Paper&Print is a chain of British stores selling magazines, books, and stationery
products. In Britain, magazines' retail prices are set by publishers, and the retailer's
share of a magazine's retail price is 25 percent. Since Paper&Print's margin on books
and stationery products is much higher, the chain's management plans to devote more of
its stores' shelf space to books and stationery products and reduce the number of
magazine titles that its stores carry.
Which of the following, if true, most strongly argues that the plan, if put into effect, will
not increase Paper&Print's profits?
A. Recently magazine publishers, seeking to increase share in competitive sectors of
the market, have been competitively cutting the retail prices of some of the largest
circulation magazines.
B. In market research surveys, few consumers identify Paper&Print as a book or
stationery store but many recognize and value the broad range of magazines it
carries.
C. The publisher's share of a magazine's retail price is 50 percent, and the publisher
also retains all of the magazine's advertising revenue.
D. Consumers who subscribe to a magazine generally pay less per issue than they
would if they bought the magazine through a retail outlet such as Paper&Print.
E. Some of Paper& Print's locations are in small towns and represent the only retail
outlet for books within the community.
[spoiler]Answer:TBD[/spoiler]