Nathan was willing to trade off immediate availability for a 50 percent discount on athletic shoes. This is an example of what type of decision rule?

The situation described illustrates a compensatory decision rule, which involves evaluating a product based on its attributes and allowing for trade-offs among those attributes. In this case, Nathan is willing to give up immediate availability in exchange for a significant discount. This indicates that he weighs the benefit of saving 50 percent more heavily than the inconvenience of waiting for the shoes.

In a compensatory decision-making process, consumers assess both the positive and negative aspects of purchasing options and make decisions where the strengths of one attribute can offset the weaknesses of another. Here, the financial savings compensates for the drawback of not having the shoes available right away, reflecting that Nathan is considering both aspects to reach his decision.

This rationale helps in understanding how consumers prioritize different factors based on their personal preferences and the perceived value of the trade-offs involved.