THE GEOGRAPHY OF TRANSPORT SYSTEMS


Conventional Distance Decay Curves for Retail Activities

Large stores tend to have a lower distance decay function as they offer a wider range of goods, often at lower prices (mainly due to economies of scale). While a customer is unlikely to travel a long distance to go to a convenience store, a superstore (Wal-Mart type) is likely to draw customers from a substantial distance. The area under the curve represents the number of customers patronizing a store.