CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
YARDAGE SALES PERSONNEL AS A SOURCE
OF INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS
A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Science in
Home Economics
'•
by
Carol Elizabeth Gorton
/
l
January, 1977
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!
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The Thesis of Carol Elizabeth Gorton is approved:
Dorothv Bl~kman
(Date)
rn::i?fp v
Dr.
M~TJorY J~eltf?,
C~1rman
(Date)
California State University, Northridge
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
It is with pleasure that I take this opportunity
to express my real appreciation to Dr. Marjory Joseph,
under whose supervision this work was done.
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It is diffi-
1.
cult to properly express my gratitude for her support,
!encouragement and many hours of unfailing direction.
!Th~nks are due to the members of my Thesis Committee for
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!their helpful suggestions.
Last, but far from least, I
jWish to thank my daughter, Eileen, and husband for their
4
patience and tolerance throughout this project.
!
f
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .
iii
LIST OF TABLES
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
vii
viii
ABSTRACT
Ichapter
I.
INTRODUCTION
1
. . .
Purpose . .
"'
II.
III.
.
2
Hypothesis
2
Assumptions .
3
Limitations
3
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
PROCEDURE
13
13
. ..
Sample
15
RESULTS . . .
16
16
Personal Data.
.
.
.
..
.
.
Educational Background
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13
Analysis of Data
Age
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4
Instrument
IV.
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..
.
.
·
16
18
1
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iv
~ha_p_t_e_r·------------------------· ----------------------Page~
Textile Background
Textile Education . . . . .
. . . .
Sewing Experience .
. . . . . .
Employment Experience . . . . . . . . .
In- service Training . . . . .
. . .
Label Data and Terms . . .
Pattern Envelope Interpretation
Notion Recommendations . . . . . . . .
Use and Care of Fabrics
. . . . . .
Consumer Advisement . .
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SU~~RY
26
30
30
33
34
AND CONCLUSIONS
38
BIBLIOGRAPHY
!APPENDIX
22
25
26
Textile Knowledge . . . .
V.
~:
44
. . . . . . .
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v
'·
. . .
. . .
Ill
19
47
1
LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table
1.
Summary of Responses on Sewing Machine
Ownership and Percentage Knowing Ho-t\1'
To Sew .
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2,
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
•
•
.
lit
21
Reasons for Sewing by Age Groups--Data
Includes Analysis by Each Group and
Total Sample . . . . . . .
23
Responses to Question on Shrinkage by
Age Groups . . . . . . . . . . .
27
Responses to Question on Colorfastness
by Age Groups . . . . . . . . . . .
29
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•
•
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3.
4.
'·
vi
<~-<--<~~~=-·---~---·-~-·=·~~~=·~---···~·~==~~
.,
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LIST OF FIGURES
Page
1Figure
1.
Age distribution of respondents . . .
17
2.
Educational background of respondents
19
3.
Source of textile education
20
4.
Types of sewing experiences .
21
5.
Type of machine ownership .
22
6.
Length of employment in textile field
24
7.
Source of instruction provided by employer
25
8.
Responses to question on shrinkage
26
9.
Summary of responses on textile knowledge
31
Summary of responses on consumer requests
for textile advice . . . . . . . . . . .
35
10.
vii
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ABSTRACT
YARDAGE SALES PERSONNEL AS A SOURCE
OF INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS
by
Carol Elizabeth Gorton
Master of Science in Home Economics
January, 1977
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"'
This study attempted to determine the knowledge
!sales personnel in fabric departments have regarding:
1selected
terms and data found on fabric labels, use and
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i
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jcare of textile fabrics, suitable notions, and interpreta'
jtion of information on pattern envelopes.
In addition, a
I
!
!profile was sought of th~ training and experience possessed
~by these sales people.
1
!
1
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The sample consisted of sales personnel employed in!
!yardage stores who had as their primary responsibility the
!
I!
jselling of fabric to the retail consumer.
The stores were
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!geographically confined to the San Fernando Valley, a part
i
!of Metropolitan Los Angeles.
Sixty individuals responded.
!
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viii
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Results of the study showed:
(a) The most popular
1
method used for training employees was "on the job" train-
I
ing; (b) Sales personnel felt a need for and desired more
I
training; (c) Textile knowledge varied among sales person-
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nel, with knowledge about terms and data found on labels
comprising the area of greatest weakness; (d) Respondents
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who had taken courses in textiles at the college level, and:
those in the younger age categories had
~
much higher
Il
understanding of data found on labels; (j) The majority of
sales personnel had been employed by their employer for
less than one year, and less than six years in a textile
related field; and (f) a number of consumers depend on
'·
;sales people for advice and information.
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CHAPTER I
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INTRODUCTION
!
!
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In recent years there has been increased interest
!in consumerism.
!
!
.
Particular emphasis has been given to
.
1transm1tt1ng as much helpful and accurate information as
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jpossible to the consumer.
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. I
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At the same time, the consumer
!
'jof
fabrics has witnessed a considerable expansion of com-
i
lplex finishes, processes, and types of fabrics available on:
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lthe retail market. Because of th~s complex myriad, person-~
1
!nel selling yardage play an important role in imparting to
!the consumer information regarding the selection, use, and
Jcare of fabrics.
As a consumer for many years and as a teacher of
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jclothing classes on the high school level, the author has
!found the educational background and knowledge of personnel'
i
~selling
yardage an important factor.
l; ground
and knowledge that this study attempted to evaluate.·
I
Ilmately
It was this back-
~
1
Home sewing has been growing at a rate of approxi20 percent per year since the early 1970's (12:1).
I
j In 1970, five and one-half million teen-age girls were
!
j enTolled in sewing classes in schools or other groups
l
Simplicity's research indicates that six out of
Ievery seven teen-age girls sew (16:3). The statistics
(18:56).
,
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2
--=·-'"'
r--~~=------·-·-------·-·-·~·-----·-·-·------··--~~-------
~clearly indicate that home sewing is on the increase and
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!that the younger age groups are involved, a fact that helps
lintensify the focus on the fabric retail market.·
1
It was hoped that this study could provide a
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valuable profile of existing sales personnel showing both
areas of strength and weakness.
Store owners and managers
could benefit from this research by having it serve as a
j
!basis for inservice training programs.
A review of exist-
ling literature has indicated that little has been done in
!
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!this specific area of investigation.
Ij Purpose
j
The objectives of this sttldy were to determine
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lknowledge yardage sales personnel have regarding selected
terms and data found on fabric, labels, data regarding use
!
land care of textile fabrics, suitable notions, and pattern
!
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:envelope information.
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An additional goal was to provide a
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!profile
showing the amount of training and experience these'
!
Isalespersons possess
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This study
I
in the area of textiles.
colle~ted
1 regarding
i
I their
i
background information
personnel employed in yardage stores who have as
primary responsibility the selling of fabric to the
retail consumer.
j
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! Hypothesis
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-
The working hypothesis was as follows:
I! personnel
~
.
employed
i~
Sales
yardage stores, who have as their
1~
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primary responsibility the selling of yardage to the retail;
I
consumer, have adequate knowledge and training to provide
!accurate information to the consumer.
!should include understanding of:
Adequate knowledge
terms and data used on
Ilabels, proper use and care of fabrics, suitable notions
for the item, and interpretation of information on the
pattern envelope.
!Assumptions
I
It is assumed that a questionnaire is a reliable
method of gathering opinions from the respondents.
Limitations
A preliminary study indicated that managers and/or
jowners of yardage stores were apprehensive about permitting
jtheir employees to complete the questionnaire and insisted
!
ion distributing and collecting the forms from their
!employees.
In some cases it was possible the question-
!
lnaire could have been viewed as a threat or as having sus1
picious motives. Becaus~ of this factor it may be possible
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, that the results in some -areas may be skewed.
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The sample of retail firms was geographically con-
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Ifined
to the San Fernando Valley area, a part of the Los
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!Angeles Metropolitan area, which has a predominately m:ddle;
Isocioecono~ic
ll
class population.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Very little has been written or studied specifically about yardage sales personnel.
Some studies have
r
!been done concerning department store sales personnel as
lja
source of information for consumers but most studies in
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lthe area of retail salespersons have dealt with the genera1
!I problem
.
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of the training of sales personnel in retail sales
!techniques.
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!
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An indication of the general problem of "untrained"
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jsales personnel is given by Clark, Sloan and Hebert (1).
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It should be noted, however, that in point of number
of establishments, retailing is the biggest business
in the country. . . . The fact is, therefore, that
despite large and increasing enrollments in formal
courses of instruction, only a relatively small
number of workers have received or are receiving
formal training of any kind. . . . Indeed, it may
be said without reservation that the systematically
trained retail employee is a rarity.
(1:4)
McFadyen (10) reported on a study done in London
II
involving 1300 salespeople in shops and stores.
1 sales
i
! their
He found
personnel continually expressed the feeling that
training was not adequate, while many expressed the
I~eeli~g
of having received no "training" at all.
i .JUnct1on
I
In con-
with this, the personnel expressed a desire and
!
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II need for training about the merchandise. The method used
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jfor obtaining information was
~.-~--~~ ---·,-~. ~----·--··----·~--~1
a combination of personal
j
interview and questionnaire,. with many "open-end" questions,
1making it especially significant that the lack of training
i
was expressed by most of the respondents.
Michman (11) in a paper published in the Journal
of Retailing expressed great concern about the amount of
money spent each year on advertising but very little on
training of sales people.
He developed a sales manual
lwhich he said that when properly used, would help the sales
Jperson gain confidence in himself. He rebutted the stanl
l
!dard argument for those opposed to more training of sales
l
jpeople, which was that the rapid turnover negates any
l
;training method or program.
'·
He cited Sears, Roebuck and
i
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~Company
who has somehow "solved some of the mysterious
jproblems of employee turnover" (16:104).
He believed they
i
!have increased and improved their training techniques,
;which were contributing factors to sounder relationships
Ijbetween
salespeople and their store, and between consumers
l
land the store.
1
1
Wanving (19) did
~
study dealing with the methods
jof determining training needs and the kind of training
jbeing done for their employees by both union and non-union
j
!stores. She found the most popular method for teaching
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!merchandise information was on-the-job training.
I
.
She
!reported other techniques used in order of popularity were:
I
l• (a)
printed literature; (b) discussion; (c) demonstration;
II
~
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l
!
~---·-.-··--··,·-·~·~. ---·--~.----·---.,-.c-·--"--·--··-·-..---·~-·--·-'"----··-·-·-·.--·-· ..____.J
6
rc;;-:::::=::~-:-;--·;ectu::~~d that
three-four:~~
iof the 154 stores studied depended a great deal on outside
!sources for assistance in their training
program~
II
Eighty- '
seven percent of the stores used training and personnel
II
!publications; 71 percent used manufacturing representatives~
f
land 71 percent used manufacturers' materials for their
jtraining programs.
The method used for distribution of or
!exposure to information was not indicated.
l
Manhart (7). conducted a study with 25 soft goods
I
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!clerks in one department store in Reno, Nevada, using pro~~grammed
instruction for training textile sales personnel.
Eight departments, which were involved in the selling of
'•
l
textile merchandise, were used for the sample with the pur-•
l
poses of providing inservice programmed instruction and
\evaluating its effectiveness.
The programmed instruction
!lesson given to these clerks was on resin finished fabrics.:
·,!.·A.
I
few days before the programmed instruction was given,
itrained interviewers (taking the role of shoppers) asked
l
jsalespeople questions abqut resin finished merchandise;
1
!this served as a "pre-test."
The programmed instruction
l
!lesson was given and was followed by a true-false test. A
!
few days after the completion of the programmed instruction;
I
jthe trained interviewers returned to the departments and
!
I
!again asked questions about the resin finished merchandise.
!
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This "post-test" included questions which were based on the .
objectives of the programmed instruction.
1
~ .. ~.,--·-.·--·~, .. ~......... _._.._._~-.--- .. -
. ,
In the pre-test,
- - - - - - - - ._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,.. . ._ . . . . . _ , ... .,.,., .......... , _ , _ . . , _ _ ,- - T - - . 0 4 4 , , - . . < .....~·----~.. -
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lI
...
7
r;;;~~~·~:~t-of ~h:-;;:rks
I'junable
gave
i~:;re-;~-infor:at~o~~::!
to answer the questions.
!j
After the programmed
!instruction, 80 percent of the clerks responded torrectly;
land 45 percent of those answering correctly could give a
1
., reason
for their answer.
The author concluded that the
results clearly indicated that the use of programmed
I
!instruction for inservice training of textile sales perjsonnel was an effective method.
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'
A study having its major emphasis on merchandizing,'
I
!but including some clothing knowledge with respect to
/retailing of clothing was done by Kunishige (6).
!pose of the study was to measure
~nowledge
The pur-
J
of clothing and
I
itextiles possessed by merchandise managers and their per-
!jsonnel;
to measure the degree of correlation between their
l
jclothing knowledge and characteristics of their competence
lin fulfilling their occupational responsibilities; and to
I
.
!determine if probable success in managerial work can be
l
jascertained through use of the Management Inventory.
)department stores
in.Lub~ock,
Ten
Texas were included in the
!
!study with a considerabl~ variation in the size of the
j
!stores as well as their organizational structure. Ninety
~
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!sales personnel and ten managers were included in the study,
1
!with both men and women in the sample.
The results indi-
j
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'j
;cated that merchandise managers scored higher than their
l
!personnel, but the study concluded there was no significant
I
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!correlation of their knowledge and their success.
l
.
l
J·
!...-----·--·-·'"--··,.,-······"··---··----'-·-~-- . ---·-·--·-----··--··---·-~-··----··--·-----··
8
r~·--·---~;:-~ni·~~·u
!with other
~--~---·-~-~
fact~~:: :::e:::::i::s:::l:::::e:nt::n~::c::on l
!sales personnel for information and consumer confidence in
!information given
by
them. Data were collected from
241
department store customers of which 144 were home economists.
The home economists were used to determine if they
searched for more information than a random sample of conlsumers.
Tests and questionnaires were given to 108 sales
l!personnel in the same departments
!sample was drawn.
from which the customer
l
The results showed that differences were
!slight between the two consumer groups in the extent to
j
!which they sought and transmitted information.
~17)
I
Research done by Shapiro
indicated a need for
~
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jsales personnel to be instructed in textiles. He concluded
lthis after using group interviews in three Los Angeles
!department stores to collect 2,502 statements of selling
I
!problems from 204 salespeople and 48 supervisors.
I!sorted
He
these problems and condensed them to comprise a
l
j final list of 71 problems which were mentioned ten or more
! .
1 t1mes.
Mentioned most (142 times) was:
(a) How to help
I
j customers select the colors, styles, and sizes of merchan-
!! dise
I
most suitable for them.
The next six most often men-
tioned problems were as follows, with the frequency in
i
1 parentheses:
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1
b.
How to handle complaints, returns, adjustments
and refunds (83)
L.._.. ----~----·'"·---·-·-------·-----~--:....:________.___
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9
How to get customers to come back and ask for
c.
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you (developing a clientele) (66)
d.
How to create customer confidence in-yourself,
!your store, and your merchandise (SO)
j
e.
How to secure merchandise information and keep
jinformed about your merchandise (4S)
f.
How to cope with the situation when customers'
questions are critical of the merchandise, or of its
1
!quality (33)
!
g.
How to explain effectively the features of the
merchandise (32) .
!From this study, Shapiro
conclude~
that a "lack of textile
!information makes a noticeable contribution to the selling
l
i
jproblems of sales personnel" (17:289).
l
Several studies have been done dealing with the
1
relationship of textile knowledge of the sales personnel
land customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
Most mea-
j
!sured customer satisfaction by the percentage of returned
l
l
!merchandise.
Two such
!have been included in
s~udies,
thi~
Mawhinney (9) and Good (3),,
review because they identify the
I
jneed for trained and informed sales personnel.
!
Mawhinney (9) studied 36 clothing retailers and SO
Ij homemakers
dealing with the specific problem of customers
I
returning merchandise, and the potential influence a sales-
!
person has on reducing the number of returns,
Ii findings
l
-~----·-----·--·"'-'""
From her
I
11
she concluded that better salesmanship was a main
l
______ ___________
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~·-·..:.-----·------------------------~
10
r--·
. ---·---
------·~~--,
1
!factor in decreasing returns. Furthei, she stated that the:
I
!
jsales personnel's lack of information about the merchandise!,
I
contributed to their selling problems by limiting their
I'
l
usefulness to the customer in making a purchasing decision.~
Good (3) did a study designed to determine the
textile knowledge possessed by garment sales personnel,
reasons consumers returned garments, and the relationship
!between textile product knowledge of sales personnel and
!ratio of garment
returns.
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1
l
She studied several dress departJ
ments of a metropolitan department store, and had a sample
l
,of sales personnel complete a Textile Product Knowledge
.,(TPK) measure.
Her findings indi:ated that salespeople
II
need additional textile training as shown by the TPK
i
l
score~
!Results, although not statistically significant, suggested
Ia relationship between salespersons' textile knowledge and
l
lthe percentage of garment returns.
Il
A study done by Drake and Grimes (2) dealt with
'
jidentifying the source women consumers use for most of
!their information when
!
p~rchasing
retail merchandise.
!Fifty percent of the 992 ~rban women interviewed stated
I
lthey preferred to get information from a label, believing
1 it
was more reliable if. it were printed by the manufacturer
1
/For~y percent indicated they preferred to get their infor- j
mat1on from both the label and the salesperson, expressing
1
jthe feeling that more information was obtained if it came
I.from
I
both sources.
.
i
1
_II
i'
····~--·-~------~-~----·----·---·---------'
11
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r·--~.·~-~=--~~
~-----
. .
-·~=~-~=·!
Perhaps the study which came closest to being
j
!significant with regard to the area being studied in this
I
1research project was.done by Hansen (4)
I
Her study was
l
!concerned
with (a) sales personnel as a . source of informa- '
l
jtion for consumers of textiles, and (b) consumers'
ion sales personnel as a source of textile knowledge.
I
l
reliance~
I
Hansen used a questionnaire which included some
!open-ended questions.
The study was done in two parts.
I
l!
!The first included a sample of 193 sales persons in women's;
l
I
)fashions, home furnishings, men's and boy's wear, and
j
Ichildren's
I
!department
and infant's departments of a large urban
store.
l
I
The second group consisted of 380 women
!shoppers
who purchased blouses
,
in~randomly
chosen depart-
lment stores, specialty shops, variety stores, and chain
l
!stores in four communities.
l
I
The first part of the study attempted to determine
!what information was known by sales personnel and what they.
I
!would like to know.
'~labeling
Results showed the clerks knew about
!
laws; wash and wear; Sanforized (trademark); and
jtypes of knits, but wanted more information on weaves and
l
jtheir influence on performance and appearance of a fabric;
l
!blending and combining of fibers; stain and spot resistant
j
'
!finishes; and the types of knits.
J.·
The.second portion of the study attempted to deter-;
I
!mine the degree of consumer reliance on sales personnel as j
l
ja source of information.
'
Of interest was the fact that thei
L. . . . -.A-~-·-··-···-·--·-··-·----·-·-~"---·-------~--. ---------·--.--.-~-----J
12
.
.
~----,----
-~
lmost frequent responses to the open-ended quest1ons were
lrelated
to~
care; performance and finishes; and wash and
i
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!wear.
The conclusion reached by Hansen was:
The present research and others seem to suggest
that sales personnel do not have as much textile
knowledge about the merchandise as they need and
would like to have. There are indications of
consumers depending on sales personnel for assistance in making a purchasing decision. Therefore,
further training for sales personnel could enable
them to serve as a more effective source of information for consumers of textiles.
(4:62-3)
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While the research reviewed in this chapter has not,
dealt with the specific area being studied, it has shown,
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jin nearly every study cited, an identified need for trained
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and informed sales personnel.
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'j -
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PROCEDURE
l
I
pnstrument
A preliminary questionnaire was developed and
!administered to a group of high school students enrolled
l
lin clothing classes. This was done in an informal situal
!tion and students were encouraged to ask any questions
I
!regarding the format or meaning of any portion used in the
..
)questionnaire.
After this pre-test, the questionnaire was revised
and the final questionnaire consisted of fifteen areas of
ll 1nqu1ry.
. .
1
The questions were numbered and coded to facili-
;
l tate
transfer of data to the computer (Appendix).
)
1Sample
Ij met
The sample was limited to those businesses which
criteria cited
below~
had a listing in the telephone
1 directory, and were willing to cooperate.
I
i used
ij
.
·
be retail sales of fabric.
The geographic
l1
limited to the San Fernando Valley area, a
l
~
j
be at least two years old; and (3) the stores' pr1mary
1 P.urpose must
1
I location was
!
(1) the business or chain must have at
least three full time employees; (2) the business or chain
l
1 must
I
included:
The criteria
"··-~~...-. .............,.,--....--.__,_..,,._,....._,. •. ,,,.~- .........._ ....... N'~·.,.,....~ ......... -......,~......-
.
...---,, ..,, ............. .=•• •~-·--·-·~~ ..,...,........... ~----·-''-'-"'- ....... --~·-·-·--""' ..- · ......- . ,...,...,......-...--..,.,._ _ _ ,~...,-- .. -~,J
13
14
.
[-·~.~,~~···-·-~-.----·-·-··~-~·--~· ---·~--·-·-··-~-~-~· ·--·-·-~--~-l
!predominately middle socio~conomic class suburb of Los
j
!Angeles.
Il
A personal contact was made with the manager and/or
owner of each qualifying business establishment.
The pur-
lI
pose of the study was explained and time allowed for them
I
to look over the questionnaire and to discuss any concerns.'
This task proved to be much more difficult than had been
anticipated.
1
I
It was found that many owner/managers of the
!smaller shops (those having only one or two stores as
I
I
jOpposed to a large chain) were reluctant and somewhat sus•
•
;
j
1
picious of having their employees complete a quest1onna1re.:
All owner/managers insisted on distributing the
..
questionnaires to their own employees.
i
Approximately 90
!percent preferred to mail the completed questionnaires
ljback, so a large stamped envelope was provided for this
purpose.
Perhaps the following statement from one manager
lis significant: "By mailing back the questionnaires they
I
won't be identified as being from my store."
I
Ilw1t
. h
lI
The final sample.consisted of twelve businesses
a total o f 60 questionnaires being returned.
Sixteen
!business establishments had agreed to participate.
l
1
Due to problems encountered in the collection of
I! the data, a
I study. The
l
I completed
l
long period was spent on this portion oF the
greatest problem occu~red with collecting the
questionnaiTes.
One business sent them back
!within a week, without being completed.
!,., . _. . . _. ., ._. .,_. _. ,__, ___ ., ., . .,.,. __
. .--"--"''. . -.. . . -----..---..-.. . . . . .. . .__,_,. ,. _.__ . . -.. . . . . . .--,.,___ . . . . . . .
_,_.,~
,.,~'-"'
,_~--
l
l
Upon investigation,:
...
. . . . ___., . .-... -. . .-..
~~~
~~~·.._
-~----,.-.--..<
15
r~ was
5 aid
tha._t_t_h_i_s_w_a__s_d_o_n_e_i_n_a_d_v_e_r_t_e_n_t_l~---s-o_m_e_o_n_e_ o;l
I the clerical staff.-
In working with "chain" stores, it was found preferable to make contact with the general manager of the
chain or concern.
However, a problem was encountered with
one chain which cooperated.
The manager of this organiza-
tion, who had preferred to handle the distribution and
·collection of the questionnaires from the valley stores,
I
kept indicating the questionnaires were not as yet completed by all the eligible employees.
l
This telephone
exchange continued for a period of several months.
l
l
The
j
manager finally stated, in a very apologetic manner, the
questionnaires had
managers.
.
apparently
~
been lost by one of the
l
storel
i
At that point a new set was provided and the
I
manager gave his assurance that these would be completed.
j
I
jThey were finally completed in six weeks and secured by
i
.
lthe investigator directly from the general manager.
!Analysis of Data
l
j
l
The responses from the 60 questionnaires were coded 1
land punched on IBM cards.
I
·organized into topics by hand.
The data were analyzed using the chi square test,
l
Ijdistribution;
I
The open-end responses were
I
!with the .OS level accepted as significant; frequency
I
and percentages.
l--·-------~·-·-'"·""''-------~·-·-·-·---·--~----·-·--····-·--··--.-----· ____,.____j
CHAPTER IV
RESULTS
.
I
l
The data were collected for this study by quest1on-:
naires from 60 individuals involved in selling fabric by
l
jthe yard.
!parts.
Discussion of the results is presented in four
I
!
The first deals with personal data on the age and
!educational background of the sample.
I
The second is con-
jcerned with the education and experience of the respondents;
!including textile courses, sewing &xperience, employment in
I
Ithe
are·a of textiles and in- service training.
The third
l
lpart is concerned with the knowledge regarding textiles
lthat yardage sales personnel have, including understanding
lof terms and data used on labels, proper use and care of
!I
!fabric, suitable notions for the item and interpretation of
I
!information on the pattern envelope.
I
~included
an analysis of information and advice that is fre-j
!quently requested by the consumer.
Ijthe
The fourth section
This latter identified
percentage of consumers requesting advice and
I
!!yardage
!
Data
A,.;;~.
The data indicated the majority of the
sales personnel in the sample studied were below
L---·-·"~----··--·-·
I
identifi-~
!cation of areas of advice requested most.
I!Personal
~
I
~,i
l
l1
I
--.. -.·----.. -..-·-----·--------..- . ---~-·--·---. ---·---.~·
16
17
r;;;ar-s~o;=:ge.
Iyear
T~~ -~~rgest
0
single group was the
~ ~~20 --~
old category, making up almost one-third (32 percent)
of the sample.
I
The 20-24 year old category comprised 18
l
!percent, which created a total of 50 percent under the
lage of 24.
The next age category, 25-34 years, comprised
15 percent of the sample, creating
a cumulative
j65 percent under the age of 34 years.
total of
The age grouping of
135-44 years dropped to seven percent. This was the
l
!smallest group, except for the category of those 65 years
land older which accounted for only two percent.
l
The third
largest group was made up of those between 45-54 years of
age, 17 percent.
The next category, 55-64 years old,
!dropped to eight percent.
Figure 1 illustrates the age
!distribution of the respondents.
I
16-20 years
32%
20-24 years
18%
25-34 years
15 '0 1
7%.
35-44 years
17=r=:J
8%
55-64 years
Il
I
65 years-older
I
I
45-54 years
l
I
I
~
-·
Fig. 1.--Age distribution of respondents (N = 60)
l
!
l...,...._,__ _.,~~"-<0"'0..._.~....,,__.._-.,_.,"... --,.....,..,.__,_.....,_.,_.._,_.._ _ _ _ _ - ·· - - , . . . -........ ~.-.~--»~--------....._-'-~-R--..
. __... . ---~J
18
of school and/or earned a high school diploma.
Eighteen
percent of the respondents indicated they had completed
!grades 9-12, while an additional 35 percent reported they
had earned a high school diploma.
Only two percent indi-
cated they had completed less than nine grades.
Twenty percent of the respondents stated they had
'completed two years of college, with an additional ten
!percent indicating they had completed 15-16 years of
school~
!Thirteen percent of the sample reported they had earned a
!Bachelor
of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree.
I
:
No respon-:
'·
dent reported having an advanced degree, but two percent
indicated they had received "other" training.
l
Figure 2
lon page 19 gives the data as reported by respondents
!regarding
the highest educational level attained.
I
J
I
Textile Background
·Textile Education.
The data indicated fifty-seven
percent of the sample had taken classes in either Junior
I
or Senior high school in the area of Clothing and Textiles.
!
I Twenty-four
percent had taken classes in a Community
I
/College in the subject area of Textiles, while another
!
I three
I
! tion
I they
I,.
j
programs. ·Eleven percent of the respondents indicateu
l
had taken classes in Clothing and Textiles in a four- '
j year college, and five percent had taken post graduate
. . . L-"•""•·"'---~--..._.._..---.~-....~...........~-..-~ .....- ......,...-
L~.--
I
percent had taken classes in Textiles in Adult Educa-;
......-.... __ ,.6 .....-.~ ......~ ....... ~ ..- -
----------·- ..-.---..----------~~...--~·)
...
.l
19
~--------------~~1
'
\
Completed less
than 9 grades
I Completed
ll 9-12
"-
tm
j
grades
school diploma
35%
Completed
12-14 years
18%
I
I'
A.A.
I
18%
l Earned high
I' Earned
degree
I!'
I
I
I
J
i
10%1
Il
-
!
B.A.
13%
I
M.A. or M.S.
degree
l
~
Completed
15-16 years
B.S. or
I degree
l
I
None
!
I
I
l
...
I
l
!
l Other
training
trn
!l
i
}?ig,
2.~-Educational
background of respondents (N
!work in Textile courses.
=
Figure 3 on page 20 shows the
!responses regarding the source of textile education.
I
·.
II
Sewing Experience.
I if
I
60)
When the respondents were
I
1
l
I
i
l
asked:
I
they knew how to sew, 93 percent indicated they did kno~
how, seven percent indicated they did not.
j
Ii
A significant finding was that SO percent (30) of
the respondents who stated they did not sew had been
I
j
j
1
i employed the the textile field less than one year.
I
II
1
1.----··---·-·--«--~-·------·-·----·--~~-------""·--··-·--·--"-""" ______ j
I
20
lI
I
I
Junior high
Senior high
!
l
57%
l
!
j
I
Community
college
Adult
Education
l
I
24%
I
I
tl]
I
Four year
I College
l..
I
l
11%1
l
'
Post graduate
5% I
work
I
Other
training
1
li
I
None
l
1'
l
Fig. 3.--Source of textile education (N
The
.
ma J orit y
=
60)
.
of the res p ondents who indicated they
ldid sew had sewn a variety of types of items.
I
Sixty-five
j
!percent indicated their experiences included "stretch and
!
lsew" garments as well as tailored garments.
Fifty-five
percent had worked with designer patterns and garments,
j
88 percent had constructed casual, easy-to-s~w garments~
1 and
I
I Figure
4 on page 21 summ;;trizes the data as to types of
I
I
!sewing experiences.
l
I
With regard to sewing machine ownership, 90 percent'
of the sample indicated they owned a sewing machine, and
I eight
percent indicated they did not.
l
i
Two percent did not
I
1 respond to the question.
The majority, 62 percent, of
l
'sewing machine owners owned a zig-zag, decorative stitch
1 machine.
Thirteen percent owned a plain zig- zag machine
·
l
i
L.~-·~---·----·--·--. -.. ,.~·---------------·---·-·--~~-··~----··--~..----------1
21
l
Easy to sew,
casual clothes
88%
Tailored
garments
65%
J
l
l
"Stretch and
sew" garments
65%
I
I
I
t
l
Il
!
Designer patterns
or garments
j
55%
r----·
!'
I
'
!
'
I
I
Fig. 4.--Types of sewing experiences (N = 60)
.land 22 percent owned a straight stitch machine.
Two per-
l
icent owned a power machine.
Table 1 cites data regarding
sewing machine ownership, while Figure
5 on page 22 indi...
jcates the type of machine owned.
I
The data dealing with the question of why the
!respondents sew and who they sew for indicated 72 percent
!l
lof the sample sewed for economy and 82 percent sewed for
l
! themselves.
Fifty-eight percent sewed for their family
l
TABLE 1
I
SUMiv1ARY OF RESPONSES ON SEWING MACHINE OWNERSHIP
AND PERCENTAGE KNOWING HOW TO SEW (N = 60)
i
l ==========~=====================================================
l
No
Yes
No
response
I1 Do
l
1
you know hmv
to sew?
93%
7%
you ovm a
machine?
90%
8%
lI Do
i sewing
ll
2%
'
l
L-·---~----. -·-------..·--·-·---··--..·-----··---------------····-···~--·-----·-1
22
Zig-zag, decorative
stitch machine
Zig-zag
machine
13%
Straight stitch
machine
22%
Power
machine
I
62%
I
I
-
~l
Fig. 5.--Type of machine ownership (N = 60)
!and 37 percent of the respondents sewed for others.
....
'
F lity-i
l
five percent of the sample indicated they sewed for crealtive expression and 17 percent sewed for income.
I
~
T~ble 2
jon page 23 summarizes the data and shows the distribution
lof reasons for sewing and the age of the respondents.
l
An analysis of the data found that of those respon-
i
l
I
ldents who sew, there was a significantly greater number lvho;
i'
!sewed for economy than those who did not. In addition, it
!;was
l
found that 12 percent of those respondents who sew do
i
jnot sew for themselves .
I
.!
I
il
Employment Experience.
A summary of the data indi-1
.
I
lcated that 89 percent of the respondents had been employed
I.
11n a
!
textile related field less than ten years, 56 percent
lless than six years, and 12 percent less than one year.
j
of!
I
lthe eleven percent employed over ten years in the textile
l
\
!field, three percent were employed 11-15 years, seven
'I
1
l1
L.-.--.~----·.. ··-~-·~-..--·--·-·---------~-----·--·-·-·-·---·--·"
r-·----·-'
i!
TABLE 2
REASONS FOR SEWING BY AGE GROUPS--DATA INCLUDES
ANALYSIS BY EACH GROUP AND TOTAL SAMPLE
1I
_:-:_
1
't
16-20
(32% of
total)
20-24
(18% of
total)
25-34
(15% of
total)
:>--
:>--
:>--
~
,.
bl)
ro
+-)
o
~
+-)
ro
ro
+-)
o
ro
+-)
o
~
.j.J
ro
bl)
ro
.j.J
o
~
+-)
ro
.j.J
ro
u
ro
+-)
o
~
+-)
ro
u
+-~
4-1
0
4-1
0
4-1
0
4-1
0
4-1
0
4-1
0
4-1
0
4-1
0
4-1
0
4-1
0
4-1
0
~
~
~
~
~
. ~~
~
~
~
~
+-~
u
ro
+-)
o
.j.J
+-~
~
0
.--i
u
+-~
u
~
bl)
:>--
~
0
.--i
65-over
(2% of
total) I
:>--
~
0
.--i
bl)
I
55-64
(8% of
total)
:>--
~
0
.--i
bl)
45-54
(17% of
total)
:>--
~
0
.--i
35-44
(7% of
total)
0
.--i
bl)
ro
+-)
o
~
.j.J
ro
.j.J
ro
.j.J
u
4-1
0
4-1
0
4-1
0
~
~
~
~
+-~
u
bl)
~
Economy
72
23
73
13
73
10
67
5
75
12
70
8
100
-
-
Self
82
28
89
13
73
10
67
7
00
13
80
8
100 •
2
100
Family
58
18
58
5
27
7
44
7
00
13
80
7
80 ·
-
-
CreatlV~
express1on
Others
55
20
63
7
36
12
78
3
SO
8
SO
5
60
-
-
36
15
47
5
27
5
33
-
-
7
40
5
60
-
-
31
=I -
--_
3
20
-
-
~r:_c.ome --~- __1
I
I
Total
Perc en t
~
0
.--i
Sew
for :
I
Age Di.stribution
L._ - ..
__ 1_6
~-
.10
~~----_. ____ ,..,-_,__,..... ~ ...........----·-···.._...-..... ~~·- -~----·--····--·-
~
"·..~··-··· .......
1
I
j __ -
--
l_~o__ ~~ _
·
I
I
I
,_. .__. . . . . . . . . . . ________ ------- ·--~-----'->'·__.;
N
VI
24
,.--~~--~···---~~· ~-··
-------~--,
!percent w~re employed 16-20 years, and two percent were
j
!
I
!employed over 20 years.
I
Sixty-seven percent of the sample had been employed
!by their present firm less than one year.
An additional
I
123 percent had been with their present firm from one to
jfive years, providing a cumulative total of 90 percent
I
employed by their present firm for less than five years.
Of the remaining ten percent, eight percent were employed
six to ten years and two percent were employed sixteen to
I!twenty
l
'I
years by their present firm.
Figure 6 shows a summary of the employment pat-
terns, including both the length of time employed in
!textile related fields and the
le~gth
of time employed
jwith the present firm.
1 year
or less
67%
1-5
years
6-10
years
11-15
years
16-20
years
over 20
years
i
L=t
= employment
with
present firm
!
=
empl?yment with
text1le related
·field
I~·
Fig. 6.--Length of employment in textile field (N = 60).
!......_..,....-~···--·-···-····--·--··----·----------·-~-..------·
-----·-·--·-J
25
I
had been involved in group discussion and twenty-seven
percent had been given printed literature to read.
I
Twenty-;
two percent indicated they had watched demonstrations and
lj
'
20 percent were given formal instruction in sales techniques.
1
!
~received
Eighteen percent of the sample stated they had
instruction in customer relations, and 17 percent
I
indicated lectures had been used for instructional purposes;
I
by their employer.
'•
~;
On-the-job
experience
~!J%
Group
discussion
28%
_j
i
I
I
l
!
i
!
I
Printed
literature
27%
Demonstration
22%
Sales
techniques
20%
Customer
relations
18%
I
I
-.
J
J
ll
I
l
j
l
I
I
l
l
I!
I
Lectures
Movies
17%
0%
J
i
l
l
-
l
----1
26
r----
Eig~-ty~
percent of the
re:ponden-;:~~ate~..,-,
jthey felt a need for in-service training.
In addition,
78 percent felt it would be of value on a regular basis.
Textile Knowledge
Label Data and Terms.
The respondents were asked
the question, "Are you familiar with the Federal Trade
I
l Commission requiremen~s regarding labeling?"
lpercent of the respondents
!indicated
they were not.
Seventy-two
answered "yes" and 27 percent
A significant finding was that
193 percent of the 27 percent not familiar with F.T.C.
requirements had been employed by their present firm less
'·
than one year.
When the respondents were questioned about the
j meaning of the term "preshrunk" on a label, only 48 percent1
gave a correct answer (see Figure 8).
If a label mentions shrinkage
(correct response = d)
a.
0
Table 3 on page 27
i
'
r preshrunk it:
Indicates fabric will
not shrink more than 5%
8%
b.
Indicates fabric will
not shrink more than 3%
8%
c.
Indicates fabric will
not shrink more than 1% 15%
d.
Must indicate how much
additional shrinkage
is to be expected
--
I
48%
Fig.
8.--Responses
question
on shrinkage (N = 60). __,__,,...,.«)
...
__. .,. _.__to
.._,,_,...,.,,.......,.--..._,__.,.._,,..
. __________________
.-,~·---u
,..,.~•-·-·--··~-.-..-_..,..,._.,~,--,...._,.
_______
,..
_____________
~_
·---
I
~-~
TABLE 3
1
I
RESPONSES TO QUESTION ON SHRINKAGE BY AGE GROUPS (N
I
= 60)
I
I
l
!
I
..
!
Ii
16-20
(32 %)
!
i
I
20-24
(18%)
25-34
(15 %)
35-44
(7%)
45-54
(17%)
55-64
(8 %)
65-older
(2%)
2%
Total
20%
3%
3%
2%
3%
Shrink 5%
5%
2%
-
2%
Shrink 3%
2%
3%
-
-~
2%
2%
-
9%
Shrink 1%
-·
3%
2%
-
7%
3%
-
15%
22%
7%
12%
2%
2%
3%
-
48%
-
l
Must indicate
% of shrinkage
9%
.
I
I
% familiar
F.T.C.
I with
II
I
No response
7%
I
I
Age group (% of sample)
ll
I
28%
10%
10%
. 2%
13%
7%
I'
-·.
72%
l
I
l
'!_ _____________,_____:_ _ _ _~---- . ·········--~------------·--------~··
2%
-·-------------------~.,..._.,~,
j
t'.>
-....:J
(""
28
!shows th;-;;,·:;onses to this
ques~y ag-~ ~;~up,=~~ "I
as the responses with regard to their familiarity with the
I
Federal Trade Commission requirements regarding labeling.
l
Analysis of the data found all respondents who had
I
taken classes in textiles at the college level selected the;
correct response with regard to the meaning of the term
I
"preshrunk."
The term "colorfast" appeared to be misunderstood
by
~he
majority of the yardage sales personnel used in the
sample of this study.
Data indicated only 20 percent of
the respondents were aware that several factors are inolved with a fabric being colorfast, including washing
'•
and sunlight.
las factors.
No one recognized rubbing and perspiration
lterm referred to color changing with exposure to washing
ljonly.
l
Sixty percent of the respondents indicated the :
l
I
Twelve percent of the sample responded that the term'
feferred to color changing with exposure to sunlight only.
[able 4 on page 29 shows, by age groups, the responses to
I
\the question on colorfastness.
It is of interest that of
1
lhe 20 percent giving correct responses, 50 percent came
!from the 16-20 year age group.
The other 50 percent came
I
!from the respondents in the 20-34 age range.
!
Thus, none of -~,·.
I
:the respondents over the age of 34 gave a correct answer.
Il
Analysis of the
dat~
showed 75 percent of the 20
bercent of the respondents selecting the correct response
l
~new
how to sew.
I
l
I
Sixty-two percent of the incorrect
______________________ j
L--··------·------~- -----·---------
-------
~-·
'
l'
l
TABLE 4
!
!!
RESPONSES TO QUESTION ON COLORFASTNESS BY AGE GROUPS (N = 60)
i
I
~
!
Age group (% of sample)
\
!
..
l
I
I
20-24
(18%)
2%
2%
?9<
-
2%
-
-
8%
20%
10%
7%
7%
8%
8%
-
60%
-
2%
2%
-
7%
-
2%
11%
10%
5%
5%
No response
i
i 'Washing
'
Il
16-20
(32%)
25-34
(15%)
-
0
35-44
(7%)
45-54
(17%)
55-64
(8%)
65..:older
(2%)
Total
Ironing
I
r
1· Sunlight
'
I
I
I
Perspiration
Rubbing
All above *
I
!
I
IL__
*Correct response
,c_.....,,_.,._, _ _ _ _ _ _ _
,..--......_._""'~"'~"-'''''•'-•
""'•"•' _ _
._.,_~--_..-.,.......;:.__...,
_ _ _ ..,_
_.__.._......,__,_....,_~.
,........... _•..,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ •_'
·-------~--·----·-·
J
N
'.0
30
r··-----~--~-·-···~-··
·~-~v-·--
-------~----,
jresponses selecting "washing" as the correct response were
!
lfrom respondents who had indicated they knew how to sew.
lI
l
l·
l.·
Pattern Envelope Interpretation.
Another area of
l
I
envelope.'
inquiry regarding knowledge yardage sales personnel had
was that on interpreting information on a pattern
l
Respondents were asked to identify the important factors
l
l
J
in determining the amount of fabric needed for a particular 1
!style on a commercial pattern.
1(92
Most of the respondents
percent) selected the size of pattern being used and
l
1the width of fabric as important factors.
!
A significant
I
I
l
jnumber, 75 percent, indicated the type of fabric being used:
I
l
i
11
was an important factor.
Twenty percent of the respondents:
.
I
!indicated that fiber content of the fabric played an lmpor-,
I
ltant role, an incorrect response. Figure 9 on pages 31-32
!
l
!gives a summary of these responses.
I
Notion Recommendations.
I
j
The questionnaire con1
tained three questions relating to the selection of notions.
I which
would be suitable for specific items.
Figure 9 on
I
i
!pages 31-32 shows a summary of these.
l
The first question provided an opportunity for the
respondents to recognize the notion which would not be
l
i
j
suita~le
to use with synthetic double knits.
i
I percent
I
Seventy-eight
of the respondents selected the most correct
I response,
which inditated ribbon seam tape for the hem was
)least suitable. -Thirty-seven percent selected "metal
L. . ._____________,·---··--~------~---·-----·-~----~----------------------------:......__"__j
I
l
i
1
1
....-,.,....___,,,.,..,...,_,.,.
_,.._.._....,.
..--··~'""
!
__ ____ Fig.
...
-
.,..........
9.
-
~
I
(page one)
I
Pattern Envelope Interpretation
I
I
I
Important factors in determining amount of fabric needed:
Size of pattern
Width of fabric being used
View of pattern being used
Type of fabric being used
Fiber content of fabric
I
..
~
l
I :~:
I
75%
I_
48%
zo%
Ij Notion recommendations
n\
I
I
I
j Which notion not suitable for use with synthetic double knits:
I!
""'
~ ,_ ,_ - -Ribbon
- - - --- '-oJ.uuJ.ng
-' -- ' -' -- seaHt
Metal zipper
Polyester/cotton thread
Stretch-lace seam binding
Polyester thread
l
I
iI
J
I Notion
'
I
I
I
l_
.... ...
- - .
78%
37%
13% I
~
.J
WJJ
rn
most essential in sewing lingerie knits
Size 9 ball point needles
Size 15 sharp pointed needles
Size 13 sharp pointed needles ru
Ribbon seam tape
No response
_........... -...... -·---
I
··~·
,__
·---·~-·-
........
~-·-----·~
........ ..., ..... _._, _____...... ..,...
~
~
~
.•.....__ ...
~.-~···---
..
--~---~--~-~------.......
.........,___.
_____________
... ___
.....,
~
}--<
........ _
_.,
'
_____
~otion
...,
recommendations, continued
II
Thread most suitable for use in sewing synthetic double knits
i
..
!
Silk
Polyester/cotton
Cotten
Nylon
No response
I o%
I
88%
I
!
Facts about polyester double knit fabric
It may shrink 2-10%
when washed
A zig-zag stitch should
be used when sewing
It does not require use of
special sewing techniques
Any type of interfacing
is suitable to use
Seams usually need a
special finish
35%
l
35%
J
~
18%
I
8% J
:1!]
Fig. 9.-- Summary of responses on· textile knowledge (excluding label information)
Ii
I
I
L-----------·-·----------·-------~---~----------. ------------------------~----. ---------·------- ---------------------- ------~--j
(.,~
N
.33
~z;;~r':·~-;;·-;rce~;-:electe~~r~tch-lac:·~~~~g''-:-1
and five percent selected "polyester thread."
It is
apparent that some respondents selected more than one
!respond to this question.
!
A total of eleven percent gave
!incorrect responses.
The third question dealt with the selection of
I
I
!
l-----~-~-----·--.--~--. .-.,---·--·'"-----·--··-~-----.~~-~-··---.-. ----~---·--·-·--..l
34
·f~:::::·:~=·=summa~=~~
jresponses regarding information and advice which was fre-
I
•quently requested by the consumer when talking to the
/salesperson selling yardage.
It also cites the percentage
l
jo£ consumers who asked advice of
salespeople, as estimatei
/by the yardage salespeople.
I
Forty-eight percent of the yardage sales personnel
!indicated that more than 50 percent of the consumers pur/chasing fabric seek advice from them.
Thirty-five percent
!
lo£ the sales people indicated less than 50 percent, but
I
!more than 25 percent of the consumers seek advice.
!
Only
4
iten percent of the respondents stated less than 25 percent
j
jof the customers asked for advice, and only two percent
(
j indicated that less than ten percent of the consumers
·i
'j asked for advice.
!
j
In identifying the areas where advice was requested·
1
\
l
'
jmost, "amount of fabric needed" appeared most often.
l
I Forty-five percent of the yardage salespeople stated it
!
1 was asked
I ing it was
11
Very often" with an addi tiona! 35 percent stat-
asked "often."
Thus, a total of 80 percent of
j the respondents stated that customers requested advice with
l
i regard to the amount of fabric needed.
I
Twelve percent of
the respondents indicated that advice regarding the amount
1 of fabric needed was asked for "sometimes" and only three
j
I percent
l
stated this type of advice was asked for "hardly
'
~~ ........-.. ......-~............-~....,...,..- .... :-...-...-..-.... ~ .... ~0'"~-."'>""o•L .....~-·-··...,...... ,.-~- .. --------.,--.., ,...- - ..~- ......._.._......_...,~._-L.___...,~------ ...-~-·--·-------------~-..-1
r-~--
--
. . .-.. . .
·---~---
1
I
~
I
II
Consumers asking advice, as reported by yardage salespeople
i
Less than 10%
29J
.;;::.._£.
Less than 25%
'-To%
Less than 50%
.
1
l
.I
1
35%
~
I
I
II
i
Il
I
l
II.
II
I
I1
More than SO%
48%
I
Summary· of areas consumers most often sought advice, as reported by yardage
salespeople ("very ofteD.~' and "often" responses combined)
Amount of fabric needed
Fiber content of fabric
,
57%
Type of thread to use
Other
J
69%
Care of fabric
Other notions, zipper, tape
I
80%
I
43%
l
28%
13%
I
I
Fig. 10.--Summary of responses on consumer requests for textile advice
l
I
I
l
L_
I
---------·--··---·..·----..---·-··-----·------------------------··-·-.
·--·--·-·--·---~·
·-·-·---------J
VI
tfl
36
~~-~~n~-o~~espo:~ent~· in~~~ated
r
~'l
that this area
'
of inquiry was "never" requested.
Thirty-seven percent of the sales personnel
1
stated that consumers asked questions regarding the fiber
I
i
lconterit of the fabric "very often," while an additional
32 percent of the respondents stated consumers asked
advice regarding this area noften."
The "very often" and
"often" categories comprise 69 percent of sales personnel
interpretation regarding customers seeking advice concernjing fiber content of the fabric.
Seventeen percent of the
!respondents indicated this area of information was sought
I"sometimes"
and three percent of
lwas asked "hardly ever."
~he
salespeople stated it
Interestingly, three percent of
!the respondents stated that this topic of information was
l
I "never" requested.
i
This was the only area of inquiry on
/the questionnaire, with regard to information and advice
I1 requested
by the consumer, which received the distinction
l
! of "never" being sought.
I
The topic requested third by the consumers
!I accor d.1ng
to the sample was that concerning care of fabric.;
l
!l Thirty-two percent of the respondents indicated this type
II of
I 25
I!
j
i
advice was asked for "very often" and an additional
percent of the sales people stated it was asked for
"often."
Thus a total of 57 percent of the consumers
, sought advice on this topic ''often" or "very often."
l
I1 Thirty-two percent of the respondents stated customers
j
.
l
I...
~._.,
...
H0'0-·-".0•<<.--~''-""'-"
.......................................
~.. -'"'"'~-·-_,...-~_.,..__t>·~->'"----
. . . ._.._.....,.__ .
,
j
l
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.._ _ _ _ _ _.,..._l
~---............,.,.&>O.~<-T<-
37
f:s~ed fo~v~~~:~ the -:~~-:;-fabric
I
.
"somet-~-:-~:-~~~1
care
jonly and ~n additional two percent of the yardage sales!
people indicated this advice was asked for "hardly ever."
The type of thread to use seemed to be a topic
lwhich customers also asked advice about.
While just 15
l
!percent of the respondents indicated customers sought
~advice
in this area "very often," an additional 28 percent
jOf the respondents stated that consumers asked about the
l
!type of thread to use "often."
Thirty-eight percent of
lthe respondents indicated customers asked about the type
lof th;ead to use "sometimes," and ten percent stated this
larea was asked about "hardly ever:"
I
The area which consumers asked about least was that'
jregarding information on notions other than thread.
l
Just
·.
lten percent of the respondents stated consumers asked about
I
!these notions "very often" with an additional 18 percent
I
!stating this area was asked about "often."
'
l
1
Forty-three
!
jpercent of the yardage salespeople indicated that consumers,
!asked advice about notions, other than thread, "sometimes.":
l
.
;
jEighteen percent of the respondents stated this area of
l
l
jinquiry happened "hardly ever."
I!
I
l
l
~-~-.,._~,
.......- ............
"""'~-_,._,...,..,
.....,,.,.,_..,.....,..,,___,
____ _____ __
._...._
...
........
~_
,~~
. .......... .....,.._...
"'-"
~
__ ______
,
""_...._
__
......,.....
_..
__
,.,
__
,- __
.
~----~·---
....
,...,.
_____
l
-·
,~·---~~-~-·
1
----
=-··--~-~~·--~---Q
I
I
CHAPTER v
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The recent increased interest in consumerism has
I
.
~~~--1 stressed the importance of consumers being given as much
(
!helpful and accurate information as possible.
Ijconsumer
For the
of fabrics, it was apparent that the sales per-
lsonnel selling the yardage played an important role in
l
!imparting information regarding the products they sell.
I
The purpose of this
study~was
to determine knowl-
ledge yardage sales personnel have concerning:
!
selected
l
!areas of use and care of textile fabrics, suitable notions,:
l
l
jand interpretation of pattern envelope information.
Addi-
ltionally, the training and experience of sales personnel
'
i
lwas.profiled.
I
The review of literature showed that the specific
!subject regarding sales personnel in yardage stores and
\
!department
stores had not been studied previously.
j
Many
i
!studies have been done which dealt with sales personnel in
!
jrelated areas, however. The emphasis on most of the
l
I studies cited in this paper was on the problem of the
I
f
! training of retail sales personnel, including the effect
;
lo£ training or lack of training on consumers.
Most of the.
l
:studies discussed in the review of literature were
.
l,,l
·.
~
),,..__ .. ~"-""""'"' ~-·~ ·•.;~"'''
I
··••• ,,,....,..,...._._ • .,.,-""" ... ~.~~..,....,.. .... ,..._.,._~ _
_ _ , __ _.,... _ _ _ _ ,._..,..~~-...-- . . ~""'",.""" ~·!i' _ , - . , _ _ . , _ . . . _ , ..._,.. •• ._ _ _ _.~_.., _ _ _ . , , _ ,
38
..,_,..,._"v...-w...._.,_._...~
_
l
_.._._...._,~..,
39
r«"""~""""""""""'-...,..,...,.·,.,
..........................,.,.,.,_,_.,_~->"J.-_,....>-·-----~~, ....---..-·----~~· ....-=-·..-~-""'""""""'~-__,,....,,,"""'........_........_,..._,.,..,..')
1
!conducted with retail sales clerks who were involved to
l
~some degree in sales involving textiles, such as ready-to-
iwear garments, linens, and home furnishings.
The results in every study cited showed a need for
and information about the items they were selling.
In
addition it was found that customers do rely on sales perlsonnel for information.
The degree of dependence varied
!depending on the item being purchased and the amount of
!additional information available.
The completed questionnaires provided informative
'·
results and gave a brief summary of a selected sample of
the yardage sales personnel in the San Fernando Valley.
The responses provided information that indicated
the sample was young, had completed 12 years of school, had
been employed by their present employer for less than one
year, and had been employed in the textile related field
for less than six years .. Ninety-three percent of the
sample indicated they knew how to sew, and the majority of
this group had sewn a variety of types of items and owned
a decorative stitch, zig-zag type sewing machine.
The
major source of the respondent's education regarding textiles was from courses in junior and senior high school.
Wanvig (19) found, in heT study of kinds of inservice training employers provided, that the most popular
. . . . -.
~---~-,
.. .
~
..-._..,.,.._,_.,..,~~...,.._.,.,
.
_,.,._~~.,..,_:""_
.. .
.....,...,.,_,~
-~·-----~
. . . ., . . . . .
~---·"'··
... .
·~-
. _,..___
~~··-._,,_
~~~---"'TJ<-~.---....._,.
. . . ,. . . __,. . . _, _____. _. . ._.,. . ,. . .
i
l
~""'-
. 40
job" training.
Wanvig found other techniques used, in
order of popularity were:
l
•
l
l
(1) printed literature; (2) dis-:
(3) demonstration; (4) movies; and (5) lecture.
jCUSSlOn;
i'
J
!Results from this study indicated that, after "on-the-job"
r
.
jtraining, other training techniques used were:
(1) group
!discussion (28%); (2) printed literature (27%); (3) demon-
. (22%); (4) sales techniques (20%); (5) customer
!Istrat1.on
I
!relations (18%); and (6) lectures (17%).
In this present
lstudy the techniques used closely paralleled those found
I
lby Wanvig.
I
As noted previously, the review of the literature
Ijsection of
l informed
this paper focused on the need for trained and
sales personnel as it is these people who are the
l
!most likely source of information to the consumer.
'
In
jaddition, as shown in nearly every study cited, salespeople
l felt
a need and a desire for more training.
It seems sig-
lnificant that the respondents in this study also overlwhelmingly expressed a need for in-service training.
On
l
I an
open-end question, 88 percent of the respondents indi-
!
I cated
I
it would be of value on a regular basis.
The data from the questionnaires indicate that the
j textile knowledge of the sample studied varied a great deal..
I
!
II
I
When questioned about the meaning of the term "preshrunk"
.
.
.
l
[
l
\..-•~-·-~--~-·••·"-·"'••··w-·~--··••• _,. -····-----·•~·--•-••••••--~-----·--------·---···---___.}
' 41
r·---·=·~---=-~"-~"--,-~
. ----
,-·-:---r.-·--------~-=--~·~-r.-·-~=·,~---=-~,~-~
on a label, only 48 percent gave a correct response.
1
-
j
In
l
!addition, when questioned about the term "colorfast" on a
label, only 20 percent gave a correct response.
:
-Of
!interest here is that in both cases, approximately 50 perjcent of the correct responses c~e from indivi~als in the
j16-20 year old category.
The balance of the correct
j respo~1ses came mostly from those in the sample who were
I
///
l~~der
the age of 34 .
This seems to indicate that the
.;/
~younger
age groups have a better understanding of the
l
!terms "colorfast" and "preshrunk."
I
Anothei significant finding was that all respon-
!dents who had taken courses in textiles at a college
I
4
l selected the correct response on the meaning of the term
1
I
j "preshrunk."
On the question of the meaning of the term
!
l "colorfast,"
I
! correct
analysis of the data showed 75 percent of the
responses were from respondents who knew how to
I
As a group, the respondents were quite well aware
!
j of sui table notions for a particular item and important
-l factors in determining the amount of fabric needed for a
II particular
l
l
I
style when using a commercial pattern.
Almost half of the yardage sales personnel indi-
cated more than 50 percent of the consumers purchasing
I fabric sought advice from them.
This again followed the
I
I predominant
I
findings in previous research which identified
,
L.,.,.--....~-oor,__..,_,....__,._"'-"..._.........,,_,...,.,..•........,..... ~ -.--..... ,.,__....__ ·- •~--- .. --·-·~"'"'"'__,_,_,,.._ .._. _ _...,......_._,.._"'-""'..-~'.--~,...~·----..-·••.-~,...,.._4>._<.,...,...,...,...-,..__...,....,...,.. _ _ _ _~_.J
42
lthat a great number of consumers depend on the
->w•-<<M.·~·-"-··-,.-·•·--•-"•-~-=--··~·>~·"-·-·=-•~··J-~-~-·~· ""k•·~·~-~~=--·~~--•-••~·~-·~·--~~~
salespeople
i
1
f
jfor advice and information.
I
l
l
1
The three areas where advice was requested most
I
j wer·e:
(a) amount of fabric needed; (b) fiber content of
!fabric; and (c) care of fabric.
I
I
I
lI
In conclusion, the findings in this research
!i
I
!project appear to support the findings cited in the litera-·
l
!ture. That is to say, sales personnel are used by the
l
!consumer as the major source of providing accurate infor1
lmation.
l
Further, there is a need for trained and informed
i
jsales personnel.
Most of the studies found areas
wher~
!the knowledge and training of sales personnel was not ade-
l
'·
I quate.
I
This study has shown a similar pattern.
The
!hypothesis can be accepted only in part, as the data
I
!collected have shown the sales personnel studied had ade~
'
lquate knowledge and training in some areas, but were defi'
!cient
in others. The major deficiency seems to be in the
r
l
I
1area of understanding of terms found on labels.
~
j
I
It should
,
!1 tionnaire will be
be noted that the results of the quesgiven to those management personnel who
l . d..1cate d an 1nterest.
.
l 1n
I
!l' for
I
I
Hopefully it will serve as a basis
inservice training programs.
The results of this study revealed several areas
in which further research could be pursued.
I
f;
1.
A similar study which would include a larger
j geographical area would provide valuable comparison.
!
43
r
1
..
--·~·~--··""~~-"-~~~-~~~-~-. -·----~-~---~-~~-=-··-- ~·····=---=~~
2.
A similar study with an expanded portion on
I
i
1
1
Federal Trade Commission and interpretation and understand-·
II
1ing of label information.
3,
A study of consumers of fabrics concerning the
amount of reliance they have on salespeople as a source of
information.
'•
BIBLIOGRAPHY
j
_,f
I
lI
ll
I
I
,
.
I
~--·-------~---····-·--·---····--~·-·-··-·--·---~----·---~----------~"····~"-------·---·-----·-----'"·-·----·-·"""''!
44
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Clark, H. F., H. S. Sloan and C. A. Hebert. Class. "r"o·oms ·in· ·the Stores. An account of education and
research in American retailing. Sweet Springs,
Missouri: Roxbury Press, 1962.
Drake, P., and M. Grimes. Labeling of Ready-made
·Street Dresses.
(Texas Agricultural Experimental
stat1on Bulletin No. 943). College Station,
Texas, November, 1959.
Good, Barbara A.
"A Study of the Textile Product
.
Knowledge of Salespersonnel and Customer Dissatisfaction with Selected Apparel." Masters Thesis,
Ohio State University, 1972.
Hansen, Nancy Anne Glenn.
"ft.: Study of Sales Personnel
as a Source of Information for Consumers of Textiles." Masters Thesis, Cornell University, 1966.
5.
6.
Joseph, Marjory.
Introductory Textile Science,
second edition. New York: Holt, Rinehart and
Winston, Inc., 1972.
!
!
Kunishige, Pamela. "Clothing Knowledge and Characteristics Essential to Probable Success of Merchandise Managers." Masters Thesis, Texas Technological College, 1968.
i
i;
7I
o
Manhart, Betty Ange. "Programmed Instruction of
Textile Sales Personnel." Masters Thesis, University of Nevada, 1964.
8.
M~n-Made
9.
j
Mawhinney, Doris E.
"A Survey of Returned Clothing
Merchandise from the Standpoints of the Retailers
and Homemakers in Elmira, New York." Masters
Thesis, Cornell University, 1955.
I 10.
I
l
McFadyen, Edward.
"Improvin1g Attitudes and Performance of Salespeople." Journal of Retailing,
XXXCI, 2 (Summer, 1960) ~-=1rb.
i
I
Fiber Fact B6ok. New York: Man Made Fiber
Producers Assoc1at1on, Inc., 1968.
45
46
f ~;~~··~··~~~~=~::··~;:::~"~-~··~~~~">"·~··~;;-::·;:""~·:~·:~:::~:~ ·~·:··~;·;~:~~":~·:"""~:·:"~·~·~
1
for Self Select ion." · Journal of Retailing,
l
XXXVI, 2 (Summer, 1960), 102-107.
1
I
1
12, "The New Look of the Home Sewing Market." Ad Daily
Exclusive Study, Part I. New York.
(Mlmeographed.)
113.
j
I
1
14.
I
115.
I
16.
I
117.
'
!
i
;
j
18.
I; 19.
Orsini, Ann L.
"Search and Transmission of Fabric
Performance Information by Consumers and Sales
Personnel." Doctoral Dissertation, Ohio State
University, 1972.
Facey, Margaret D.
"Pattern of Growth."
March 16, 1970, pp. 14-15.
Barron's,
Potter, David M., and Bernard P. Corbman. Fiber to
Fabric. New York:
Gregg Publishing Division,
McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1959.
Simplicity Pattern Co., Inc. "Quickfacts on the Home
Sewing Market." New York: Simplicity Pattern
Co., Inc.
(Mimeographed.)
.
Shapiro, Emory P.
"The Selling Problems of Department
Store Salespeople." Journal of Marketing_, 17 (3),
1952043, 284-289.
"A Three Billion Dollar Boom in Home Sewing."
Business Week, October 3, 1970, pp. 56-57.
'Wanvig, Nancy C.
"A Study of Training Programs for
Sales Personnel in Retail Clothing Stores."
Masters Thesis, Cornell University, 1957.
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APPENDIX
47
A.
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1B.
i
II
lc.
II
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Age of interviewee
N
!!:0
19
. 11 .
9 .
4 .
32%
18%
15%
. 7%
N
a.
b.
c.
d.
10
5
1
16-20
20-24
25-34
35-44
%
17%
8%
2%
I
e.
f.
g.
45-54
55-64
65 and over
Educational background (check highest level attained)
1
2% a. completed less than 9 grades
11 18% b. completed grades 9-12
21 35% c. earned high school diploma
11 18% d. completed 12-14 years
1
2% e. earned A.A. degree
6 10% f. completed 15-16 xears (A.A. plus units)
8 13% g. B.A. or B.S. degree
h. M.A. or M.S. degree
2% i. other training
1
Textile background
7 · .-,.-..-..
12% a. had classes in Jr. High in Clothing/
Textiles
27 '45% b. had classes in Sr. High in Clothing/
Textiles
7 12% c.
had classes in Junior/Community College
in Clothing
7 12% d. had classes 1n Junior/Community College
in Textiles
2
3% e. had classes in Adult Education in
Clothing/Textiles
2
3% f. had classes 1n a four year college
in Clothing
8![
5
g. had classes in a four year college
in Textiles
.I
3
5% .1 • had post graduate work in Textiles
i. other training
,I
---------------------
·-............-..-··--- ·-··-·--<'~· ·--··~-· -~---·······--·,.-~·-· - . ......................................_,..~ . . . _... "-~· .·-······•'< ............-.--.~-...,-.---·-·--·· -~-........48
....!
. 49
56
2.
88%
a.
easy to sew, casual clothes
(i.e., a-line)
55%
b•
designer patterns or garments
39 . 65%
c.
tailored garments
65%
d.
"stretch and sew" garments
39
F.
Yes
If answer is yes, which of the following does
your experience include?
. '33
E.
93%
Reason for sewing
. 43 72% a.
economy
. 49 82% b.
sew for self
10
17%
c.
sew for income
22
37%
d.
sew for others
33
. 35
55%
e.
sew for creative expression
58%
f.
sew for family
.
Length of time employed
1.
In textile related field
7
12%
a.
less than 1 year
27
45%
J2 g.;
b.
1-6 years
6-10 years
11-15 years
2
.. 4
3%
c.
d.
. 7%
e.
16-20 years
1
2%
f.
over 20 years
19
-
2.
With present firm
less than 1 year
40 . 67% a.
14 23% b. 1-5 years
5
8 !l<
(I
c.
d.
11-15 years
e.
16-20 years
f.
over 20 years
6-10 years
. $0
r·-
~~
'· "' ,.,.,,, •'"'" •' •<•<V "''
1G.
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'k < .-, ._,, ,.,, -··<<'•
· 54
1
2.
If
. '13
..
8
-37
1
1
H.
·
·
.
.
.
90% Yes
· 2% No response
so, which type
22% a. straight stitch machine.
. 13% b. zig-zag machine
62% c. zig-zag-decorative stitch
2% d. power machine (as used in factories)
2%
No response
What type of instruction have you been given in preparation for your present position by your employer?
57 gs% a.
on-job experience
16 · 27% b. printed literature to re'ad
17 28% c. group discuss ion ..
13 . 22% d . demonstration
e. movies
10 . 17% f . lectures
'12 20% g. sales techniques
11 18% h. customer relations
i. none
Are you familiar with the Federal Trade
requirements regarding labeling?
· 16 27% No
43 73% Yes
If a label mentions shrinkage
5
8% a. indicates fabric
more than 59.:0 ,
c;:
8% b. indicates fabric
-more than 3%
9 15% c. indicates fabric
more than 1%
.;
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Sewing ~achine ownership
1. Do _you own a sewing machine?
·· 5
8% No
1
I.
< ·"' - - • ..
·29
48%
· 12
20%
lt • ., ~··"''>·•..~--~~-~~-~- .... --~~- ........~.
d.
Co~nission
or preshrunk it:
will not shrink
will not shrink
will not shrink
must indicate how much additional
shrinkage is to be expected.
No response
-·-·--~···· .......... ~---~·· -- ..... ~ -~·-···
. " ""'"~ .• , .• _.,_. ___ "•-·»~-~~~ ......... ~~_, . ._, ~·-»-.. ~~--... --~-- .. ·---~-- .. ~~-----···-.·~----- ....--.....-~,.__,.., -~.----~~~~--'-
;
,..........,._. ---·-~·"'".1'
51
''~' »do .. ,,._,., ____ ,- m,-_,,, " ' ' ' , " ,, ~•«•-·""' ~•---•~-'"'"-~~·~~~~-"'•-"--~~~--·~·~~~-==w•~-·-·~~·--•~~~•~~=~"~"·~=-~··-·--~~-~~·-·-••~••
rJ.
K.
L.
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"ColoTfastness" on a label guarantees that the fabric
will not change color with exposure to:
- '37 62% a·. washing
e. rubbing
12 '20% f. all of the
b. ironing
preceeding
7 T2% c. sunlight
4
7% No response
d. perspiration
Pattern envelope interpretation
When determining the amount of fabric needed for a
commercial pattern, which of the following factors
play an important role?
55 92% a. size of pattern being used
- ·29 48% b. type of fabric being used
·ss 92% c. width of fabric being used
12 20% d. fiber content of fabric
- ·45 75% e. view of pattern being used
Notion recommendations
.
1. Which of the follwoing notions are not suitable
for use with synthetic double knits?
8 13% a. polyester/cotton thread
3
5% b. polyester thread
47 78% c. ribbon seam tape for hem
22 37% d. metal zipper
4
7% e. stretch-lace seam binding
2. Of the following notions, which would be most
essential in sewing lingerie knits?
2
3% a. size 13 sharp pointed needle
46 - 77% b. size 9 ball point needl~
2
3% c. ribbon seam binding
d. twill tape
3
5% e. size 15 sharp pointed needle
7 12%
No response
3. Which of the following thread would be most suitable for use in sewing synthetic double~ts?
a. silk
c. cotton
53 88% b. polyester/cotton
2
3% d. nylon
5
8%
No response
·
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,.,, ,- 0
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".._,,._-n,
,.. ....-..
l
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52
.
... =-....,.,..,.,~"""'"''""'~"'~-"'"~-·...,n.-
f_,-'"-'""''"''..._,,,._..,...,,_,,-..=••'-""-'-'-~·~._.,.. .,.~.,._"-"'-""""'-'-""""·-==..,-=.-==--"~~u-~&....:.._,._._~.,'"'-"....,.~·.,...,.,~~oo-~"'--"«="'~-_._.._~-"'..,..,..~~.~,.-....._,
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Customer advisement
1.
Approximately what percentage of customers, do you
estimate, ask advice from yardage salespeople?
1
2% a. less than 10%
less than 25%
6 10% b.
21 35% c. less than 50%
29 48% d. more than 50%
2.
Which of the following areas do customers ask
advice on? Rate as follows: 1 = very often;
2 = often; 3 = sometimes; 4 = hardly ever; and
5 = never.
·1
2
N ·%
N
3
%
N
N
%
N
%
2
3%
22 37%
19 32%
10 17%
2
3%
·9 15%
17 28%
23 38%
6
10%
-
-
10%
11 18%
26
11 18%
-
-
6
27 45% . 21 35%
19 32%
15 25%
5%
51 8%
I ·3
!IN.
C...
Il
%
21
21
3%
35%
35%
-·
7 12%
2
3%
-
-
19 32%
1
2%
-
-
1
2%
-
-
3
Use and care
Which of the
double knit?
5
8% a.
11 18% b.
2
Lf3%
c.
d.
e.
5%
I
5
4
fiber content of fabric
type of thread to use
I
other notions (zipper type)'
..
l
amount of fabric needed ·
care of fabric
other (80% no response)
of polyester double knits
following is true about polyester
1.
I
I
I
any type of interfacing is suitable to use:
it does not require use of special sewing
techniques
seams usually need a special finish
it may shrink 2-10 percent when washed
a zig-zag stitch should be used when
sewing
53
0.
Response.type questions
1. Have you had any information on the proposed
Federal Trade Commission regulations which demand
care labeling securely attached to apparel and
available for yardage?
16 27% No
43 73% Yes
2. Identify what agencies, bureaus or groups have the
right to come in and examine labeling, etc.
· 60 100% No response
3.
Do you feel a need for in-service training
(workshops)?
3
5% No
. 53 88% Yes
4
7% No response
4. Do you feel they would be of value on a
regular basis?
"'
3
5% No
47 78% Yes
10 17% No response
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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .._ j