• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.1356-1365
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• 2008

As Korean retailers are expanding their return policies, customer abuse and fraud behaviors are increasing. This study attempts to understand customers' unethical return behaviors in the Korean retailing. As an exploratory approach, the study identifies behavioral patterns of unethical returns from retail employees' perspectives. A total of 168 cases collected from 112 individual interviews with retail employees are qualitatively analyzed. Unethical return behaviors are categorized into five groups: lenting/deshopping, product defects with customer faults, unreasonable compensation demands, selfish behaviors, and problem behaviors in the service encounter. The study indicates that a variety of unethical return behaviors are observed despite a short history of return policy in Korea, and renting/deshopping and product defects with customer faults are the most prevalent return abuse behaviors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.1376-1386
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• 2008

The purposes of this study were to explore the techniques of neutralization on unethical customer return behaviors, examine the differences in the neutralizations by customer characteristics, and examine the relationships of neutralizations with customer ethics, anomie, and impulsive behaviors. A total of 609 questionnaires were analyzed. Four factors including denial of injury/victim, condemning the condemners, denial of responsibility, and appeal to higher loyalties were extracted from the neutralization techniques. The neutralization techniques were not different by customer characteristics, but were negatively related with customer ethics and positively related with anomie and impulsive behaviors. The results indicate that the neutralization techniques are appropriate to understand unethical customer return behaviors in the Korean retail settings.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1220-1231
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• 2010

This study examined customer misbehaviors in retail settings by identifying behavioral patterns and exploring behavioral backgrounds and consequences from the employee's perspectives. Qualitative data were collected from an individual interview method, and 222 interviews were analyzed. Customer misbehavior was categorized into unethical returns, problem behaviors in service encounters, unreasonable demands, shoplifting/fraud, ill-mannered behaviors, and selfish behaviors. Behavioral backgrounds included dissatisfaction, unreasonable expectations, actively benefiting of service failures, taking advantage of service standards, illegitimate complaints, monetary gains, transferring responsibility, and demanding special treatment. Employees experienced stress facing misbehaving customers with no other choice except to accept misbehaviors and learned misbehaviors as customers themselves. The study further discusses the implications.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1126-1137
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• 2010

Customer misbehavior is a behavior that disrupts generally accepted behavioral norms in consumption situations. This study examined customer misbehavior in retail settings by identifying behavioral patterns and exploring behavioral backgrounds and consequences from a customer viewpoint. Qualitative data were collected from individual in-depth interviews, and 149 interviews were analyzed. Customer misbehavior was categorized into unethical returns, problem behaviors in service encounters, shoplifting/fraud, ill-mannered behaviors, and selfish behaviors. Motivations included monetary gain, adventurism, perceived acceptability of misbehavior, planned unfair complaints, and retaliation. Customers showed a negative image to unkind employees and stores yielding to misbehaviors that were learned and socialized among customers. The study further discusses implications.