The lower the cost of distributing fliers, the more retail e

The lower the cost of distributing fliers, the more retail establishments will distribute fliers, and retail establishments that distribute fliers generally charge less for items listed in the fliers than retail establishments that do not distribute fliers charge for equivalent items. Thus, if the government subsidized the distribution of fliers by retail establishments, the cost to consumers for retail items will drop.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the author’s conclusion about the cost of retail goods to consumers?

A: The government has recently offered some subsidies to retail establishments to facilitate newspaper and radio advertisements.
B: It is highly unlikely that the government would subsidize the distribution of fliers by retail establishments.
C: Retail establishments that distribute fliers usually offer goods of a quality comparable to those of retail establishments that do not distribute fliers.
D: The majority of retail establishments that distribute fliers would continue to do so even without government subsidies.
E: Most retail establishments do not lower their price for particular items when they begin to distribute fliers in which those items are listed