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Part III - Delivery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 September 2009

Alan Warde
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
Lydia Martens
Affiliation:
University of Stirling
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Summary

The process through which a consumer actually receives a good or service, and how that reception is managed, is a defining element of almost all consumption events. Even the most fleeting and simple of transactions, the activity of transferring money to someone else in exchange for goods, can be evaluated in terms of the quality of its delivery. Whether a shop assistant was pleasant, whether the mail order form was appropriate, whether the despatch of goods was quick are criteria influencing customer satisfaction. Consumption episodes which involve more elaborate and extensive servicing work are more susceptible to judgements of this kind. A meal in a restaurant may take several hours and involve repeated communication with staff; taking a holiday in a hotel may last a couple of weeks; a course of educational instruction may take years and involve sustained interaction; a relationship with a general practitioner may last decades. When the process of consumption is protracted, and where the level of personal interaction between provider and recipient is extensive or sensitive, then the nature of the setting and the human relationships involved become especially important. The nature of the experience, and hence the perceived quality of the episode, depend upon how the presentation and transaction of the service is managed.

The environment of delivery in the commercial mode is largely determined by the producer. This is the fundamental truth of Finkelstein's (1989) observation about the already given character of the restaurant as a setting.

Type
Chapter
Information
Eating Out
Social Differentiation, Consumption and Pleasure
, pp. 113 - 116
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2000

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  • Delivery
  • Alan Warde, University of Manchester, Lydia Martens, University of Stirling
  • Book: Eating Out
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511488894.008
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  • Delivery
  • Alan Warde, University of Manchester, Lydia Martens, University of Stirling
  • Book: Eating Out
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511488894.008
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Delivery
  • Alan Warde, University of Manchester, Lydia Martens, University of Stirling
  • Book: Eating Out
  • Online publication: 22 September 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511488894.008
Available formats
×