Consumers who get restless from waiting in line to purchase an item may be turned off. They are experiencing the negative aspects of psychological time.

Psychological time refers to an individual's subjective experience of time, which can greatly differ from the actual, objective passage of time. When consumers feel restless or frustrated from waiting in line, their negative experience is a result of the negative aspects of psychological time, as their perception of how long they are waiting feels longer and more unpleasant than it might objectively be.