ABSTRACTAlthough there have been a large number of studies which have investigated the effect of the retail atmosphere on consumers, most have focused on only one or two elements from a very complex environment. Attempts to understand consumers' evaluation of the retail atmosphere as a whole have been rare. This study develops a five-item atmospheric affect scale, from an established concept in the atmospheric literature. This scale groups atmospheric elements into categories, and tests it in a fast-food restaurant setting. Reliability testing on the scale indicates that a four item-scale provides the best measure of atmospheric affect in this particular type of service. The data also suggest that the sample was able to evaluate these categories of atmospheric variables, and that each of these categories generated different levels of consumer affect.