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Understanding Price Variation Across Stores and Supermarket Chains: Some Implications for CPI Aggregation Methods

Author

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  • Lorraine Ivancic

    (Centre for Applied Economic Research, The University of New South Wales)

  • Kevin J. Fox

    (School of Economics, The University of New South Wales)

Abstract

The empirical literature on price indices consistently finds that aggregation methods have a considerable impact, particularly when scanner data are used. This paper outlines a novel approach to test for the homogeneity of goods and hence for the appropriateness of aggregation. A hedonic regression framework is used to test for item homogeneity across four supermarket chains and across stores within each of these supermarket chains. We find empirical support for the aggregation of prices across stores which belong to the same supermarket chain. Support was also found for the aggregation of prices across three of the four supermarket chains.

Suggested Citation

  • Lorraine Ivancic & Kevin J. Fox, 2010. "Understanding Price Variation Across Stores and Supermarket Chains: Some Implications for CPI Aggregation Methods," Discussion Papers 2010-17, School of Economics, The University of New South Wales.
    • Handle: RePEc:swe:wpaper:2010-17
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    File URL: http://research.economics.unsw.edu.au/RePEc/papers/2010-17.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ivancic, Lorraine & Erwin Diewert, W. & Fox, Kevin J., 2011. "Scanner data, time aggregation and the construction of price indexes," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 161(1), pages 24-35, March.
    2. Mick Silver, 2009. "An Index Number Formula Problem: The Aggregation of Broadly Comparable items," IMF Working Papers 2009/019, International Monetary Fund.
    3. Fuller, Wayne A., 1969. "Grafted Polynomials As Approximating Functions," Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, June.
    4. Kennedy, Peter E, 1981. "Estimation with Correctly Interpreted Dummy Variables in Semilogarithmic Equations [The Interpretation of Dummy Variables in Semilogarithmic Equations]," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(4), pages 801-801, September.
    5. W. Erwin Diewert, 1995. "Axiomatic and Economic Approaches to Elementary Price Indexes," NBER Working Papers 5104, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Silver, Mick & Heravi, Saeed, 2007. "The Difference Between Hedonic Imputation Indexes and Time Dummy Hedonic Indexes," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 25, pages 239-246, April.
    7. White, Halbert, 1980. "A Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimator and a Direct Test for Heteroskedasticity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(4), pages 817-838, May.
    8. Reinsdorf, Marshall B, 1999. "Using Scanner Data to Construct CPI Basic Component Indexes," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 17(2), pages 152-160, April.
    9. Kevin Fox, 1998. "Non-Parametric Estimation of Technical Progress," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 235-250, November.
    10. Mick Silver, 1999. "An Evaluation Of The Use Of Hedonic Regressions For Basic Components Of Consumer Price Indices," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 45(1), pages 41-56, March.
    11. Hill, Robert J., 2006. "Superlative index numbers: not all of them are super," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 130(1), pages 25-43, January.
    12. Wayne A. Fuller, 1969. "Grafted Polynomials As Approximating Functions," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 13(1), pages 35-46, June.
    13. Mick Silver, 2010. "The Wrongs And Rights Of Unit Value Indices," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 56(s1), pages 206-223, June.
    14. Halvorsen, Robert & Palmquist, Raymond, 1980. "The Interpretation of Dummy Variables in Semilogarithmic Equations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(3), pages 474-475, June.
    15. de Haan, Jan & van der Grient, Heymerik A., 2011. "Eliminating chain drift in price indexes based on scanner data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 161(1), pages 36-46, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ludwig Auer, 2014. "The Generalized Unit Value Index Family," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(4), pages 843-861, December.
    2. Kevin J, Fox. & Iqbal A. Syed, 2016. "Price Discounts and the Measurement of Inflation: Further Results," Discussion Papers 2016-05, School of Economics, The University of New South Wales.
    3. Diewert, W. Erwin & Fox, Kevin J. & de Haan, Jan, 2016. "A newly identified source of potential CPI bias: Weekly versus monthly unit value price indexes," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 169-172.
    4. Daniel Melser & Michael Webster, 2021. "Multilateral Methods, Substitution Bias, and Chain Drift: Some Empirical Comparisons," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 67(3), pages 759-785, September.
    5. Fox, Kevin J. & Syed, Iqbal A., 2016. "Price discounts and the measurement of inflation," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 191(2), pages 398-406.
    6. de Haan, Jan & Diewert, W. Erwin & Fox, Kevin J., 2015. "Weekly versus Monthly Unit Value Price Indexes," Economics working papers erwin_diewert-2015-15, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 20 Jul 2015.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Price indexes; aggregation; scanner data; unit values; item homogeneity; hedonics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C43 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Index Numbers and Aggregation
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation

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