An article in the Wall Street Journal discussed the sidewalk vegetable stands in New York City’s Chinatown. About 80 of these small vegetable stands operate along a handful of streets in that neighborhood. Most supermarkets buy vegetables from large wholesalers. In contrast, the entrepreneurs who run the stands in Chinatown buy from smaller wholesalers located in the neighborhood. These wholesalers, in turn, buy primarily from smaller family farms, some located overseas. Because these wholesalers make several deliveries per day, the owners of the stands do not have to invest in substantial storage space and the refrigerators that supermarkets use to keep vegetables fresh. The reporter compared prices for vegetables sold by these stands with vegetables sold by her supermarket: “In almost every case, Chinatown’s prices were less than half what I would pay at the supermarket. Among the bargains: broccoli for 85 cents a pound, $1 each for pomegranates, oranges for a quarter.”

a. Is it likely that the owners of these vegetable stands are earning an economic profit? Briefly explain.

b. Why doesn’t competition among supermarkets drive the prices of vegetables they sell down to the prices of the vegetables sold in the Chinatown stands?