What does it mean to say services are perishable?

Responses

Services are different every time
Services are different every time

Services are not able to be returned or saved
Services are not able to be returned or saved

Services are not a physical good
Services are not a physical good

Services require consumers to interact with a producer
Services require consumers to interact with a producer

1 answer

To say that services are perishable means that services are not able to be returned or saved. This characteristic implies that once a service has been performed, it cannot be stored or inventoried for future use. If a service is not consumed at the time it is offered (for example, an empty hotel room for a night or an unused airline seat on a flight), it typically cannot be recovered or resold later. This perishable nature differentiates services from physical goods, which can be manufactured, stored, and sold at a later time.