Using the Fishbein Model described in Chapter 7 (pp. 265-267) of your textbook, set up a hypothetical spreadsheet of rows (10) personal attributes and columns of beliefs about alternative merchandising establishments, including Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, JC Penny, Sears, Costco and one other similar competitor of your choice. A suggested spreadsheet is attached for your use. Consider the relative personal importance of each attribute to you and insert a column of importance weights in column C. Score each belief about the establishments on a scale from 1-10 and compute a multi-attribute index following the procedure outlined in the textbook. Do your scored attitudes about the establishments correlate to your purchasing behavior? Assess why or why not. Prepare a one to two page report in APA format and submit to your instructor.
As illustrated in the above multi-attribute analysis using the Fishbein model, Costco has the most favorable score of 578. This correlates well with my purchasing behavior which is strongly based on cost-effectiveness, product quality and customer service.
The most important attributes have been given the strongest weights in the table (Fishbein, 1980). When I shop at a departmental store, my main goal is to find the best quality product at the most economical price. Even though stores like Walmart and Target offer decent quality products, the same products bought at Costco wholesale pricing turn out to be a far more attractive option for a budget-conscious consumer like myself. Shopping at a large departmental store can sometimes be confusing and time-consuming, so I strongly believe having friendly staff goes a long way in making shopping a simple affair. I also believe that Costco, Target and Walmart are differentiated versus their competitors in the favorable return policy and strong after-sale customer service. This is reflected in the scores I gave for this attribute.
Even though Costco does not offer a huge variety for a given product, this attribute is less important in my purchase priorities. Similarly, I attach low importance to major brand name availability at a store.
Some other factors that make for a better shopping experience better are cleanliness in/around the store, convenient parking and wide aisles to comfortably move around with those big shopping carts.
The analysis clearly shows that Kmart (total score 328) and Walgreens (total score 356) have low scores across most attributes and rank poorly overall. Even though these two stores may suit my budget conscious purchasing behavior, their low score on other attributes makes the overall evaluation unfavorable.
References
Fishbein, Martin. (1980). An Overview of the Attitude Construct, in A Look Back, A Look Ahead. (pp. 1-19). G.B. Hafer (Ed.). Chicago: American Marketing Association.
