We often stop making popcorn for awhile at the concession stand for local baseball games so that we can clean the popper. We have always got some popcorn on hand in the warming section of the machine while we do this. As I now realize, from seeing how gasoline is marketed, we should be charging $2 a bag for this stored popcorn, instead of the normal $1, while the popper is shut down for maintenance. Even though we have created the "shortage" by our own actions, there is no reason that our income should go down since we have less product because of it. Then, when the popper is cleaned and back in operation, we can gradually lower the price, say to $1.80 for awhile, then maybe $1.65, and so on, before eventually getting back down near $1.00 again.
People can wait on, or just not buy the popcorn, or buy a substitute product like candy.
People have much less choice when it comes to vehicle fuel.
In economics we call this the elasticity of demand.
