When found, it is expensive! The influence of perceived justice and anger in out-of-stock followed by over-price scenarios

Out-of-stock (OOS) is the momentary unavailability of a product for immediate purchase in the store or on the website. This situation generates problems for consumers, who are dissatisfied with the unavailability of the product and for suppliers, who suffer from lost revenue. Although researchers have previously explored this topic, specificities still need to be investigated. One issue to examine is when the consumer cannot buy a product due to OOS and finds the product in a second retailer but with a higher price (over price). This study addresses the influence of justice and anger perception on consumer responses in an OOS event in an over-price scenario. We performed four experiments with 654 individuals. Multiple regressions, using the macro-PROCESS double mediation model, analyzed the data. We identified that the perception of an increase in relation to the reference price, even with the product available for sale, negatively influences the perception of justice and activates anger, resulting in lower retailer evaluation and lower purchase intention. The distancing of the causal locus had a positively effect on anger and frustration. The locus of control mitigated the perceived justice and anger generated by the over-price context. It had a direct effect and total effect on purchase intention, a direct effect on perceived justice and anger, and double mediation between these variables.