“Third Place” servicescapes are often created to reflect home-like characteristics, expecting customers to relax, mingle, and consume their purchases. Yet, customers coopt the space, often using it as an extension of workplaces or homes. In pursuit of undistracted privacy, customers engage in territorial behaviors that communicate to other customers that intrusion is not welcome. While place attachment by loyal customers is positive for service providers, territorial behavior can have negative implications for some service establishments. In a multi-method investigation of consumer territorial behavior within the context of cafés, the authors find that purchase or even use of an item with the café logo is believed by many to give customers territorial rights, decreasing turnover, and discouraging other customers who want to sit and consume café products. Employees are faced with mediating territorial disputes. Understanding and dealing with consumer territorial behavior will lead to better servicescape design, less inter-customer conflict, and smoother organizational processes.
AliniErica (2009), “No More Perks: Coffee Shops Pull the Plug on Laptop Users They Sit for Hours and Don’t Spend Much; Getting the Bum’s Rush in the Big Apple,” (accessed August 6, 2010), [available athttp://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB124950421033208823.html].
2.
AltmanIrwinChemersMartin (1980), Culture and Environment. Monterey, CA: Brooks: Cole.
3.
AltmanIrwinChemersMartin (1976), “Privacy: A Conceptual Analysis,”Environment and Behavior, 8 (1), 7–29.
4.
AltmanIrwinChemersMartin (1975), The Environment and Social Behavior: Privacy, Personal Space, Territory, Crowding. Monterey, CA: Wadsworth.
5.
ArnouldEric J (2005), “Animating the Big Middle,”Journal of Retailing, 81 (2), 89–96.
6.
ArnouldEric JThompsonCraig J. (2005), “Consumer Culture Theory (CCT): Twenty Years of Research,”Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (4), 868–882.
7.
Aubert-GametVeroniqueCovaBernard (1998), “Servicescapes: From Modern Non-Places to Postmodern Common Places,”Journal of Business Research, 44 (January), 37–45.
8.
BelkRussell (1989), “Extended Self and Extending Paradigmatic Perspective,”Journal of Consumer Research, 16 (June), 129–132.
9.
BelkRussell (1988), “Possessions and the Extended Self,”Journal of Consumer Research, 15 (September), 139–168.
10.
BellizziJoseph A.CrowleyAyn E.HastyRonald W. (1983), “The Effects of Color in Store Design,”Journal of Retailing, 59 (1), 21–45.
11.
BitnerMary JoBoomsBernard H.MohrLois A (1994), “Critical Service Encounters: The Employee's Viewpoint,”Journal of Marketing, 58 (4), 95–106.
12.
BitnerMary JoBoomsBernard H.MohrLois A (1992), “Servicescapes: The Impact of Physical Surroundings on Customer and Employees,”Journal of Marketing, 56 (April), 57–71.
13.
BitnerMary JoBoomsBernard H.MohrLois A (1990), “Evaluating Service Encounters: The Effects of Physical Surroundings and Employee Responses,”Journal of Marketing, 54 (April), 69–82.
14.
BitnerMary JoBoomsBernard H.MohrLois ABoomsBernard H.TetreaultMary Stanfield (1990), “The Service Encounter: Diagnosing Favorable and Unfavorable Incidents,”Journal of Marketing, 54 (1), 71–184.
15.
BoyatzisRichard E. (1998), Transforming Qualitative Information: Thematic Analysis and Code Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
16.
BraunVirginiaClarkeVictoria (2006), “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology,”Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3 (2), 77–101.
17.
BrownBarbara B.BentleyDeborah L. (1993), “Residential Burglars Judge Risk: The Role of Territoriality,”Journal of Environmental Psychology, 13 (1), 51–61.
18.
BrownBarbara B.BentleyDeborah L. and Carol M. Werner (1985), “Social Cohesiveness, Territoriality and Holiday Decorations: The Influence of Cul-de-Sacs,”Environment and Behavior, 17 (5), 539–565.
19.
BrownGrahamLawrenceThomasRobinsonSandra (2005), “Territoriality in Organizations,”Academy of Management Review, 30 (3), 577–594.
20.
CavanSherri (1966), Liquor License: An Ethnography of Bar Behavior. Chicago, IL: Aldine.
DeightonJohnGraysonKent (1995), “Marketing and Seduction: Building Exchange Relationships by Managing Social Concerns,”Journal of Consumer Research, 21 (March), 93–108.
24.
DiMartino, Vittorio and Linda Wirth (1990), “Telework: A New Way of Working and Living,”International Labour Review, 29 (5), 529–554.
DonovanRobert J.RossiterJohn R., GilianMarcoolyn, and Andrew Nesdale (1994), “Store Atmosphere and Purchasing Behavior,”Journal of Retailing, 70 (3), 283–294.
27.
DonovanRobert J.RossiterJohn R.GilianMarcoolynAndrew NesdaleRossiterJohn R. (1982), “Store Atmosphere: An Experimental Psychology Approach,”Journal of Retailing, 58 (Spring), 34–57.
28.
EdneyJulian J. (1974), “Human Territoriality,”Psychological Bulletin, 81 (12), 959–975.
29.
ElsbachKimberly D. (2004), “Interpreting Workplace Identities: The Role of Office Decor,”Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25 (1), 99–128.
30.
FunchesVanessaMarkleyMelissaDavisLenita (2009), “Reprisal, Retribution and Requital: Investigating Customer Retaliation,”Journal of Business Research, 62 (12), 231–238.
31.
GoodwinCathyLockshinLarry (1992), “The Solo Consumer: Unique Opportunity for the Service Marketer,”Journal of Services Marketing, 6 (3), 27–36.
32.
GregorieYanyFisherRobert J. (2006), “The Effects of Relationship Quality on Customer Retaliation,”Marketing Letters, 17, 31–46.
33.
GrewalDhruvLevyMichaelKumarV. (2009), “Customer Experience Management in Retailing: An Organizing Framework,”Journal of Retailing, 85 (1), 1–14.
34.
GrewalDhruvLevyMichaelKumarV.BakerJulieLevMichaelVossGlenn B. (2003), “The Effects of Wait Expectations and Store Atmosphere Evaluations on Patronage Intentions in Service-Intensive Retail Stores,”Journal of Business Research, 79 (4), 259–268.
35.
GriffithsMerlyn A. (2005), “Product Involvement and Place Attachment: Insights from the Environmental Psychology Literature,”in Marketing Theory and Applications, Vol. 16, Kathleen Seiders and Glenn B. Voss, eds. San Antonio, TX: American Marketing Association Winter Educators' Conference, 209–215.
HanXiaoyunKwortnikRobert J., Jr., and Chunxiao Wang (2008), “Service Loyalty: An Integrative Model and Examination across Service Contexts,”Journal of Service Research, 11 (1), 22–42.
HeisleyDeborah D.LevySidney J. (1991), “Autodriving: A Photoelicitation Technique,”Journal of Consumer Research, 18 (3), 257–272.
40.
JasonLeonard A.ReichlerArnoldRuckerWalter (1981), “Territorial Behavior on Beaches,”Journal of Social Psychology, 114 (June), 43–50.
41.
KimesSheryl E.ThompsonGary M. (2005), “An Evaluation of Heuristic Methods for Determining the Best Table Mix in Full-Service Restaurants,”Journal of Operations Management, 23 (6), 599–617.
42.
—————— (2004), “Restaurant Revenue Management at Chevys: Determining the Best Table Mix,”Decision Sciences, 35 (3), 371–392.
43.
KnappMark L. (1978), Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction. New York, NY: Reinhart and Winston.
44.
KozinetsRobert V.SherryJohn F., Jr., Diana Storm, Adam Duhachek, Krittinee Nuttavuthisit, and Benet DeBerry-Spence (2004), “Ludic Agency and Retail Spectacle,”Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (December), 658–672.
45.
KrampMary Kay (2004), “Exploring Life and Experience through Narrative Inquiry,” in Foundations for Research Methods of Inquiry in Education and the Social Sciences, Kathleen deMarrais and Stephen D. Lapan, eds. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 103–121.
46.
LevySidney J. (1985), “Dreams, Fairy Tales, Animals, and Cars,”Psychology & Marketing, 2 (2), 67–81.
47.
LeyDavidCybriwskyRoman (1974), “Urban Graffiti As Territorial Markers,”Annals of The Association of American Geographers, 64 (4), 491–505.
48.
LovelockChristopher H. (1994). Product Plus: How Product + Service = Competitive Advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
49.
LustickIan (1996), “Hegemonic Beliefs and Territorial Rights,”International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 20(3/4), 479–492.
50.
LymanStanford M.ScottMarvin B. (1967), “Territoriality: A Neglected Sociological Dimension,”Social Problems, 15 (2), 236–249.
51.
MartinCharles L.PranterCharles A. (1989), “Compatibility Management: Customer-to-Customer Relationships in Service Environments,”Journal of Services Marketing, 3 (3), 5–15.
52.
MatzaDavidSykesGresham M. (1961), “Juvenile Delinquency and Subterranean Values,”American Sociological Review, 26 (5), 712–719.
MilesMatthew B.Michael HubermanA. (1994), Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
55.
NormanDonald A. (1988), The Psychology of Everyday Things. New York, NY: Basic Books.
56.
OldenburgRay (1999), The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community, 3rd ed. New York, NY: Marlowe.
57.
PierceJon L.KostovaTatianaDirksKurt T. (2001), “Toward a Theory of Psychological Ownership in Organizations,”Academy of Management Review, 26 (2), 298–310.
58.
PolkinghorneDonald E. (1988), Narrative Knowing and The Human Sciences. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
59.
PorteousJ. Douglas (1976), “Home: The Territorial Core,”Geographical Review, 66 (4), 383–390.
60.
ProshanskyHarold M.IttelsonWilliam H.RivlinLeanne G. (1976), “Freedom of Choice and Behavior in a Physical Setting,” in Environmental Psychology: People and Their Physical Settings, 2nd Edition, H. M. Proshansky, W. H. Ittelson and L. G. Rivlin, eds. Oxford: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 170–181.
61.
PullmanMadeleine E.GrossMichael A. (2003), “Welcome to Your Experience: Where You Can Check Out Anytime You’d Like, But You Can Never Leave,”Journal of Business and Management, 9 (3), 215–232.
62.
ReimerAnjaKuehnRichard (2005), “The Impact of Servicescape on Quality Perception,”European Journal of Marketing, 39(7/8), 785–808.
63.
RoseCarol M. (1985), “Possession as the Origin of Property,”The University of Chicago Law Review, 52 (Winter), 73–88.
64.
RosenbaumMark S. (2006), “Exploring the Social Supportive Role of Third Places in Consumers'Lives,” Journal of Service Research, 9 (August), 59–72.
65.
RosenbaumMark S.WardJamesWalkerBeth A.OstromAmy L. (2007), “A Cup of Coffee With a Dash of Love: An Investigation of Commercial Social Support and Third-Place Attachment,”Journal of Service Research, 10 (August), 43–59.
SackRobert D. (1983), “Human Territoriality: A Theory,”Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 73 (1), 55–74.
68.
SchultzHowardYangDoris Jones (1997), Pour Your Heart into it: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time. New York, NY: Hyperion.
69.
SherryJohn F.KozinetsRobert V.StormDianaDuhachekAdam, KrittineeNuttavuthisit, and Benet DeBerry-Spence (2001), “Being in the Zone: Staging Retail Theater at ESPN Zone Chicago,”Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 30 (4), 465–510.
70.
SimonBryant, (2009), Everything but the Coffee. Berkeley: University of California Press.
71.
SpiggleSusan (1994), “Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data in Consumer Research,”Journal of Consumer Research, 21 (December), 491–503.
72.
StokolsDaniel (1972a), “On the Distinction between Density and Crowding: Some Implications for Future Research,”Psychological Review, 79 (3), 275–277.
73.
StokolsDaniel (1972b), “A Social-Psychological Model of Human Crowding Phenomena,”Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 38 (2), 72–84.
ThompsonCraig J.ArselZeynep (2004), “The Starbucks Brandscape and Consumers' (Anticorporate) Experiences of Glocalization,”Journal of Consumer Research, 31 (December), 631–642.
76.
TianKellyBelkRussell W. (2005), “Extended Self and Possessions in the Workplace,”Journal of Consumer Research, 32 (September), 297–310.
77.
TuanYi-Fu (1971), “Geography, Phenomenology, and the Study of Human Nature,”Canadian Geographer, 15 (3), 181–192.
78.
TurnerGavinMyersonJeremy (1998), New Workplace, New Culture: Office Design as a Catalyst for Change. Brookfield, VT: Grower.
79.
VargoStephen L.LuschRobert F (2004), “Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing,”Journal of Marketing, 68 (1), 1–17.
80.
VerhoefPeter CLemonKatherine N.ParasuramanA.RoggeveenAnneTsirosMichaelSchlesingerLeonard A. (2009), “Customer Experience Creation: Determinants, Dynamics and Management Strategies,”Journal of Retailing, 85 (1), 31–41.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
