Megan McArdle asks, If Congestion Pricing is So Great, Why Don’t Businesses Do It?
McArdle recognizes that airlines use peak pricing, but quotes Timothy Lee to say that grocery stores don’t. But Lee’s focus is too narrow in both channel and pricing.
Grocery stores have self-serve lanes that act like congestion pricing, though using customer labor to reduce costs in the store instead of taking customer dollars to pay for the higher costs.
Many stores, such as Harris Teeter, also allow people to purchase groceries online and pick them up at the store. Amazon.com continues to refine its grocery delivery business, too.
Also, congestion pricing happens through different channels. Convenience stores have higher prices than grocery stores, and warehouse clubs work like HOV lanes.
So businesses use congestion pricing, you just have to recognize it.
