with some probability. Such stochastic discounts are a feature of markets in which some consumers bargain explicitly; of markets in which sellers use the marketing practice of couponing; and of markets in which sellers offer both simple-to-understand tariffs (the posted prices) alongside complex or opaque tariffs that might offer a discount. Even though bargainers receive reductions off the posted prices, the potential to discount dampens competitive pressure in the market by reducing the incentive to undercut a rival's posted price, thus raising all prices and increasing profits. Welfare falls because of the stochastic nature of the discounts, which generates some misallocation of products to consumers. We also find that stochastic discounts facilitate collusion by reducing the market share that can be gained from a deviation.
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  • David Gill & John Thanassoulis, 2016. "Competition in Posted Prices with Stochastic Discounts," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 126(594), pages 1528-1570, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:econjl:v:126:y:2016:i:594:p:1528-1570
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/ecoj.2016.126.issue-594
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. David P. Myatt, 2019. "A Theory of Stable Price Dispersion," Economics Series Working Papers 873, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    2. David P. Myatt & David Ronayne, 2023. "Asymmetric Models of Sales," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 450, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    3. Xavier D’Haultfœuille & Isis Durrmeyer & Philippe Février, 2019. "Automobile Prices in Market Equilibrium with Unobserved Price Discrimination," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 86(5), pages 1973-1998.
    4. Neven, Damien & Piccolo, Salvatore & Andreu, Enrique, 2021. "Price Authority and Information Sharing with Competing Principals," CEPR Discussion Papers 16753, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Daniel Herold, 2017. "The Impact of Incentive Pay on Corporate Crime," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201752, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    6. Haan, Marco A. & Heijnen, Pim & Obradovits, Martin, 2023. "Competition with list prices," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 502-528.
    7. Calzada, Joan & García-Mariñoso, Begoña & Suárez, David, 2023. "Do telecommunications prices depend on consumer engagement?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    8. Cemil Selcuk & Bilal Gokpinar, 2018. "Fixed vs. Flexible Pricing in a Competitive Market," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(12), pages 5584-5598, December.
    9. Andreu, Enrique & Neven, Damien & Piccolo, Salvatore, 2023. "Price authority and information sharing with competing supply chains," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    10. Stephen P. King & Demitra Patras, 2014. "Posted prices and bargaining: the case of Monopoly," Monash Economics Working Papers 29-14, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    11. Sandro Shelegia & Joshua Sherman, 2018. "Bargaining at Retail Stores: Evidence from Vienna," Economics Working Papers 1606, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    12. Thanassoulis, John, 2018. "The I.O. of ethics and cheating when consumers do not have rational expectations," CEPR Discussion Papers 13172, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    13. Thomas D. Jeitschko & Yeonjei Jung & Jaesoo Kim, 2017. "Bundling and joint marketing by rival firms," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 571-589, September.
    14. Enrique Andreu & Damien Neven & Salvatore Piccolo, 2020. "Delegated Sales, Agency Costs and the Competitive Effects of List Price," CSEF Working Papers 573, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.
    15. Selcuk, Cemil & Gokpinar, Bilal, 2017. "Fixed vs. Flexible Pricing in a Competitive Market," Cardiff Economics Working Papers E2017/9, Cardiff University, Cardiff Business School, Economics Section.
    16. Willem H. Boshoff & Johannes Paha, 2021. "List Price Collusion," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 393-409, September.
    17. Qi Feng & Yuanchen Li & J. George Shanthikumar, 2020. "Competitive Revenue Management with Sequential Bargaining," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(5), pages 1307-1324, May.
    18. Harrington, Joseph E., 2022. "The Anticompetitiveness of a Private Information Exchange of Prices," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    19. Tamás Briglevics & Oz Shy, 2014. "Why Don’t Most Merchants Use Price Discounts to Steer Consumer Payment Choice?," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 44(4), pages 367-392, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C78 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Bargaining Theory; Matching Theory
    • D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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