Which of the following, if true, suggests that Staples’ efforts at rem

QUESTION

Which of the following, if true, suggests that Staples’ efforts at remaking its stores would NOT have the desired effect?

A) A majority of the customers who expressed a preference for an easier shopping experience prefer to shop online.
B) Before the recent effort, service at Staples was not considered to be close to industry norms.
C) A large company such as Staples usually tends to standardize as many operations as possible.
D) Most of the customers surveyed by Staples would be willing to pay higher prices in return for expert advice on subjects such as selecting office computers.
E) Surveys of Staples’ customers revealed that they are especially dissatisfied with the service they receive at restaurants.

ANSWER

Answer: A
Explanation: A) If the people who care most about having an easier shopping experience are less likely to shop in stores, Choice A, then Staples’ efforts would be less likely to affect them. In that case, Staples’ efforts would tend to miss the people who would benefit from them, which would be a reason not to go with the store redesign plan. Choice B: Staples’ service before the recent efforts is one step removed from this issue. Also, technically, Choice B only says that the service was not “close to industry norms.” This could mean that service was worse, but it might have been better. So, at best, Choice B is ambiguous. Choice C doesn’t tell us what Staples will do here or what effect it might have. Choice D supports the argument by suggesting that customers who care about service would reward Staples for an easier experience. Choice E: Restaurants are outside the scope of this argument.