Patrons of home centers and hardware chains: a comparison

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to compare the patrons of chain home centers and patrons of small hardware stores. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was administered to individuals residing in two adjacent metropolitan areas located in the US Midwest. Respondents were contacted via telephone and were asked to respond to questions addressing their hardware store/home center preferences and shopping activity. Findings – Respondents' assessments of the importance of eight attributes relating to shopping experience were not able to differentiate between patrons of small hardware stores and patrons of large home centers. Furthermore, the type of hardware retailer that individuals most commonly patronize does not appear to affect their assessments of various types of hardware retailers stores nor the amount of time respondents spent during a typical visit to their most patronized home center/hardware store. Finally, the only demographic difference noted involved income – respondents who shopped most often at large home centers were found to have a significantly higher income than those who shopped most often at small hardware stores. Practical implications – The results of this study indicate that, at least for the issues examined, there appears to be relatively little difference between the individuals who patronize chain home centers and those who patronize small hardware stores. Consequently, individuals' choices of hardware retailer to patronize appears to be more complex than anticipated. Originality/value – The growth of chains in hardware retailing has not received the same degree of attention as chain stores in other areas of retailing.