Ethnicity, Personality and Values

The retailing arena has witnessed a revolution over the last decade, whereby department stores have slowly expired and discount retailers have come of age. The consumer exodus from department to discount has resulted in annual sales by mass merchandisers that dwarf their department store counterparts. Yet despite the presence of these developments, limited academic research has been directed towards this retailing phenomenon. This study explores the variables that contributed to this retailing revolution. Specifically, the role of demographic variables, personality, situational variables, self-congruency and value are investigated. A nomological network that incorporates value determination and the specific personality variable of self-monitoring is explored with an aim of better explaining why consumers left the long standing department store and what can be done to bring them back to this retailing format.