Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-07T20:08:53.519Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Spatial Aspects of the Shopping Patterns of the Urban Elderly: The Case of Central Area Apartment Dwellers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Geoffrey C. Smith
Affiliation:
University of Manitoba

Abstract

This paper offers an exploratory investigation of spatial aspects of the shopping patterns of elderly downtown residents. Attention is explicitly focused on their usage fields, transport modes, and shopping context. The shopping behaviour of the elderly is evaluated with reference to that of a baseline group of non-elderly consumers. The data are obtained from a questionnaire/interview survey of random samples of elderly and non-elderly apartment dwellers in the central area of Winnipeg. The findings indicate that the elderly's shopping trips are largely restricted to the central business district. In contrast, the non-elderly exhibit more extensive movement patterns, particularly when purchasing relatively expensive items. These differences appear to be related to the higher level of transport deprivation among elderly persons, although some are able to compensate for their limited mobility by travelling as bus or automobile passengers.

Résumé

La présente communication rend compte d'une recherche préliminaire concernant les déplacements des acheteurs âgés domiciliés au centre ville. La recherche porte sur les domaines et les moyens de transport ainsi que sur le contexte des achats. Un groupe jeune sert de témoin. Les sujets, choisis au hasard, habitent au centre ville de Winnipeg, dans des maisons de rapport. Les données proviennent d'une enquête comportant questionnaire/entrevue, les résultats indiquent que le territoire parcouru par les acheteurs âgés se limite au centre commercial de la ville, tandis que celui des jeunes est plus étendu, notamment lorsque le coût des articles achetés est plus élevé. La différence semble liée à la difficulté de se déplacer éprouvée par les personnes âgées, encore que certains utilisent l'autobus ou se fassent conduire en automobile.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1984

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Basu, R. (1979). The effects of aging on the mobility of the low-income elderly: A case study. The East Lakes Geographer, 14, 1725.Google Scholar
Carp, F.M. (1980). Environmental effects upon the mobility of older people. Environment and Behavior, 12, 139156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daws, CF., & Bruce, A.J. (1971). Shopping in Watford. Watford Building Research Station.Google Scholar
Gayler, H.J. (1980). Social class and consumer spatial behaviour: Some aspects of variation in shopping patterns in metropolitan Vancouver, Canada: Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 5, (New Series), 427445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Golant, S.M. (1972). The residential location and spatial behavior of the elderly. Research Paper 143. Chicago: Department of Geography, University of Chicago.Google Scholar
Golant, S.M. (1976). Intraurban transportation needs and problems of the elderly. In Lawton, M.P., Newcomer, R., & Byerts, T.O. (Eds.), Community for an aging society. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross.Google Scholar
Hanson, P. (1977). The activity patterns of elderly households. Geografiska Annaler, B59, 109124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hillman, M., Henderson, I., & Whalley, A. (1976). Transport realities and planning problems. Broadsheet 567, London: Political and Economic Planning.Google Scholar
Hiltner, J., & Smith, B.W. (1976). Outshopping to a nearby metropolitan shopping centre. Proceedings of the Association of Amerioan Geographers, 8, 9295.Google Scholar
Hudson, R. (1975). Patterns of spatial search. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 65, 141154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lloyd, R. & Jennings, D. (1978). Shopping behavior and income comparisons in an urban environment. Economic Geography, 54, 157–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, A.J. (1976). Consumer behaviour, motivation and perception: A study of Dublin. Dublin: Department of Geography, University College.Google Scholar
Peace, S.M. (1982). The activity patterns of elderly people in Swansea, South Wales, and South-East England. In Warnes, A.W. (Ed.), Geographical perspectives on the elderly, (pp. 281302). Chichester Wiley.Google Scholar
Potter, R.B. (1977a). The nature of consumer usage fields in an urban environment: Theoretical and empirical perspectives. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 68, 168176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potter, R.B. (1977b). Effects of age and family size on consumer behaviour and perception. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 45, 842.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Regnier, V. (1976). Neighborhoods as service systems. In Lawton, M.P., Newcomer, R., & Byerts, T.O. (Eds.), Community for an aging society. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross.Google Scholar
Smith, B.W. & Hiltner, J. (1979). Shopping problems of the urban elderly. The East Lakes Geographer, 14, 3742.Google Scholar
Smith, J. & Gant, R. (1982). The elderly's travel in the Cotswolds. In Warnes, A.W. (Ed.), Geographical perspectives on the elderly, Chichester Wiley.Google Scholar
Swartz, R.D. (1979). Providing retail goods and services for residents of government-assisted senior citizen housing. The East Lakes Geographer, 14, 4349.Google Scholar
Stutz, F.P. (1976a) Adjustment and mobility of elderly poor amid downtown renewal. Geographical Review, 66, 391400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stutz, F.P. (1976b). Social aspects of interaction and transportation. Resource Paper 76–7. Washington D.C.: Association of American Geographers.Google Scholar
Taylor, S.M. (1979). Personal dispositions and human spatial behavior. Economic Geography, 55, 184195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, J.R. (1971). Characteristics and behavior of outshopping consumers. Journal of Retailing, 47, 7080.Google Scholar
Timmermans, H.J.P., Van Der Heijden, R. & Westerveld, H. (1982). Perception of urban retailing environments: An empirical investigation of consumer information and usage fields. Geoforum, 13, 2737.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, N.J. (1979). The definition of shopper types as an aid in the analysis of spatial consumer behaviour. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Social Geografie, 70, 157–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, N.J. (1981). Attitudes and consumer spatial behaviour. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Social Geografie, 72, 145154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Windley, P.G. (1983). Community services in small rural towns: Patterns of use by older residents. The Gerontologist, 23, 180–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wiseman, R.F. (1978). Spatial aspects of aging. Resource Paper 78–4. Washington, DC: Association of American Geographers.Google Scholar