Breathing Down Your Neck - The Impact of Queues on Customers Using a Service

Queues are ubiquitous phenomena in many service industries. While a rich body of research in this field focuses on queues from a waiting perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate what happens once a consumer reaches the front of the queue and starts using the service. Drawing on social impact theory (SIT) and social pressure literature, this research indicates that the service experience will be less positive as the number of people waiting behind a customer who is currently using a service increases. It is further shown that social pressure is an important issue in this process.