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Thanks, I Guess: What Consumers Complain About When They Complain About Gifts
Abstract
Gift buying in the United States is a billion-dollar business that has implications for brands, retailers, marketers, and consumers. This research contributes to our understanding of gifts that cause dissatisfaction and complaining. In particular, the situation in which gift givers intentionally purchasing unwanted gifts and recipient’s reactions to them are examined. This study employs two methods of data collection: 1) phenomenological in-depth interviews and 2) netnography of an online community. The scholarly contributions of this study are twofold. First, the research lends support for the idea that inaccurate gift preference prediction is not always a mistake and is often a deliberate act. The second contribution of this study is the extension of consumer gift-giving and gift receiving knowledge by the development of the taxonomy of five types of deliberate inaccurate gift preference prediction: 1) threats to self-concept, 2) to you – for me, 3) aggression, 4) ritual and obligation, and 5) bragging rights.
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Belk, Russell W. and Gregory S. Coon (1993), "Gift Giving as Agapic Love: An Alternative to the Exchange Paradigm Based on Dating Experiences," Journal of Consumer Research, 20 (December), 393-417.
Brockman Beverly K, Taylor Valerie A., Brockman Christopher M. (2008), “The price of unconditional love: consumer decision making for high-dollar veterinary care,” Journal of Business Research, 61(5):397–405.
Cruz-Cárdenas, Jorge. (2012), “Use and disposition of a gift and the recipient’s feedback in a collectivist environment,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 25, 130-148.
Cruz-Cárdenas, Jorge. González, R., and M. Teresa del Val Núñez, (2015), “The use of disliked gifts from a consumer behavior perspective,” Journal of Business Research, Volume 68, Issue 7, July 2015, 1635-1637.
Dalakas, V., & Shoham, A. (2010). Gender-role views and gift-giving behaviors in Israel. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27(4), 381-389.
Fischer, E. and Arnold, S.J. (1990), “More than a labor of love: gender roles and Christmas gift shopping”, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 17 3, December, pp. 333-45
Gavin, J., Rodham, K. and Poyer, H., 2008. The presentation of "pro-anorexia" in online group interactions. Qualitative Health Research, 18 (3), pp. 325-333.
Goodwin, C., Smith, K.L. and Spiggle, S. (1990), “Giftgiving: consumer motivation and gift purchase process”, in Goldberg, M.E., Gorn, G. and Pollay, P. (Eds), Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 18, Association for Consumer Research, Provo, UT, pp. 690-8.
Grubb, E. and Grathwohl, H. (1967). Consumer self-concept, symbolism and market behavior: A theoretical approach. Journal of Marketing, 31(4), 22-27.
Hertz, Rosanna (1995), "Separate But Simultaneous Interviewing of Husbands and Wives: Making Sense of Their Stories," Qualitative Inquiry, 1(4), 429-451.
Hirschman, Elizabeth. C. (1983). Religious affiliation and consumption processes. Research in Marketing, 6, 131-170
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Lerouge, D., and Luk Warlop (2002), “The Perils of Predicting Partners’ Product Preferences,” in AP - Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 5, eds. Ramizwick and Tu Ping, Valdosta, GA : Association for Consumer Research, 222.
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Macklin, N.C. and Walker, M. (1988), “The joy and irritation of gift-giving”, Proceeding of the Academy of Marketing Science, Academy of Marketing Science, Montreal, pp. 67-86.
Manikowske, Linda and Geitel Winakor (1994), "Equity, Attribution, and Reactance in Giving and Receiving Gifts of Clothing," Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 12(4), (Summer), 22-31.
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Moustakas C. Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 1994.
Nelson, M. R., & Otnes, C. C. (2005). Exploring cross-cultural ambivalence: A netnography of intercultural wedding message boards. Journal of Business Research, 58(1), 89-95.
Orgel, Shelley and Leonard L. Shengold (1968), "The Fatal Gifts of Medea," International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 49(2-3), 379-383
Otnes, Cele, Tina M. Lowrey, and Young Chan Kim (1993), "Gift Selection for Easy and Difficult Recipients: A Social Roles Interpretation," Journal of Consumer Research, 20 (September), 229-244.
Otnes, Cele, Kyle Zolner, and Tina M. Lowrey (1994), "In-Laws and Outlaws: The Impact of Divorce and Remarriage Upon Christmas Gift Exchange," in Advances in Consumer Research, 21, (eds.) Chris T. Allen and Deborah Roedder John (Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research), 25-29.
Park, S.-Y. (1998), “A comparison of Korean and American gift-giving behavior”, Psychology and Marketing, Vol. 15 No. 6, September, pp. 557-93.
Poe, Donald (1977), "The Giving of Gifts: Anthropological Data and Sociological Theory," Cornell Journal of Social Relations, 12(1), (Spring), 47-63.
Pollak, Otto (1964), "Symptomatic Factors in Consumer Behavior," in Theory in Marketing, (eds.) R. Cox, Wroe Alderson and Stanley Shapiro, (Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin).
Ridings, C.M., & Gefen, D. (2004). Virtual community attraction: Why people hang out online.
Journal of Computer-Medicated Communication, 10(1)
Schiffman, Leon. G., and Deborah Y. Cohn (2009), “Are They Playing by The Same Rules? A Consumer Gifting Classification of Marital Dyads,” Journal of Business Research. 62 (11), 1054-1062.
Schwartz, Barry (1967), "The Social Psychology of the Gift," The American Journal of Sociology, 73(1), (July), 1-11.
Segev, R., Shoham, A., & Ruvio, A. (2012). What Does this Gift Say about Me, You, and Us? The Role of Adolescents' Gift Giving in Managing their Impressions among their Peers. Psychology & Marketing, 29(10), 752-764
Sherry Jr., John F. (1983), "Gift Giving: An Anthropological Perspective," Journal of Consumer Research, 10 (September), 157-168.
Sherry Jr., John F., Mary Ann McGrath, and Sidney J. Levy (1993), "The Dark Side of The Gift," Journal of Business Research, 28, 225-244.
Sirgy, M. J. (1982). Self-concept in consumer behavior: A critical review. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(3), 287-300.
Spiggle, Susan (1994) "Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data in Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research, (December) 194-203.
Tsang, A.S.L. & Zhou, N. 2005, "Newsgroup participants as opinion leaders and seekers in online and offline communication environments", Journal of Business Research, 58(9),1186-1193.
The Retail Equation (2014), “2014 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry (2014), https://www.theretailequation.com/retailers/IndustryReports
Thompson, Craig J., William B. Locander, and Howard R. Pollio (1989), "Putting Consumer Experience Back into Consumer Research: The Philosophy and Method of Existential-Phenomenology," Journal of Consumer Research, 16, (September), 133-146.
Unruh, David R. (1983), "Death and Personal History: Strategies of Identity Preservation," Social Problems, 30(3), 340-351
Wang, Q., Mohammed, A. R., & Keng, K. A. (2007). Chinese cultural values and gift-giving behavior. The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 24(4), 214-228.
Ward, M. K., & Broniarczyk, S. M. (2011). It's not me, it's you: How gift giving creates giver identity threat as a function of social closeness. Journal of Consumer Research, 38(1), 164-181.
Wolfinbarger, Mary F. (1990), “Motivations and symbolism in gift-giving behavior”, in Goldberg, M.E., Gorn, G. and Pollay, R.W. (Eds), Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 17, Association for Consumer Research, Provo, UT, pp. 699-706.
Wright, H. YBMs: religious identity and consumption among young British Muslims. International Journal of Market Research. 57, 1, 151-163, Jan. 2015
Zhang, Y., & Epley, N. (2012). Exaggerated, mispredicted, and misplaced: When "it's the thought that counts" in gift exchanges. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 141(4), 667 – 681.
Allen, K.G., (2015), “National Retail Federation Forecasts Holiday Sales to Increase 3.7%,” NRF News, October 8, 2015
Bailey, Jessica M., and James Sood (1993), “The Effects of Religious Affiliation on Consumer Behavior: A Preliminary Investigation,” Journal of Managerial Issues, 5 (Fall), 328–52.
Belk, Russell W. (1976), "It's the Thought that Counts: A Signed Digraph Analysis of Gift-Giving," Journal of Consumer Research, 3 (December), 155-162.
Belk, Russell. W. (1988). Possessions and the Extended Self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), 139-168.
Belk, Russell W. and Gregory S. Coon (1993), "Gift Giving as Agapic Love: An Alternative to the Exchange Paradigm Based on Dating Experiences," Journal of Consumer Research, 20 (December), 393-417.
Brockman Beverly K, Taylor Valerie A., Brockman Christopher M. (2008), “The price of unconditional love: consumer decision making for high-dollar veterinary care,” Journal of Business Research, 61(5):397–405.
Cruz-Cárdenas, Jorge. (2012), “Use and disposition of a gift and the recipient’s feedback in a collectivist environment,” Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, 25, 130-148.
Cruz-Cárdenas, Jorge. González, R., and M. Teresa del Val Núñez, (2015), “The use of disliked gifts from a consumer behavior perspective,” Journal of Business Research, Volume 68, Issue 7, July 2015, 1635-1637.
Dalakas, V., & Shoham, A. (2010). Gender-role views and gift-giving behaviors in Israel. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27(4), 381-389.
Fischer, E. and Arnold, S.J. (1990), “More than a labor of love: gender roles and Christmas gift shopping”, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 17 3, December, pp. 333-45
Gavin, J., Rodham, K. and Poyer, H., 2008. The presentation of "pro-anorexia" in online group interactions. Qualitative Health Research, 18 (3), pp. 325-333.
Goodwin, C., Smith, K.L. and Spiggle, S. (1990), “Giftgiving: consumer motivation and gift purchase process”, in Goldberg, M.E., Gorn, G. and Pollay, P. (Eds), Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 18, Association for Consumer Research, Provo, UT, pp. 690-8.
Grubb, E. and Grathwohl, H. (1967). Consumer self-concept, symbolism and market behavior: A theoretical approach. Journal of Marketing, 31(4), 22-27.
Hertz, Rosanna (1995), "Separate But Simultaneous Interviewing of Husbands and Wives: Making Sense of Their Stories," Qualitative Inquiry, 1(4), 429-451.
Hirschman, Elizabeth. C. (1983). Religious affiliation and consumption processes. Research in Marketing, 6, 131-170
Ickes, William (1993), "Empathic Accuracy," Journal of Personality, 61(4), (December), 587-610.
Lerouge, D., and Luk Warlop (2002), “The Perils of Predicting Partners’ Product Preferences,” in AP - Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 5, eds. Ramizwick and Tu Ping, Valdosta, GA : Association for Consumer Research, 222.
Levi-Strauss, C. (1956), “The principle of reciprocity,” Sociological Theory, Macmillan, New York, NY
Macklin, N.C. and Walker, M. (1988), “The joy and irritation of gift-giving”, Proceeding of the Academy of Marketing Science, Academy of Marketing Science, Montreal, pp. 67-86.
Manikowske, Linda and Geitel Winakor (1994), "Equity, Attribution, and Reactance in Giving and Receiving Gifts of Clothing," Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 12(4), (Summer), 22-31.
Mauss, M. (1954), The Gift, Cohen and West, London
McAlexander J, Leavenworth Dufault B, Martin D, Schouten J. (2014), “The Marketization of Religion: Field, Capital, and Consumer Identity”. Journal of Consumer Research, October 2014;41(3):858-875.
Moustakas C. Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 1994.
Nelson, M. R., & Otnes, C. C. (2005). Exploring cross-cultural ambivalence: A netnography of intercultural wedding message boards. Journal of Business Research, 58(1), 89-95.
Orgel, Shelley and Leonard L. Shengold (1968), "The Fatal Gifts of Medea," International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 49(2-3), 379-383
Otnes, Cele, Tina M. Lowrey, and Young Chan Kim (1993), "Gift Selection for Easy and Difficult Recipients: A Social Roles Interpretation," Journal of Consumer Research, 20 (September), 229-244.
Otnes, Cele, Kyle Zolner, and Tina M. Lowrey (1994), "In-Laws and Outlaws: The Impact of Divorce and Remarriage Upon Christmas Gift Exchange," in Advances in Consumer Research, 21, (eds.) Chris T. Allen and Deborah Roedder John (Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research), 25-29.
Park, S.-Y. (1998), “A comparison of Korean and American gift-giving behavior”, Psychology and Marketing, Vol. 15 No. 6, September, pp. 557-93.
Poe, Donald (1977), "The Giving of Gifts: Anthropological Data and Sociological Theory," Cornell Journal of Social Relations, 12(1), (Spring), 47-63.
Pollak, Otto (1964), "Symptomatic Factors in Consumer Behavior," in Theory in Marketing, (eds.) R. Cox, Wroe Alderson and Stanley Shapiro, (Homewood, IL: Richard D. Irwin).
Ridings, C.M., & Gefen, D. (2004). Virtual community attraction: Why people hang out online.
Journal of Computer-Medicated Communication, 10(1)
Schiffman, Leon. G., and Deborah Y. Cohn (2009), “Are They Playing by The Same Rules? A Consumer Gifting Classification of Marital Dyads,” Journal of Business Research. 62 (11), 1054-1062.
Schwartz, Barry (1967), "The Social Psychology of the Gift," The American Journal of Sociology, 73(1), (July), 1-11.
Segev, R., Shoham, A., & Ruvio, A. (2012). What Does this Gift Say about Me, You, and Us? The Role of Adolescents' Gift Giving in Managing their Impressions among their Peers. Psychology & Marketing, 29(10), 752-764
Sherry Jr., John F. (1983), "Gift Giving: An Anthropological Perspective," Journal of Consumer Research, 10 (September), 157-168.
Sherry Jr., John F., Mary Ann McGrath, and Sidney J. Levy (1993), "The Dark Side of The Gift," Journal of Business Research, 28, 225-244.
Sirgy, M. J. (1982). Self-concept in consumer behavior: A critical review. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(3), 287-300.
Spiggle, Susan (1994) "Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data in Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research, (December) 194-203.
Tsang, A.S.L. & Zhou, N. 2005, "Newsgroup participants as opinion leaders and seekers in online and offline communication environments", Journal of Business Research, 58(9),1186-1193.
The Retail Equation (2014), “2014 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry (2014), https://www.theretailequation.com/retailers/IndustryReports
Thompson, Craig J., William B. Locander, and Howard R. Pollio (1989), "Putting Consumer Experience Back into Consumer Research: The Philosophy and Method of Existential-Phenomenology," Journal of Consumer Research, 16, (September), 133-146.
Unruh, David R. (1983), "Death and Personal History: Strategies of Identity Preservation," Social Problems, 30(3), 340-351
Wang, Q., Mohammed, A. R., & Keng, K. A. (2007). Chinese cultural values and gift-giving behavior. The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 24(4), 214-228.
Ward, M. K., & Broniarczyk, S. M. (2011). It's not me, it's you: How gift giving creates giver identity threat as a function of social closeness. Journal of Consumer Research, 38(1), 164-181.
Wolfinbarger, Mary F. (1990), “Motivations and symbolism in gift-giving behavior”, in Goldberg, M.E., Gorn, G. and Pollay, R.W. (Eds), Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 17, Association for Consumer Research, Provo, UT, pp. 699-706.
Wright, H. YBMs: religious identity and consumption among young British Muslims. International Journal of Market Research. 57, 1, 151-163, Jan. 2015
Zhang, Y., & Epley, N. (2012). Exaggerated, mispredicted, and misplaced: When "it's the thought that counts" in gift exchanges. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 141(4), 667 – 681.
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