retail

Regulation of the Day 103: When Products Are on Sale

by Ryan Young on January 22, 2010

in Deregulate to Stimulate, Economy, Nanny State, Regulation, Regulation of the Day

Two states have regulations for when stores can say their products are on sale. The Boston Globe editorializes:

This is a perfect example of a problem that the market can sort out on its own. If there’s one thing 21st century shoppers don’t lack, it’s information. The task of determining whether a “sale’’ is really a sale is best left to comparison-shopping consumers, not the authorities. And given the popularity of websites dedicated to nothing but price-watching and -comparing, doing so is easier than it has ever been. If a store offers an obviously phony promotion, it will be duly punished by its customers. The state needn’t pile on.

(Hat tip to Jonathan Moore)

Regulation of the Day 57: Minimum Price Agreements

by Ryan Young on October 7, 2009

in Deregulate to Stimulate, Economy, Legal, Regulation, Regulation of the Day, Tech & Telecom

A new Maryland law makes it illegal for manufacturers to set a minimum retail price for their products in sales contracts. The law is meant to increase competition. Unfortunately, it will have the opposite effect.

As Wayne Crews and I explain in the The American Spectator, it could prevent retailers from competing with each other on non-price grounds, such as customer service, product demonstrations, and advertising.

Some products, such as televisions or cars, have high information costs. Customers want to know a lot about these products before they commit to a purchase. They want to know what they’re getting. Try before they buy.

By forcing retailers to compete against each other to give customers more and better information and service, minimum price agreements can help consumers get what they want and boost sales at the same time.

LibertyWeek 51: Watch for Falling Rupees

by Richard Morrison on July 14, 2009

in CEI Projects, Podcast

Your host Richard Morrison brings you Episode 51 of the LibertyWeek podcast, along with special guest co-host Jeremy Lott and Fellow in Regulatory Studies Ryan Young. We start with Judge Sotomayor in the Senate hot seat, a privacy threat from “smart” passports and why Rep. Dan Lipinski has decided your suitcase is too big. The discussion continues with Rep. John Murtha’s expanding corruption scandal, beer news from the Beaver State and the arrival of Wal-Mart in India. We wrap up with this week’s dose of brothel-themed Olympic News.