First published 1997 by Garland Publishing, Inc.
This edition first published in 2021 by Routledge
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Copyright 1997 Julie Johnson-Hillery and Jikyeong Kang
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Johnson-Hillery, Julie, 1957
Elderly consumers and retail sales personnel : examining knowledge, attitudes, and retail service satisfaction / Julie Johnson-Hillery and Jikyeong Kang.
p. cm. (Garland studies on the elderly in America)
Revision of the authors thesis (doctoralUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, 1995)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8153-3028-6 (alk. paper)
1. Aged consumersUnited States. 2. Consumer behaviorUnited States. 3. Clerks (Retail trade)United StatesAttitudes. I. Kang, Jikyeong, 1961 . II. Title. III. Series.
97-37023
ISBN 13: 978-1-03-216543-1 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-03-216690-2 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-00-324924-5 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003163497
This book is dedicated to Dr. Nancy A. Rudd, whose enthusiasm for helping those with special needs sparked my interest in doing the same.
List of Tables
1. Comparison of New-age and Traditional Elderly
2. Demographic Profile of Elderly Consumer Focus Group Interviews
3. Guideline Questions for Elderly Consumer Focus Group Interviews
4. Demographic Profile of Retail Sales Personnel Focus Group Interviews
5. Guideline Questions for Retail Sales Personnel Focus Group Interviews
6. Frequency of Words for Retail Sales Personnel Focus Group Interviews
7. Frequency of Words for Elderly Consumer Focus Group Interviews
8. Survey Response Rate for Consumers
9. Demographic Profile of Elderly Consumers Phase II. (Survey Research)
10. Demographic Profile of Younger Consumers Phase II. (Survey Research)
11. Survey Response Rate for Retail Sales Personnel
12. Demographic Profile of Retail Sales Personnel Phase II. (Survey Research)
13. Mean and Standard Deviation Scores for Retail Sales Personnels Attitude Toward Elderly Consumers
14. Correlations Between Retail Sales Personnels Knowledge and Attitude Toward Elderly Consumers
15. Factor Analysis for Elderly Consumers Marketplace Needs (Importance by Elderly Consumer)
16. Factor Analysis for Retail Sales Personnels Perceptions of Elderly Consumers Marketplace Needs
17. T-tests for Perceptions and Marketplace Need and Preferences of Elderly Consumers Marketplace Needs
18. Factor Analysis for Elderly Consumers Marketplace Satisfaction
19. Factor Analysis for Retail Sales Personnels Perceptions of Elderly Consumers Marketplace Satisfaction
20. T-tests for Perceptions and Marketplace Needs and Preferences of Elderly Consumers
21. T-tests for Retail Sales Personnels Attitudes Toward Elderly Consumers and Younger Consumers
22. T-tests for Elderly Consumers Attitudes Toward Older Retail Sales Personnel and Younger Retail Sales Personnel
23. Factor Analysis for Elderly Consumers Marketplace Satisfaction
24. Factor Analysis for Younger Consumers Marketplace Satisfaction
25. T-tests for Satisfaction of Elderly Consumers and Younger Consumers
Preface
Two sets of my experiences have most influenced this book. First, I spent many years working in the fashion retailing industry, where I observed first-hand the interaction between retail sales personnel and their customers. It was especially interesting to see how appearance played such an important role in these sales encounters. In particular, the age and attractiveness of the customer seemed to play an integral role in the sales persons attitude toward their customers, and vice versa. Of course, during the times of these observations, I did not know how influential these would become. I did know, however, that many times retail sales personnel were treating elderly consumers with less respect than younger consumers.
Upon returning to school at The Ohio State University, Dr. Nancy A. Rudd further introduced me to the concept of our societys attitudes toward the elderly. In an entry-level textiles and clothing class taught by Dr. Rudd, she gave us a short survey to measure our attitudes toward elderly persons. Overall, these attitudes were not positive; in fact, most all students held negative stereotypes about what it meant to be older. Of course, Dr. Rudds ensuing lecture was designed to dispel our stereotypes. This experience, along with my retail experience would later affect the subject of my dissertation research, the study that is the subject of this book.
presents a discussion of the findings from both a theoretical and applied perspective. For persons interested in the practical applications of this study, the latter section should be of particular interest. It is here that the discussion focuses on what retailers can do to best serve elderly consumers.