Abstract Grocery stockpiling is a common behavioral response to the emergence of disasters or heightened uncertainty. Nonetheless, the phenomenon and methods for mitigating it are not well understood. Using a model of household shopping and inventory management, we conceptualize stockpiling as a result of an increase in the fixed cost of making grocery shopping trips, or the opportunity cost of time associated with shopping. In a laboratory experiment, we find that stockpiling increases (decreases) by 78 and 41% (22%) with an increase in fixed costs and price reductions (imposition of purchase limits), respectively. We also find that stockpiling leads to fewer (more) grocery trips by 33 and 22% (36%) under the same three conditions, respectively. Our experiment and subsequent cluster analysis suggest that loss aversion suppresses stockpiling. Our experiment shows that imposing purchase limits, a common retail response to stock‐outs, can trigger stockpiling during shopping trips without purchase limits. Although we do not claim external validity, our study suggests that store managers and policymakers should be careful about solutions during a stockpiling event, such that they do not exacerbate stockpiling, which may disproportionately affect vulnerable groups and disrupt supply chains.

Ahmad Zia Wahdat

Jayson L. Lusk

Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d agroeconomie

CJAE 为农业、环境、食品和资源经济学领域的学术研究提供了一个论坛。 CJAE 发表一系列理论、应用和政策相关的文章。

The Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics provides an important forum for academic research in the fields of agricultural, environmental, food, and resource economics. The journal publishes a range of theoretical, applied, and policy-related articles, aiming to promote knowledge exchange and development in these areas.

《Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics》为农业、环境、食品和资源经济学领域的学术研究提供了一个重要的论坛。该期刊发表一系列理论、应用和政策相关的文章，旨在促进相关领域的知识交流与发展。

Category	Quartile
经济学	2
经济学, 农业经济与政策	3
经济学, 经济学	3

Understanding the determinants of consumer grocery stockpiling behavior

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