In-Store Crowding Perception

What it measures

Measures the extent to which a shopper perceives the store to be overcrowded with other customers. Items tap the subjective sense of too many people, density, and congestion in the retail space. Useful in research linking retail density to shopping stress and purchase outcomes.

Response format

7-point Likert (strongly disagree / strongly agree)

Scale items

• There were too many people in the store.
• The store was jammed with people.
• The store was crowded with customers.

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

Usage notes & scoring

Used in Studies 1a (n = 883) and 1b (n = 501) by Albrecht et al. (2017). Alphas: .92 and .94. Items derived from crowding measures in Machleit, Kellaris, & Eroglu (1994). Past-tense phrasing reflects post-shopping recall. Relates to shopping stress and purchase abandonment outcomes.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Albrecht, C.M., Hattula, S., & Lehmann, D.R. (2017). The relationship between consumer shopping stress and purchase abandonment in task-oriented and recreation-oriented consumers. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(5), 720–740.

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