Final answer:
A garden-supply or home-improvement retailer should consider the price that southern gardeners normally pay for pine bark mulch and set a price within an acceptable range to ensure customer satisfaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to determine the appropriate price for pine bark mulch, a garden-supply or home-improvement retailer should take into account the price that southern gardeners normally pay, which is $5 for a 2-cubic-foot bag.
However, they should also consider that if the price being charged is not within a narrow range that gardeners feel is appropriate, they may use substitutions such as newspaper or grass clippings. Therefore, the retailer should aim to set a price within this acceptable range to ensure that customers continue to purchase the pine bark mulch.