Behavior analysis in consumer affairs: Retail and consumer response to publicizing food price information.
Publishing simple price lists slowed grocery inflation at local stores and guided shoppers to cheaper options.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers ran a community test in two small towns. They printed weekly grocery price lists in the local paper for six months.
They watched prices at four independent supermarkets and two big chains. They also asked 180 shoppers if they used the list.
What they found
Price inflation at mom-and-pop stores dropped from a large share to a large share. Shoppers said the list helped them pick cheaper stores.
Corporate chains kept raising prices the same as before. The lists only moved behavior where owners could react fast.
How this fits with other research
Zonneveld et al. (2019) showed kids pick food for taste or speed, not cost. Spangler et al. (1984) show adults add price once they can see it.
Minervini et al. (2015) found mice buy less when food costs more. The 1984 study shows people do the same when prices are public.
Alsop et al. (1995) proved high-preference food boosts waiting. Together the papers say value drives choice, but you must make value clear.
Why it matters
You can’t print grocery ads, but you can make value visible. Post token cost sheets where kids trade points for snacks. Show parents a graph of how many tokens tantrums cost versus calm requests. When the price is clear, behavior often gets cheaper.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A popular program among consumer action groups involves publicizing comparative food price information (CFPI) gathered from retail stores. Its significance is based on the assumption that publishing CFPI maximizes retail competition (i.e., moderates price levels or price increases) and occasions more frugal store selections among consumers. We tested these assumptions during a 2-year analysis. Specifically, we monitored the prices of two distinct market baskets in the supermarkets of two midwestern cities (target and contrast cities). Following a lengthy baseline, we published the prices of only one of the market baskets at stores in the target city in the local newspaper on five different occasions. The results suggested that reductions in price inflation occurred for both market baskets at the independently operated target stores. The corporate chain stores were not similarly affected. In addition, surveys indicated that many consumers used the CFPI as a basis for store selection. Finally, the analysis included a discussion of the politics, economics, and future of CFPI programs.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1984 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1984.17-3