ABSTRACT
T he h istory o f retailing in the U nited States has sh ow n that stan-
dardization is fundam ental to a m ass m erchandising strategy. T h e
larger the organization, the greater the benefits to be had from
standardizing m ethods and m aterials, since the costs o f decision
m aking and acquiring product and supplies can be spread ou t over
a larger num ber o f units. M ass m erchandisers w ill aver there is no
need to duplicate the expense o f designing a store interior or de-
velop ing training m aterial for em p loyees w h en it can b e d one once
and applied to all outlets. Standardization can also help rationalize
dem and. Just as the m anufacturers w h o developed national brands
at the turn-of-the-century taught consum ers to associate a prod-
uct's brand nam e w ith predictable (ostensibly high) standards,1
m ass m erchandisers taught the A m erican public to expect and w e l-
com e a predictable level o f service, decor, and se lection from any
outlet bearing their com pany's nam e. W h ile other types o f m er-
chants have fo llow ed suit, it is the chain store that has lo n g b een the
leader in p ion eerin g and im p lem en tin g standardization, as this
1922 m an agem en t guide for chain stores indicates:
The independent retailer makes a success by personal supervision
and by personal service. But the chain store is more impersonal. Its
policies, like its store fronts, must be standardized. And this principle
pervades the whole chain structure. Appearance, arrangement of
stock, price, wages, everything is standardized. Instead of personal
service, there is standard service. Human nature cannot be standardized, but
almost everything else can.2
