Monday 18 December 2006
Professor Janet McColl-Kennedy
UQ Business School's Professor Janet McColl-Kennedy warns retailers and service providers to be ready for 'shopper rage' in the stressful pre-Christmas period.
McColl-Kennedy said, "Everyone is under pressure at this time of year, trying to get all their shopping and preparation done and sometimes it�s a bit hard to stay full of Christmas cheer when things go wrong."
"Our research shows anger is the most common negative emotion experienced by customers when a service transaction doesn�t go smoothly."
"The interviews have revealed some pretty unpleasant confrontations between customers and service providers � including customers threatening violence."
McColl-Kennedy said it was important for employers to understand how these confrontations can occur so they can take appropriate steps to ensure employees don�t inadvertently make things worse.
"Staff need the right training and they also need to feel supported by their employer," she said.
Co-researcher Professor Paul Patterson of the University of New South Wales was in Brisbane recently to present new findings.
Patterson said the research had involved in-depth interviews in four countries, bringing a cross-cultural aspect to the project .
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