PARKING AND BUYING HABITS OF A STORE'S CUSTOMERS
BEFORE AND AFTER STUDIES WERE CONDUCTED OF THE OPENING OG A PARKING LOT BY LARGE DEPARTMENT STORES. IN EACH STUDY THE OBJECT WAS TO DETERMINE: (1) WHERE THE STORE'S SHOPPERS WERE COMING FROM, (2) THE MODE OF TRAVEL USED, (3) WHERE THE SHOPPERS WHO DROVE THEIR AUTOMOBILES WERE PARKING, AND (4) WHAT AND HOW MUCH THE CUSTOMERS WERE BUYING. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON ONE OF THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT STORES IN LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY. THE BEFORE STUDY WAS OPENED TO THE PUBLIC. THE FINAL STUDY TOOK PLACE APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR LATER, 1955. THE STRRE'S SHOPPERS WERE INTERVIEWED AT ALL FOUR ENTRANCES TO THE STORE. A SUMMARY OF THE MORE IMPORTANT RESULTS SHOWED THAT: (1) THE STORE ATTRACTED RELATIBELY MORE MALE SHOPPERS IN 1955 THAN IN 1954, (2) RELATIVELY MORE PEOPLE CAME SHOPPING FROM WORK AND FROM OTHER POINTS OF ORIGIN IN 1955, (3) THERE SEEMEN TO BE LITTLE CHANGE IN THE PATTERN OF SHOPPERS BY HOUR OF DAY LEAVING THE STORE, (4) MORE CUSTOMERS CAME FROM FARTHER AWAY IN 1955, (5) SLIGHTLY MORE PEOPLE TRAVELED BY AUTO IN 1955 THAN IN 1954 BUT THEIR SALES DECLINED, (6) FEWER PEOPLE TRAVELED BY PUBLIC TRANSIT IN 1955, BUT WALKERS INCREASED AS DID THE AMOUNT THEY PURCHASED, (7) AUTO PASSENGERS AND DRIVERS REMAINDED THE STORES BEST CUSTOMERS BUT BY A SMALLER MARGIN THAN IN 1954, (8) THE PERCENTAGE OF SHOPPERS TRAVELING BY AUTO REMAINED APPROXIMATELY THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE RANGE OF DISTANCES TRAVELED, THOUGH PERSONS LIVING IN OUTLYING AREAS INCREASED THEIR USE OF THE AUTOMOBILE ON SATURDAY IN 1955, (9) THE PROPORTION OF SHOPPERS PARKING AT THE CURB IN GARAGES DECLINED IN 1955, WHILE THE PERCENT PARKING IN LOTS INCREASED, (10) THE AVERAGE PURCHASE BY EACH MODE OF PARKING DECREASED, BUT SHOPPERS PARKING AT STORE FACILITIES CONTINUED TO RANK AT THE TOP, (11) AUTO CUSTOMERS ACCOUNT FOR THE MAJOR PORTION OF SALES IN ALL DEPARTMENT CLASSIFICATIONS, AND (12) THE STORE'S BUSINESS IN GENERAL DECLINED IN 1955. PRIOR TO THE OPENING OF THE NEW PARKING LOT WHICH WAS OPERATED STRICTLY AS A COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE, THE STORE HAD PROVIDED SEVERAL HOURS OF FREE PARKING AT A NEARBY GARAGE. OTHER THINGS BEING EQUAL, IT SEEMS REASONABLE TO ASSUME THAT HAD THE GARAGE VALIDATION CONTINUED OR HAD THE NEW LOT PROVIDED EQUIVALENT FREE PARKING, THE STORE'S RELATIVE SALES SHOULD NOT HAVE DECLINED.
- Record URL:
-
Supplemental Notes:
- Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Part C. This report was published as a supplement to Special Report 11, "Parking as a Factor in Business," and presented at the Thirty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board, January 17-20, 1956.
-
Authors:
- Pendley, Laurence C
- Publication Date: 1956
Media Info
- Media Type: Print
- Features: Appendices; Figures; Tables;
- Pagination: 18p
-
Serial:
- Highway Research Board Special Report
- Issue Number: 11C
- Publisher: Highway Research Board
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Automobiles; Before and after studies; Interviewing; Parking; Parking demand; Parking garages; Parking lots; Parking meters; Purchasing; Shoppers; Shopping; Shopping trips
- Uncontrolled Terms: Department stores; Free parking
- Old TRIS Terms: Shopper transportation; Shopping goods
- Subject Areas: Economics; Freight Transportation; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Society; Terminals and Facilities;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00225483
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Aug 4 1994 12:00AM