An ecological analysis of children's behaviour in supermarkets

Abstract

Many parents report that shopping trips with children can be an exhausting and harassing experience. However the ecological features of supermarkets that contribute to disruptive behaviour have not been clearly delineated. A pilot study sought the views of 100 parents and 40 store personnel on the nature of difficulties parents experienced with children on trips to the supermarket. Subjects were drawn from staff and shoppers in each of four urban supermarkets. Results from a structured interview showed that many parents either experienced problems with their own children (62%) or believed that other parents experienced child management problems (99%). Both parents and store personnel considered demandingand screaming to be the most frequently encountered problem, and over half the parents considered that toy departments were the most disruptive areas.

A second study comprised an observational analysis of children's behaviour in three supermarkets. This study examined whether different areas of the store were associated with differing levels of disruptive behaviour and product disturbance in children. The study also examined the effects of the presence of store personnel, time of day and socio-economic status on levels of store disruption. Systematic observations of the behaviour of children, parents and store personnel were conducted in each of three observation zones, during the morning and afternoon, in each store. Results showed that highest levels of disruption occurred in areas where attractive merchandise (e.g. toys) were on display, confirming parents impressions and during afternoon shopping trips. The effects of socio-economic status and the presence of store personnel were non significant. The implications of the results for treatment research aiming to develop advice packages for parents for use in community settings are discussed.