I like to think when it comes to consumer behavior; I'm everyman.

If I feel some emotion, it's probably universal.

But I could be wrong.

For instance, among the video rentals stacked on the TV, I just noticed earlier tonight that there was one that I did not return on time. Thinking it was a one-week privilege I had purchased, it needlessly languished on top of my tube for three extra evenings.

Adding insult to injury, I rented it on cheapie night, when there's a two-for-one deal in effect, but my extra three days are billable, I suppose at the full pop price of $3.75 per.

That's $11.25 down the drain, for nothing.

I made a special, 8 mile roundtrip to the store in my gas guzzling SUV to avoid yet another night's penalty, and without comment I deposited the DVD in the slot inside the store.

I'm interested in seeing:

(1) If I'll get busted and be charged.

(2) If so, how will they handle it?

(3) And how will I respond?

I think I can predict my response. I'll bite the bullet, and pay the fee because I have no plausible tale to tell that can exculpate me from responsibility.

And get this: If I am forced to pay, I'll probably stay away from that video store for at least two weeks to "emotionally” recoup my losses.

I have a secondary store at which I can rent, even farther away, and I'll probably patronize that place, instead.

So, technically, I might spend just as much on videos during my two-week absence from the place at which I'll be charged for tardiness, but somehow, I just can't reward them for penalizing me.

It is technically within their rights to do so; after all, they could have rented this video to someone else while I had it negligently hidden in my home. Still, I don't want to give them

any more profits than I have to, because I feel I'm paying for "air,” for a benefit that was merely technical, and not real.

Here's what I want to ask you: Do you think my attitude is bizarre, or would you feel the same way, if you were in my shoes?

I know it seems like a heck of a lot of thinking to do, and psychological complexity to negotiate over a late video, but I suspect that this is exactly what we do as consumers, and you just won't find this behavior reported in the Harvard Business Review!

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