Markup Pricing Practice. Betty's Boutique is a small specialty retailer located in a
suburban shopping mall. In setting the regular $36 price for a new spring line of
blouses, Betty's added a 50 per cent markup on cost. Costs were estimated at $24
each: the $12 purchase price of each blouse, plus $6 in allocated variable overhead
costs, plus an allocated fixed overhead charge of $6. Customer response was so
strong that when Betty's raised prices from $36 to $39 per blouse, sales fell only
from 54 to 46 blouses per week.
At first blush, Betty's pricing policy seems clearly inappropriate. It is always
improper to consider allocated fixed costs in setting prices for any good or service;
only marginal or incremental costs should be included. However, by adjusting the
amount of markup on cost employed, Betty's can implicitly compensate for the
inappropriate use of fully allocated costs. It is necessary to carefully analyze both
the cost categories included and the markup percentages chosen before judging the
appropriateness of a given pricing practice.