Effect of Service Time on Perceived Wait in Queue: Role of Fairness and Expectations

We examine the effect of duration of service on subjective estimates of a wait time. Their results show that longer experienced service duration (e.g., time spent while a cashier process items) significantly decreases consumers’ estimation of the pre-service duration (e.g., waiting time on the cashier line and their subsequent satisfaction. They further show that this effect is mediated by perceived fairness and is moderated by prior expectations about the wait. The findings of these field and laboratory experiments demonstrate one important way in which sensitivity to duration influences actual consumer behavior

Citation:

Narayan Janakiraman and Lehman Benson (2008) ,"Effect of Service Time on Perceived Wait in Queue: Role of Fairness and Expectations", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 35, eds. Angela Y. Lee and Dilip Soman, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 154-156.