If you're a "shop 'til you drop" fanatic when it comes to buying clothes, chances are you got it from your mom.
And you're just as likely as your mom to hold a grudge against manufacturers, according to an Oregon State University study.OSU researchers Sally Francis and Leslie Davis, both in the apparel, interiors, housing and merchandising department, studied the clothes shopping habits of 70 college women and their mothers.
"Research has shown that the person children most often go shopping with is their mother," says Francis, but beyond that, there's little definitive information about the process known technically as "consumer socialization."
Their survey covered three main factors:
-Fashion involvement: Do you have to be first to try a new style? Are you a good source of fashion information?
-Wardrobe management: Do you pay attention to wardrobe care and coordination?
-Comparative shopping: Do you shop several stores? Do you take a lot of time before purchasing clothing?
"For all three factors, there was no significant variation for responses of mothers and daughters," says Francis.
The study also uncovered another correlation confirming the "like mother, like daughter" pattern. It showed that high fashion involvement and high wardrobe management scores meant high satisfaction levels with clothing. Those reporting low fashion involvement were less satisfied with their clothing than others, a departure from the current theory on consumer behavior.
"Supposedly, when it concerns things we aren't really involved with or don't care about that much," says Francis, "we're more likely to say, `It's OK.' When we're highly involved, we tend to be more critical and perhaps be less satisfied."