Designing retail spaces for inclusion

Street harassment is marketplace discrimination: The impact of street harassment on young female consumers’ marketplace experiences

“…Direct selling may be a viable means for consumer goods manufacturers to optimize their reach to female consumers, who may purposefully avoid public places because of risks associated with street harassment. In locales with reliable mail delivery or good technology services, female shoppers or any consumer fearing harassment may turn to e-commerce or to using buy-online-pick-up-at-store options to help limit or prevent harassment in the marketplace ( Edwards et al, 2018 ).…”

“…As previously discussed, the concept of retail discrimination is not new, as many researchers have shown that vulnerable consumers are often at risk of experiencing inferior service from retail employees (e.g., refusal of service, scowls and frowns, being followed by security personnel, inability to easily enter a retail environment; Edwards et al, 2018 ; Minton et al, 2017 ; Pittman, 2020 ). The concept of consumer vulnerability refers to a consumer in a temporary state of powerlessness during marketplace transactions that leads him or her to receive less value inherent in a marketplace transaction than that received by other consumers ( Fisk et al, 2018 ).…”

“…For example, Pittman (2020) found that many African American consumers view shopping as a less positive experience than other consumers because retail employees are often hesitant to serve them or instead treat them as potential shoplifting suspects. Edwards et al (2018) noted that consumers with physical disabilities are often unable to use drive-through windows at fast-food restaurants and that many are often at risk at gasoline stations because these stations do not have enough employees to assist disabled consumers ( Kaufman-Scarborough, 1998 ).…”

“…Jacobsen showed that the pink tax extends across a diverse group of consumer products, including clothing, toys, bicycles, disposable razors, shower gels, deodorants, and shampoos, and services, such as dry cleaning, haircuts, clothing alterations, and spa services ( Walsh, 2009 ). Other researchers have shown that auto dealerships tend to charge female and African American consumers higher prices than white male consumers for identical vehicles ( Edwards et al, 2018 ). However, this automobile pricing discrepancy issue has somewhat abated from the readily available online pricing information and automobile purchasing applications (e.g., Carvana, TrueCar; see Morton et al, 2003 ).…”

“…Although many consumers residing in industrialized countries have a history of experiencing exclusionary practices or violence in retailing and consumer service domains ( Edwards et al, 2018 ; Fisk et al, 2018 ), such occurrences remain noteworthy anomalies. Consumers, especially those with vulnerabilities or other disadvantages, do not consistently experience negative service encounters, as most corporate organizational policies and government legislation generally support consumer welfare and inclusionary marketplace practices ( Baker et al, 2005 ).…”