An Analysis of Customer Misbehaviour in Retail Sector in India

Abstract

Consumer Misbehaviour has become more common nowadays in the case of the services industry. The threats of the job of being a call centre executive or verbal by customers on employees in services or deviant consumer behavior such as shoplifting by customers in retail outlets are widely known but also largely unreported. The existing research investigates customer behaviors mainly from the perspective of positive engagement satisfaction, loyalty, and purchase behavior while neglecting disruptive effects due to customer interactions. This study explores the patterns, causes, and impacts of customer misbehavior in retail settings across India, with a focus on primary interactions between frontline employees, store managers, and customers. In this survey author used a mixed-methods approach, the research incorporates surveys of 335 respondents, including retail staff and consumers, alongside interviews, case studies, and direct observations. The study identifies several types of customers misbehavior ranging from verbal abuse to fraudulent activities and examines their primary causes, such as dissatisfaction with services, cultural attitudes, and increasing consumer demands by using the ANOVA single-factor test. In India's retail sector, customer misbehavior causes operational disruptions, impacts employee morale, and leads to financial losses.