Answer:
The most economical option would be to travel to the neighboring city, as the price difference justifies the loss of those working hours.
Explanation:
Given that each location includes an extra half hour for shopping, we can disregard that and focus on the suit price differences and travel distances
We must also account for the opportunity cost associated with wages lost due to traveling to and from the store.
For the local department store: $103 + 15 minutes x 2 (round trip) x $16 per hour = 103 + 8 = $111
For the across-town store: $88 + 30 min x 2 x $16 per hour
$88 + 16 = $104
For the neighboring city: $63 + 1 hour x 2 x $16 per hour
$63 + $32 = $95
The most economical choice is to shop in the neighboring city, where the cost difference makes it worthwhile to forgo those working hours.