Under which circumstance are consumers most likely to forgo evaluating alternatives when making a purchase?

• A. When consumer surplus is negative for all available options
• B. When the good is a necessity and alternatives are limited or unavailable
• C. When the market price is higher than their willingness to pay
• D. When the difference between their willingness to pay and the market price is very small

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of consumer surplus, which is the difference between what a consumer is willing to pay for a good and the actual market price they pay. It measures the net benefit to the consumer.
2. Recognize that when consumer surplus is negative for all options, consumers would typically avoid purchasing since they get no net benefit, so they are unlikely to forgo evaluating alternatives in this case.
3. Consider the scenario where the good is a necessity and alternatives are limited or unavailable. In this case, consumers have fewer or no substitutes to compare, so they are more likely to purchase without evaluating alternatives.
4. Analyze the situation when the market price is higher than the consumer's willingness to pay. Here, consumers generally do not buy the good, so they would not forgo evaluating alternatives because they are not purchasing.
5. Evaluate the case when the difference between willingness to pay and market price is very small. Consumers might still compare alternatives carefully because the net benefit is marginal, so they are less likely to skip evaluation.