Product Retention Tendency Scale

What it measures

The first dedicated measure of consumer product retention tendency, developed and validated across five studies using both student and non-student samples. Alpha 0.83–0.88 across studies; test-retest reliability 0.72 (4-week interval). PRT is distinct from hoarding pathology (r=0.42 with hoarding symptoms but operates in non-clinical range), possessiveness (Belk, r=0.41), and materialism (r=0.29). PRT predicts clutter in the home, difficulty with product disposal decisions, increased number of possessions owned, lower likelihood of donating or selling unneeded items, and greater susceptibility to promotional offers involving free gifts or product bundles. High-PRT consumers are particularly resistant to trade-in, upgrade, and subscription service offers that require relinquishing existing products. The scale captures non-disposal as a behavioural pattern shaped by both functional rationalisations ('I might need it someday') and emotional reluctance to discard possessions that retain some residual value. Moderators of PRT effects include financial resources (lower-resource individuals show stronger PRT–clutter association), life stage (PRT increases with age), and product category (stronger for durable goods, sentimental items, and gifts).

Response format

7-point Likert (1=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree); items averaged for overall PRT score

Scale items

• I find it difficult to throw products away.
• Even when I know I'll never use a product again, I keep it just in case.
• I have trouble discarding products that still work, even if I don't use them anymore.
• I tend to keep products around even though I have no specific use for them.
• I like to keep old products because I might find a use for them someday.
• I often keep products that I should really get rid of.
• I find excuses not to throw products away.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Some earlier citations reference a 2010 working paper version; the published Journal of Consumer Psychology article appeared in 2012. Items are averaged (not summed) for the overall PRT score. PRT is theoretically positioned as the dispositional analogue of situational barriers to disposal (e.g., transaction costs, inconvenience): PRT drives non-disposal even when situational barriers are low. High-PRT consumers are an important segment for businesses offering take-back programmes, trade-in incentives, and subscription models — they are the primary source of resistance to these commercial disposal facilitation strategies. The Belk Possessiveness subscale (id:489) captures emotional attachment to retained items; PRT captures the behavioural pattern of non-disposal more broadly, including items the individual no longer values emotionally.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Haws, K.L., Naylor, R.W., Coulter, R.A., & Bearden, W.O. (2012). Keeping it all without being buried alive: Understanding product retention tendency. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(2), 224–236.

Keywords