A Simple Durable Goods Model

Abstract

The durability of a good has two implications. First, it can be stored in inventories by producers. Second, if it provides a stream of services to consumers, consumers may wish to defer purchases to take advantage of price fluctuations. The most significant conclusion is that the stockpiling of demand that results when consumers defer purchases explains why the variance of output exceeds the variance of sales even if demand shocks are serially independent.