Price-Quality Tradeoffs in the Selection of Fresh Fruit: A Look at Apples

This study used supermarket scanner data to analyze purchase behavior for higher- and lower-income shoppers in six stores in Columbus, Ohio. Three higher- and three lower-income stores are selected and consumer purchases are observed for 17 varieties of apples. The results show that lower-income shoppers pay lower per unit prices for most varieties of apples. More importantly, these purchases are made without sacrificing quality for a lower price.