Pride and patronage - pay-what-you-want pricing at a charitable bookstore

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics
Year: 2017
Volume: 67
Issue: C
Pages: 1-7

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

‘‘Pay-what-you-want” pricing has proven successful in some settings while failing to be profitable in others. I conduct a field experiment at a charitable bookstore to investigate what role the relationship between the customer and the seller could play in a pay-what-you-want price scheme. When subtly reminded of their participation in the store’s membership program, members paid significantly more per book than without a reminder, while this reminder had no effect on non-members. Further, I find evidence that prices are sensitive to quantity chosen and evidence that is in line with a decay in prices over repeated purchases.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:soceco:v:67:y:2017:i:c:p:1-7
Journal Field
Experimental
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25