Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

4-2026

Abstract

Consumer transgressions against firms involve moral violations in which consumers take advantage of loopholes in companies’ return and satisfaction-guaranteed policies or the lack of strict enforcement against password sharing, piracy, shoplifting, wardrobing, coupon stacking, promotion abuse, and fraud. Drawing on the timeless tale of Robin Hood, the legendary outlaw who stands up against injustice, the authors demonstrate that consumers use a Robin Hood justification to legitimize their transgressions against firms. Building on moral foundations theory, this research demonstrates that political ideology impacts consumers’ transgression behavior and the perceived morality of these practices. Six studies show that under certain conditions in which the moral virtues of fairness and care are cued, liberals are more likely to engage in transgressions than conservatives. The studies further test factors that can intensify or mitigate consumer transgressions against firms. Findings from this research can help marketers better understand how consumers justify transgressions and how to effectively reduce these costly and pervasive behaviors.

Keywords

consumer transgressions, consumer morality, political ideology, fairness, ethical consumption, consumer fraud

Discipline

Marketing

Research Areas

Marketing

Publication

Journal of Consumer Research

Volume

52

Issue

6

First Page

1102

Last Page

1125

ISSN

0093-5301

Identifier

10.1093/jcr/ucaf053

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucaf053

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