I quantify the price effect of a low-cost entrant on retail prices using a case-study approach. I consider the effect of Wal-Mart entry on average city-level prices of various consumer goods by exploiting variation in the timing of store entry. The analysis combines two unique data sets, one...

We study the grocery industry in Washington, DC, during the Great Depression using data from the 1929 Census of Distribution, a 1929-1930 survey by the Federal Trade Commission, and a 1935 business directory. We first document the differences between chains and independents in the Washington,...