When Consumers Get Upset: Modeling the Cost of Store Avoidance

Abstract

Store avoidance is persistent exit caused by consumer dissatisfaction. Path analysis shows that the cost of unsatisfactory purchase, the degree of financial hurt, and the attribution of fault influence the degree of emotional upset. Emotional upset influences how many people were told and whether the store was told, which, in turn, influence how long the avoidance persists. The cost of the items to the seller over the length of avoidance ranged from $2.50 to $21,000, averaging $636.45, with a median of$37.50.