Retail fashion sales: Self-monitoring and sales performance in a selected department store

The purpose of the study was to determine if adaptive behaviors have a measurable effect on personal selling performance in a fashion retail setting. Part of the self-(re)presentation construct addressed the ability and/or willingness to use oneself through appearance behaviors to affect social outcomes. The hypotheses were derived from one of the propositions developed in the Weitz, Sujan, and Sujan (1986) paper on adaptive behaviors. Two concepts within the self-presentation construct were tested: self-monitoring and social appropriateness.;The questionnaire used in this study was written to elicit salespeople's responses on how they regulate their selling performance. Four scales were developed for measuring self-monitoring responses. Two of the scales were revisions of previously written self-monitoring and social appropriateness scales to fit a retail context. Two scales were exclusively developed for the study. One of the original scales measured verbal and nonverbal interactive selling behaviors typically used in fashion sales; the other measured selling responsibilities to correspond with the store's sales training program. The major dependent variable was performance evaluation ratings.;The sales staff of a single district of a major department store chain was the population for the study. Participation was on a voluntary basis per company policy. Data provided by the questionnaire were analyzed by parametric statistical procedures. For all of the tests p ;The results indicated that self-monitoring and social appropriateness did not significantly correlate to performance evaluations. The self monitoring scale did not discriminate between high and low self-monitor orientations. Scale reliability analysis deleted items that tested positively for a low self-monitor orientation. As a result, all subjects scored as high self-monitors.;The scales that were developed for the study had modest success. The scale that measured self-monitoring behaviors typically used in fashion retail succeeded when discriminating between commission and noncommission salespeople. Noncommission salespeople were more likely to practice high self-monitoring behaviors. The scale designed to correspond with the store's training program proved predictive relationships for performance reviews of those employed one year or less.