Final answer:
The correct option is b. Prime Purchase might benefit from customers who go to Radio Shanty for information about different batteries, but then make their purchases at Prime Purchase for potentially lower prices due to the absence of a minimum resale price maintenance agreement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scenario you've described with Bart's Batteries involves a resale practice known as minimum resale price maintenance. This practice occurs when a manufacturer, like Bart's Batteries, requires retailers to sell its product at or above a specified price. In the case where Bart's Batteries has a resale price maintenance agreement with Radio Shanty but not with Prime Purchase, the correct answer is:
b. Prime Purchase might benefit from customers who go to Radio Shanty for information about different batteries.
This situation can lead to a phenomenon known as free-riding. Customers might visit Radio Shanty to learn about different batteries and take advantage of their customer service but then purchase the batteries from Prime Purchase, where the product may be offered for a lower price since they are not bound by the resale price maintenance agreement. As for the other options, the agreement does not necessarily lead to Bart's Batteries never increasing profits through uniform resale price maintenance (a), it does not automatically mean the wholesale prices will differ (c), nor does it guarantee that Radio Shanty will sell at a lower price than Prime Purchase (d).