Interactions of pleasant and unpleasant events: The effect of event valence on wait management strategies

Experiences that involve waiting tend to be composed of multiple parts (e.g., arrival, wait, main event, departure) that extend over time. However, previous research has tended to consider waiting in isolation, without considering the extended experience as a whole. By failing to examine the relationships of different experiences to each other, such research may end up prescribing managerial actions that are not only ineffective, but can actually exacerbate problems. This research examines this question by considering how the valence of the event being waited for impacts the experience of the wait itself. More specifically, this research seeks to understand how consumers react to information about the length of the wait (duration information) in waiting situations of varying valence and how such waiting experiences contribute to one's overall evaluation of an experience as a whole. The findings extend the literature on waiting by highlighting an additional factor (event valence) that influences the wait experience, and by providing a better explanation of how people respond to waits (and in particular, why and when duration information is effective).; Implications of this research for managing waits are discussed and recommendations for better managing the customer experience, which should lead to potential increases in customer loyalty and satisfaction, are provided.