Consumer response to transitory income shocks is of academic interest in many disciplines. During the 2020 COVID-19 epidemic, the Federal government in the US passed the CARES Act that among other measures provides direct payments to households. In this article we utilize a large database on...

We analyze a multimillion dollar, three-year field study sponsored by five firms to assess whether DVRs impact consumers’ shopping behavior for advertised and private label goods. A large sample of households received an offer for a free DVR and service and close to 20% accepted. We observe...