Discount Store Patronage Preferences of Rural and Urban Women

Abstract

Rural and urban consumer discount store patronage preferences for apparel were investigated utilizing the concept ofperceived risk associated with the purchase of items. Apparel items were assigned a type and level of risk: low social, low economic; high social, low economic; high social, high economic. Rural (n = 170) and urban (n =139) females responding to a mail survey rated their willingness to purchase each item in a discount store on a scale of "prefer to buy, " "may buy, " or "never buy. " Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that the influence of economic risk was much stronger in consumer patronage decisions in this study than in previous research. Consumer preference for purchasing in discount stores declined more sharply as economic risk increased than as social risk increased. Demographic characteristics of race, shopping responsibility, education, and totalfamily income were significantly related to both social and economic risks in patronage behavior.

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