In the suburbs of big cities the population is mounting rapidly. The growth of the population that makes use of the railway station nearby has increased the commercial value of the front area of the railway station and the big stores and other central functions have been located there. As a result most suburban cities have an tendency to change their city structure, that is, to move their core function from their old CBD to the front area of the railway station. This shifting of the core including the shifting of commercial areas has caused changes in purchasing behavior of suburban consumers.
The author took
Kusatsu City, 18km. from the CBD of Kyoto City, for example, and observed changes in purchasing behavior as follows.
(1) In the front area of
Kusatsu Station of JNR three big stores (discount stores) were located and there occurred new accumulation of commerce around them. As a result the commercial center of
Kusatsu moved from
Honmachi area, the historical center, to the front area of
Kusatsu Station. This movement influenced not only traffic system but also the whole urban structure. The location of the big stores improved commercial function of
Kusatsu City and the trade area of
Kusatsu City was expanded accordingly.
(2) For the purchase of daily goods, consumers in
Kusatsu usually go to the big stores and other smaller stores within
Kusatsu. About the purchase of quality clothing and gifts, however, there are two groups of people: one group buys in Kusatsu and the other group goes to the department stores in Kyoto. It can be said that the former group has an inclination to discount stores and the latter to department stores among big stores.
(3) Those who live in the suburbs are usually said to have a strong inclination to the department stores in the neighboring core city. The people in
Kusatsu also have a strong inclination to the department stores in Kyoto and their mental inclination to them is beyond their actual purchased one in Kyoto. However, the substance of the inclination has been changed since the opening of the big stores in
Kusatsu and
Kusatsu's becoming a commuting town.
(4) The shorter one's living history in
Kusatsu is, the stronger one's inclination to department stores is. On the one hand those who had moved from Kyoto or Osaka and those who had been posted to Kyoto or Osaka have more inclination to department stores. On the other hand among the people with long living history in
Kusatsu including those who are occupied with agriculture, forestry or fishery, the percentage of the people who make all purchases at the central commercial district in
Kusatsu is high. In the past, though, not a few of them had an inclination to department stores. Their inclination has been changed to discount stores by the opening of the big stores (discount stores) in their neighborhood. In other words the substantial influence of the opening of the big stores on the people in
Kusatsu differs among individuals according to the differences in life zone and life-style.
(5) Under the increase of the residents moved from other areas including Kyoto and the opening of the big stores, which resulte from
Kusatsu's becoming a commuting town, purchasing behavior of the people in
Kusatsu is coming to show differentiation in two ways: one has an inclination to department stores and the other to discount stores. With the opening of big stores as a turning point commercial districts in a commuting town are coming to be complicated and varied in structure and function.
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