Authors
Shiliang Cui, Xuanming Su, Senthil Veeraraghavan
Publication date
2019/11
Journal
Operations Research
Volume
67
Issue
6
Pages
1699-1718
Publisher
INFORMS
Description
Customers often wait in queues before being served. Because waiting is undesirable, customers may come back later (i.e., retry) when the queue is too long. However, retrial attempts can be costly as a result of transportation fees and service delays. This paper introduces a framework for rational retrial decisions in stationary queues. Our approach accommodates retrials in queues by replicating the Naor's model [ The regulation of queue size by levying tolls. Econometrica 37(1):15–24.] repeatedly over time periods. Within each period, we study an observable queue in which customers make rational state-dependent decisions to join, balk, or retry in a future period. We focus on a stationary environment where all arrivals, including new and retrying customers, will face the steady-state distribution of the system in equilibrium. Equilibrium analysis on customers’ decision making is necessary, as they choose optimal …
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