Retail Classification by Strategy
 
Overview:  This section contains manuscripts examining retail classification by strategy. Specialty stores, malls, discount stores, power centers, etc. will be covered.

Arbuthnot and Jeanette Jaussaud, “Small Specialty Store Dissolutions as Related to Selected Demographics”,ACRA, April 1992, Dallas.This study examines the survival of small apparel stores with regard to geographic location, store type, urban/non-urban, sales volume, and number years the store has been in business. A comparison will be made between stores identified as no longer in business and those continuing to operate in relation to the aforementioned demographic characteristics. For the purposes of the study, the businesses whose questionnaires were returned by the post office as undeliverable are representative of business dissolution and those who responded to the survey represent the continuing retail operations.

Burns, David J. and  Peter W. Smith, “Exploring Supermarket Retailing: The Case of the Service Meat Counter” ,ACRA, April 1994.This study examines the consumers behavior in using the service meat counter in supermarkets, as compared to the self-service meat counter. The purpose is to examine those individuals who use the service meat counter and their reasons for doing so.

Diamond, Saul, “A Survey of Customer Services Offered By Traditional Department Stores”,ACRA, Winter 1980.The study addresses the question of services offered for sale in traditional department stores as they move to respond to the growing role of service in the American economy. The study is based on 214 responding stores in 43 states. The findings indicate that none of the innovative "profit making" services had moved into the top 25 services offered.

Donnellan, John , “Consumer Perceptions of a Supermarket’s Private-Label Program”,ACRA Spring  1998 (Washington, DC).In today’s over-assorted shopping environments, how do consumer perceive private labels as product-choice alternatives? Are there differences in these perceptions by product category? Do various demographic groups perceive private labels differently? These are the issues addressed in this research.

Feinberg, Richard A and Patricia Gifford, “So You Want to Be President: A Look at the Executives of the Top 100 Department Stores”,ACRA, Winter 1985.An examination of the educational and professional backgrounds of the heads of the top 100 department store divisions. A comparison with the heads of the Fortune 500 found the retailers to be younger, less educated, equally male and white. Harvard is the major source of MBA degrees for this group.

Feinberg, Richard A and Patricia Gifford, “Retailing Training: A Descriptive Survey of the Top 100 Retail Department Stores”,ACRA, Spring 1984.The results of a survey sent to the top 100 department stores indicates that the average training program lasts 42 weeks and consists of 53 trainees per year. The time is divided between floor/apprentice training (70%) and class/lecture (30%). The evidence indicates that leadership and human relations skills were becoming the greatest single portion of the training program.

Kim, Youn-Kyung, Hyungchul Park, and Jikyeong Kang, “The Relationship among Healthiness, Family and Social Interaction, Loneliness, Mall Shopping Motivation and Mall Consumption of Older Consumers”, ACRA, Spring 2004, Orlando. The study implemented 747 mall intercept interviews with people who are 55 or older in the large malls in the cities of New York, Los Angeles, and Houston. Findings indicate significant effects of family interaction, loneliness and mall shopping motivations on mall consumption. Outcomes suggest that a mall can be a place to reduce older consumers’ loneliness and that retailers in the mall can attract and make older consumers spending more by emphasizing value-oriented consumption and service consumption. In addition, result also provides the implication for mall developer that providing more experiential features and event in the mall may attract more older consumers.

Mahoney, Marianne Young and Brenda Sternquist, “Perceptions of the Discount Retailer: An Analysis of the Hypothetical Ideal Discount Store”,ACRA, Spring 1988.The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceived image of three discount department stores from the perspective of the consumer and from the perspective of retail managers.

Mahoney, Marianne Y. and Brenda Sternquist, “Perceptions of the Discount Retailer: An Analysis of the Hypothetical Ideal Discount Store”,ACRA, Spring 1986.An investigation of the perceived images of three discount department stores from the perspective of consumers and store managers. Emphasis is on the variation between the ideal image and the actual perceptions. The responses of 180 consumers and 37 managers were forced into a constant sum scale to determine saliency. Contains a good bibliography of image research.

Mason, Barry J., Mayer L. Morris and Anthony Koh, “Functional Marketing Plan Development in Department Store Retailing”,ACRA/NRMA, Winter 1984.A study of the nature and development of functional marketing planning at multi unit department stores across the country. It is based on 92 replies from 672 firms. Tables present the findings and compare the characteristics of the firms which do and do not indicate having formal marketing plans.

Simpson, Ethel M. and  H Cummings, “Communication Satisfaction and the Specialty Store Employee”,ACRA, Spring 1990,The task of this study is to focus only on the Communication Satisfaction Construct in an effort to (a) clarify the construct, and (b) identify those variables that effect the level of communication satisfaction among those who work in apparel specialty store environments.

Summers, Teresa A and Patrick Wozniak, “Discount Store Patronage Preferences of Rural/Urban Women and Socioeconomic Product Risk”,ACRA, Spring 1988 .This study builds on previous patronage research attitudes toward discount stores for a specific product category, apparel.

Williams, Janis Marie and Marian H. Jerrigan, “Women's Preferences for and Satisfaction with the Convenience Services Offered by a Department Store”,ACRA, Spring 1991.This is a study to determine women's preferences for convenience services offered by a department store. Specific objectives are to (a) identify the top five convenience services preferred by women shoppers, (b) determine women's satisfaction with the convenience services offered by a department store, (c) determine the importance of specific convenience services to women shoppers, and (d) identify the demographic characteristics of the shopper who enjoys shopping.