Certified Production & Operations Manager (POM) Practice Exam

Which of the following is NOT a typical service attribute?

1. Intangibility

2. Easy to store

3. Involvement of customers

4. Variability

The correct answer is: Easy to store

The attribute of being "easy to store" is not typically associated with services. Services, as opposed to physical goods, are inherently intangible, meaning they cannot be touched or stored in the same way that physical products can. This characteristic makes storage impractical because services are produced and consumed simultaneously. In contrast, the other attributes listed—intangibility, involvement of customers, and variability—are fundamental to the nature of services. Intangibility refers to the property of services that makes them difficult to evaluate before purchase. Involvement of customers highlights how many services require customer participation in their delivery, such as in education or healthcare. Variability points to the fact that services can vary in quality and consistency, influenced by who provides the service and under what circumstances it is delivered. Thus, while services exhibit intangibility, customer involvement, and variability, the concept of being easy to store does not apply to them, establishing it as the correct answer.