Types of goods
Aim: To find out what high and low order
goods are and the recognise shopping
hierarchy models.
High Order
•High order shops are those that sell mainly high
priced goods that people buy only occasionally.
•Examples are: furniture shops, jewellers, stores
selling large electrical goods such as washing
machines, televisions and freezers, car dealers, travel
agents selling holidays.
•Estate agents are high order. This is because people
move house, on average, only once every seven
years. Therefore the services of an estate agent,
selling houses, is used infrequently.
Low Order
•Low order shops mainly sell low priced goods
that people buy frequently.
•Examples are a bakery, butcher, grocer,
supermarket, newsagent, sweet shop.
Can you spot the difference between today's modern
settlement hierarchy with the hierarchy from the 1960's/70's?
Use the following sentence starters to structure your answer:
“CBD is no longer at the top of the hierarchy because”…
“The number of corner shops has declined because”…
Suggested Answers - CBD
The CBD is no longer at the top of the
shopping hierarchy It has been
superseded by regional shopping centres
(e.g. Blagnac & Portet). Due to increased
mobility (the result of increased car
ownership) people can travel further to
shops, visit shops with a wider range and
volume of stock and buy in bulk (Ikea).
Less Corner Shops
The number of corner shops have
reduced. This is the result of greater
mobility, the limited and often
expensive range of convenience
goods available and due to more
people being paid monthly they buy
in bulk from supermarkets.