In order to improve her service, Molly is considering purchasing new dry-cleaning equipment, including a pressing machine that could substantially increase the speed at which she can dry-clean clothes and improve their appearance. The new machinery costs $16,200 installed and can clean 40 clothes items per hour (or 320 items per day). Molly estimates her variable costs to be $0.25 per item dry-cleaned, which will not change if she purchases the new equipment. Her current fixed costs are $1,700 per month. She charges customers $1.10 per clothing item, volume is 2000.
Molly estimates that if she purchases the new equipment and lowers her price to $0.99 per item, her volume will increase to about 4,700 units per month. Based on the local market, that is the largest volume she can realistically expect. What should Molly do?