Social Distance and Shopping Behavior

Abstract

This research was designed to see whether a reconcep tualization of social distance (as measured by social class variables) between shoppers and stores would provide a basis for understanding store avoidance behavior. A survey of shoppers classified into two distinct social classes inves tigated their images, including social class images, of two stores that had been selected as representatives of upscale and downscale retailers. A new measure of social distance was proposed and evaluated. Controlling for other func tional aspects of store image such as price and personnel, the social distance measure was found to be influential in discriminating shopping frequency groups for the two stores, providing evidence that people tend to avoid stores that are perceived as being socially distant from themselves.