ORGANIZATIONAL LEGITIMACY AND RETAIL STORE PATRONAGE

The objective of this study is to consider how symbolic acts, such as those emphasized by Wal-Mart, affect retail store choice. Acts with mu ch symbolic meaning include support of community charities, frontdoor greeters, and patriotic displays. In logit analyses of survey data fro m low-priced department store shoppers in the Atlanta, Chicago, Indian apolis, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Kingston, Canada markets, it was found that being identified as having a strong community reputation not only directly affected store choice, but also moderated the effect of the other determinant price, value, and location attributes.