I feel like “the customer is always right” is one of the most misused sayings out there… like, in spirit it’s a reasonable reminder for sellers to not argue with the customer. But instead people take it as some proof of epistemic truth on the level as “they say that the Earth is flat. They’re a customer, so the Earth is flat.”
I believe the original meaning is more pragmatic/cynical. If the customer wants to buy something dumb then let them buy something dumb.
This too. But I wouldn’t call it more cynical; it’s simply that you don’t know how the goods are going to be used as well as the customer does, so from their PoV what you consider buying something dumb might be actually smart.
True, but it also means if the customer wants to buy a chocolate kettle then you sell them one.
It should really be considered more as “the customer is always right in matters of taste”.
But even that goes so far. I once had a lady try to buy kids ski goggles that were too small and blocked her vision because she didn’t like how big adult-size goggles are. I refused to sell them to her because that is dangerous to other people.
Safety isn’t a matter of taste. After a certain threshold maybe, but prior to that, it’s a matter of responsibility (and sometimes legal liability).
When I worked retail, the owner told a different version, “the customer is always the customer.” (Silly sounding I know). The thought was they weren’t always right and you definitely didn’t have to do what they said, but you should always treat them with respect. Even when they or their kids were being twats.
Why is everyone in this clothing store naked? Seems to be really poor quality if even the staff refuses to wear it?
I hate this fucking phrase, nobody understands it. It does not mean the customer in the individual sense, it means it in the sense of the market as a whole. As in if I have a store selling blue hats and many people keep asking me for purple hats, I should start selling purple hats.
Now get the fuck out of my store!
The customer is not always right. When I worked in retail we were taught to always put the customer first, which was some bullshit about communicating with them in good faith. But they could be misinformed and therefore not right.
“The customer is always right” refers to the fact that demand can be inferred by what people buy. If you own a store and you’re like “nobody is going to buy these bright yellow sweaters” but the bright yellow sweaters are selling like hotcakes, then you are wrong. People are buying those sweaters. And we call people who buy stuff customers.
I’ve had multiple horrible customers tell me “the customer is always right” for whatever purpose that suited them.
Conveniently, the quote always misses out the second half. “The customer is always right in matters of taste”
Does it really, though? That’s a common unsubstantiated claim on random forums but I’ve never seen any real evidence that that is the original phrase and not something that was later added. Edit: Though the addition probably is closer to the intended meaning, customers obviously can be wrong at times.
Hmm, after a little cursory research it seems like you’re right - I can’t find any obvious evidence that what I quoted was ever the original phrase.
Though it does seem like the intention was more to tell the customer they’re right so they’ll buy something, rather than the customer just being able to demand whatever they want.
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The customer is always right, but you’re not a customer anymore if you want to return it and get your money back.