The Effect of Social Exclusion on Shoplifting

This dissertation examines the effect of social exclusion on shoplifting. Shoplifting is a serious problem for marketers, yet surprisingly little attention in the literature has been paid to its underlying social factors. The current research therefore seeks to document conditions under which, and the process through which, consumers may engage in aggressive behavior in the form of shoplifting. Supporting the proposition that shoplifting is an antisocial response to social exclusion that depends on prior shoplifting experience, four studies provide evidence that prior shoplifters (vs. nonshoplifters) are more likely to shoplift again when they are socially excluded because they expect that shoplifting will improve the negative mood engendered by social exclusion. In support of the proposed mood repair process, prior shoplifting experience impacts intentions to shoplift hedonic, but not utilitarian, items, and is mediated by the pleasure component of affect. These findings provide implications for the shoplifting, social acceptance, and affect literatures, in addition to managerial implications for retailers