A pay-what-you-can grocery store opened in Toronto on Saturday and made national headlines. Stories appeared in the Globe and Mail, the National Post and Huffington Post.

U of G’s Prof. Brent McKenzie said some people will likely take advantage of the pay-what-you-can model. A professor in U of G’s Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies, McKenzie noted that public perceptions will also play a role and that the venture is buffered by an altruistic spirit.

Referring to previous research involving office workers who pay for coffee or snacks, he said people actually contributed more money when told they could pay whatever they felt they could afford that day rather than if the price was set.

McKenzie studies marketing history, retail practice and retail history.