The accompanying table presents prices for washing and ironing a man's shirt taken from a survey of California dry cleaners.

a. What is the average price per shirt washed and ironed in Goleta? In Santa Barbara?
b. Draw typical marginal cost and average total cost curves for California Cleaners in Goleta, assuming it is a perfectly competitive firm but is making a profit on each shirt in the short run. Mark the short-run equilibrium point and shade the area that corresponds to the profit made by the dry cleaner.
c. Assume $2.25 is the short-run equilibrium price in Goleta. Draw a typical shortrun demand and supply curve for the market. Label the equilibrium point.
d. Observing profits in the Goleta area, another dry cleaning service, Diamond Cleaners, enters the market. It charges $1.95 per shirt. What is the new average price of washing and ironing a shirt in Goleta? Illustrate the effect of entry on the average Goleta price by a shift of the short-run supply curve, the demand curve, or both.
e. Assume that California Cleaners now charges the new average price and just breaks even (that is, makes zero economic profit) at this price. Show the likely effect of the entry on your diagram in part b.
f. If the dry cleaning industry is perfectly competitive, what does the average difference in price between Goleta and Santa Barbara imply about costs in the two areas?

Transcribed Image Text:

Dry Cleaner A-1 Cleaners Regal Cleaners St. Paul Cleaners Zip Kleen Dry Cleaners Effie the Tailor Maga Too Master Cleaners Santa Barbara Cleaners Sunny Cleaners Casitas Cleaners Rockwell Cleaners Norvelle Bass Cleaners Ablitt's Fine Cleaners Caifornia Cleaners Justo the Tailor Pressed 4 Time King's Cleaners city Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Goleta Santa Barbara Goleta Santa Barbara Carpinteria Carpinteria Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Goleta Santa Barbara Goleta Goleta Price $1.50 1.95 1.95 1.95 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.10 2.10 2.15 2.25 2.25 2.25 2.50 2.50