Survey: Shoppers will flee an unclean store

DALLAS — A study conducted by M/A/R/C Research found that as many as 18 percent of shoppers would discontinue shopping at a particular store if they believe the store is not clean. The study found 46 percent of consumers consider shopping in a clean environment as extremely important. Grocery stores could see the largest impact on sales, where 18 percent of shoppers will stop shopping at a particular store if it is an unclean environment. Drug stores and department stores could also see an impact, where customers provided a 17 percent and 11 percent response respectively about no longer shopping in unclean stores.

"A positive shopping experience is what consumers want and is what keeps them coming back to particular retailers," said Nicole Kusha with M/A/R/C Research. "A store's cleanliness plays a major role in their overall experience and should not be taken lightly, as it essentially influences the bottom line."

M/A/R/C surveyed over 30,000 shoppers nationwide thru an online survey to learn the importance a store's appearance had on their most recent shopping outings. The study included shoppers at stores in eight categories: Club, Consumer Electronics, Department, Drug, Grocery, Home Improvement, Mass Merchandisers and Office Supply Stores.