Shoppers at supermarkets often abandon their empty shopping carts at various locations in the parking lot,despite the risk of damage to vehicles or the additional labor cost of retrieving those carts.How might an economist explain this behavior?
A) People go to the supermarket when they have the energy to shop only,without considering the cost of returning their carts.
B) The perceived potential benefit of going to a cart return location is less than the time and energy cost to the shopper.
C) People are generally lazy and gravitate toward any decision with the lowest cost.
D) Once a shopper leaves the parking lot,the abandoned cart becomes someone else's problem.
E) Because food prices are always subsidized by the government,shoppers are ignorant of additional costs.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This behavior can be explained by the rational decision of the shopper, who weighs the perceived potential benefits of returning the cart (avoiding damage to vehicles or additional labor cost for the supermarket) against the time and energy cost to the shopper. If the perceived benefit of returning the cart is low, the shopper is likely to abandon it.

Shoppers at Supermarkets Often Abandon Their Empty Shopping Carts at Various