High school students interviewed customers of retail stores in Tucson and reported the results to the Tucson Trade Bureau in 1968.
As with most things, some results were good, some not so good.
From the Arizona Daily Star, Friday, March 8, 1968:
DECA Studies Reveal
Buyers Critical Of Salespeople
High School Club Members Record Reaction To Service In Trade Centers Of Tucson
By ART EHRENSTROM
Tucson merchants got an earful yesterday on what customers think of their salespeople from members of the Distributive Education Club at Catalina High School.
A four-girl study team reported at a Pioneer Hotel luncheon of the Tucson Trade Bureau that 55 per cent of the 471 customers interviewed at eight shopping centers, including downtown, shared a common complaint — salespeople fail to acknowledge their presence quickly enough to suit them.
Gail Saunders also reported that 33 per cent find most salespeople unpleasant to deal with and 80 per cent of them fail to tell them what they need to know about the merchandise they’re considering.
Shockingly, she said, 36 per cent of those interviewed said they would not be inclined to revisit a store where they had been ignored or otherwise poorly dealt with.
Donna Wilcox reported that salespeople are most irritable toward customers in the morning and just before closing time.
She said 82 per cent don’t use the merchandise approach and 75 per cent don’t try to “trade up.”
On the credit side, Donna told the merchants, 90 per cent of customers agree that, generally, Tucson salespeople do not try to “high pressure” them into buying anything, 85 per cent agreed that most salespeople are pleasing in appearance and 75 per cent take pride in the appearance of their stores.
Merchants also heard from Terri Oshrin that most teenagers interviewed in another DE survey — about 60 per cent — are regular readers of clothing ads in the Star and Citizen, 33 per cent seldom read them and 8 per cent never read them.
Although 76 per cent read their school papers, she added, only 13 per cent regularly shop at places advertised in them.
Asked what radio stations they listen to most often, 39 per cent named KTKT, 55 per cent KIXX and 3 per cent KHOS, according to the merchandising survey Terri made while employed at the Guylyn Shop 379 E. 3rd St.
Other results reported:
— 61 per cent shop for clothes mostly at shopping centers, 26 per cent prefer downtown stores most of the time and 13 per cent usually patronize specialty shops.
— 22 per cent most often shop for clothes at Lerner’s, 13 per cent at Levy’s, 11 per cent at College Shop, 11 per cent at Penney’s, 9 per cent at Ward’s and 8 per cent at Sears.
— 10 per cent most often buy new clothes when in the mood, 23 per cent for special occasions, 47 per cent when they see something they like and 20 per cent only when necessary.
— 30 per cent have charge accounts.
— 61 per cent seldom put clothing on lay-away; 14 per cent do it regularly.
— 65 per cent never order clothing from national magazines, 31 per cent seldom do and 4 per cent do so regularly.
Of course, some customers want to be waited on by salespeople and some would rather browse uninterrupted. The best a salesperson can do is ask and then follow through with what the customer prefers.
