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The preceding article defines convenience, shopping, and specialty goods in light of Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance. In contrast, this article reports shopping behavior research which puts the classification of consumer goods in yet another perspective. The authors specifically question whether customers want to search in several stores before making buying decisions for certain types of merchandise. The answer to this question may hold important implications for future trends in channel policies, store locations, and retailing techniques.

Accuracy in consumer surveys can be influenced greatly by the degree to which the interviewer is “accepted” by the persons he seeks to question. Can the refusal rate be cut and the degree of acceptance increased if respondents are contacted by letter or phone before the interviewer's visit? The authors report on an experiment designed to answer this question.