How long do consumers think they wait?: a study of perceived waiting times in different retail environments

Abstract

This study examines consumer perceptions of

waiting times in six retail stores in three cities in the United States and Canada. Time "given up" in waiting may be more begrudged in some

stores than in others. As time is begrudged , the tendency is to overvalue (and consequently

over estimate) waiting time . Subjects consistently over estimated waiting times in all six

store types, but Canadians wereless inaccurate than Americans. The rank order of the store types from most to least accurate estimates was : convenience , drug , department, discount , supermarket , and fast food stores.