Theory 101/Queueing/Threshold lens
Abandonment Needs a Patience Threshold
The claim
Queue abandonment occurs above a threshold in the ratio of expected wait to patience, so the same wait is tolerated in one context and not another.
01Mechanism
Patience is a function of sunk cost and alternatives; the ratio determines when leaving becomes rational.
02Prediction
Abandonment should track the ratio.
03Refutation
Abandonment tracking wait length would remove patience.