A customer survey, sent to residents of Grundy County through the Green Hills Weekly, has been tallied and results announced.
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A customer survey, sent to residents of Grundy County through the Green Hills Weekly, has been tallied and results announced.
A total of 428 responses were received to the surveys, which were distributed in June. The survey addressed both shopping and services, including what is already available as well as what consumers would like to see offered.
Fifty-seven percent of those answering the survey lived within the city limits, while another 16 percent lived within six to 20 miles. Sixty-eight percent of the respondents were female while 30 percent were male. Retired persons made up 40 percent of the respondents, with 36 percent living or working within Trenton while 7 percent worked within Grundy County. Nine percent worked outside of the county.
Fifty-six percent indicated they had no special day in which they preferred to shop, with Saturday drawing 17 percent and Friday listed at 10 percent. Other days of the week included Thursday, 5; Sunday, 3.5; Monday, 3.2; Wednesday, 3; and Tuesday, 1. Three percent had no comment.
Respondents also listed how often they come to Trenton for certain services, either weekly, monthly, quarterly, seldom or never. Those results, including the percentage who offered no comment, included:
Shopping – 80.8 (weekly), 4.74 (monthly), 1.4 (quarterly), 3.7 (seldom), less than 1 percent (never) and 8.4 percent (no comment).
Attorney – 2.6, less than 1 percent, less than 1 percent, 31.3, 42.3, 22.9.
Dining – 40, 14.3, 2.6, 22.9, 5.6, 14.7.
Entertainment – 7.5, 7.9, 3.7, 31.8, 28, 21.
Dentist – 2.1, 3, 21.3, 31.5, 23.8, 18.2.
Investment Banking – 15.2, 15.9, 7.5, 19.2, 25.5, 16.8.
Agriculture Supplies – 10.3, 10.7, 4.9, 15.9, 38.1, 20.1.
Accounting – 1.9, 1.4, 3.7, 26.9, 42.5, 23.6.
Doctor – 2.2, 12.6, 23.4, 31.1, 15.4, 14.3.
Grocery shopping drew the most individuals to Trenton and Grundy County at 85.5 percent while 59.6 percent come to the post office and another 53 percent come for fast food. Other activities and the percentages include automotive purchase/repairs/parts, 52.8; church or funeral services, 51.6; health and beauty items and services, 33.2; special events, 32.9; library,l 32.9; clothes shopping, 27.8; professional services, 24.1; courthouse services, 22.9; speciality shops/crafts/floral, 19.2; other, 11.7; fine dining, 9.6; antique shopping, 5.1; and dance/martial arts, 3.3
Convenience is the number one factor that influences a person?s decision to purchase goods and services in Grundy County and Trenton, which came in at 66.8 percent. Special promotions/sales by store was second at 56.3 percent while newspaper advertisements were third at 46.3 percent. Other factors included price/quality of product or service, 34.1; store/community loyalty, 30.6; radio advertising, 29; activities/special events, 15.2; recommendation of a friend, 11.7; and other, 7.5.
When asked to rate Trenton on specific items at adequate or above adequate, friendliness was listed first at 83.4 percent. Second was safety at 81.3 percent and parking was third at 80.6 percent. Other items listed included merchandise display, 73.3; quality of goods, 72; attractiveness, 67.6; traffic flow, 67.1; cleanliness, 66.8; employee knowledge, 63.3; special events, 56; and selection of goods, 31.7.
The highest percentage for less than adequate was selection of goods, 57.5 percent, followed by cleanliness, 26.2; attractiveness, 25.7; and special events, 25.5.
Individuals were asked to choose where they most often shop for certain goods and services, with Trenton, Chillicothe, Kansas City and St. Joseph among the cities listed. Results, by item, include:
Women?s Wear – Chillicothe, 24.3; Kansas City, 19.6; Trenton, 12.1; St. Joseph, 11.2
Men?s Wear – Chillicothe, 22; Kansas City, 17.5; Trenton, 13.3; St. Joseph, 9.3.
Auto Repair – Trenton, 73.4; towns other than Trenton, Chillicothe, St. Joseph or Kansas City, 6.8; Chillicothe, 5.6.
Auto Purchases – Trenton, 37.1; Chillicothe, 14; Kansas City, 9.8.
Convenience Dining – Trenton, 49.3; Chillicothe, 23.8.
Fine Dining – Chillicothe, 28.6; Kansas City, 24.1; Trenton, 5.1.
Hardware – Trenton, 65.4; Chillicothe, 13.3.
Building supplies – Trenton, 57.7.
Prescriptions – Trenton, 80.1.
Family Medical Doctor – Trenton, 62.1; other towns besides Trenton, Chillicothe, St. Joseph or Kansas City, 17.1.
Dentist – Trenton, 61.2; Chillicothe,l 19.9.
Optometrist – Trenton, 67.8; Chillicothe, 6.1.
Chiropractor, Trenton, 48.6; no comment, 41.4.
Banking – Trenton, 86.9.
Furniture – Trenton, 24.5; Chillicothe, 22.9.
Appliances – Trenton, 65.4.
Groceries – Trenton, 76.6.
Shoes – Chillicothe, 28.3; Trenton, 22.2.
Gifts – Trenton, 28.7; Chillicothe, 27.1.
Antiques & Collectibles – Other towns besides Trenton, Chillicothe, St. Joseph or Kansas City, 17.3; Trenton, 9.6; no comment, 55.1
Hair and Beauty – Trenton, 69.9; Chillicothe, 8.6.
Discount Merchandise – Chillicothe, 37.6; Trenton, 16.1.
Veterinary Services – Trenton, 54.5; no comment, 40.9.
Pet Supplies – Trenton, 37.9; Chillicothe, 13.6; no comment, 43.2.
Ag Supplies & Equipment – Trenton, 32.9; Chilllicothe, 3.7; no comment, 57.5.
As a place to visit and shop, 51.4 percent said Trenton and Grundy County was less than adequate while 41.3 percent stated adequate or above. Only 7.2 percent stated excellent in their response.
The top items individuals would like to see in the Trenton/Grundy County area include a movie theater, 72.9 percent; additional fine dining, 67,8 percent; a bowling alley/arcade, 63.1 percent; and women?s apparel, 61.2 percent.
Other items listed and percentages included men?s apparel, 45.4; more festivals/special events, 27.1; night life, 26.8; children?s toys/apparel, 26.5; coffee shops, 25.6; performing arts, 23.3; arts/crafts, 22.1; historic sites emphasized more, 20.5; extended shopping hours, 19.9; antique stores, 15.8; gifts/souvenirs, 13.6; furniture and appliance stores, 14.5; and bakery/pastry shops, 12.6.
The final question addressed whether or not persons would recommend a friend visit the Trenton/Grundy County area. Of the total responses, 41.6 percent said they probably would not, 35.5 percent said they definitely would not, 10.5 percent said they probably would and 5.8 percent said they definitely would.