Consider a Wal-Mart supercenter and a 7-Eleven store. In the long run,
◦ Wal-Mart or 7-Eleven may have economies of scale depending on how many customers are served.
◦ Wal-Mart will definitely have lower average costs because supercenters serve many more customers.
◦ The 7-Eleven store will definitely have lower average costs because their small stores are cheaper to build.
◦ Wal-Mart's average total cost will decline faster than the 7-Eleven store and experience diseconomies of scale.
◦ The 7-Eleven store's average total cost will be lower than Wal-Mart's and always experience economies of scale.