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If you’re a business owner, “the customer is always right” means you’re a sensible owner. If you’re a customer, “the customer is always right” means you’re an asshole.
In matters of taste.
The full quote is “The customer is always right in matters of taste.”
No, it’s not. This and other ‘rewrites’ of phrases to mean the opposite thing (like ‘blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb’) all have no evidence of being ‘the original saying’.
I’ve checked, and You are right. The “matter of taste” and “waters of womb” parts are a recent addition. But it doesn’t make the oryginał proverb any better. The customer is always right is a bunch of capitalist bullshit.
Yeah, agreed. But ‘customer is always right’ is a slogan made by businessmen, so it’s no surprise it’s capitalist BS.
It’s a marketing term anyway, said by them as advertisements for their businesses, same as like, BK’s “have it your way”. Just another case of ads sticking in pop culture well past their actual relevancy.
“The customer is always right. The vendor is always further right [wing].”
Wait really? I learned both of these things online and thought it was actually real information.
one of the earliest attributions is to marshall field (of the old department stores), it was actually:
“Assume that the customer is right until it is plain beyond all question that he is not.”
another of his was “Give the lady what she wants.” – which might be what inspired the later “The customer is always right…in matters of taste.” variation.
I’ve never heard the saying “the customer is always right” used genuinely tough.
Its only ever said to point out what a stupid saying it is.
I’m going to go in a different direction from the other reply thread and say that I don’t give a fuck what the original quote was or the original intent. Just because a saying is famous doesn’t mean the original version of it had all the wisdom, or any at all.
The customer is right in knowing what they want and are willing to spend money on, even if it’s stupid, because ultimately they decide whether or not they will spend that money. That doesn’t mean they are worth dealing with.
Personally, I would rather spend money at a business that “fires” their shitty customers, from line jumpers (was just at an amusement park that actually dealt with two different sets of line jumpers while I was there and it was glorious) to those that harass people that probably agree with them but don’t make the rules.
This is one of those quotes that is constantly taken out if context by entitled dicks.
Sam Walton, founder of Walmart coined the phrase and it was actually an insightful stance on consumer trending. What it actually means is that it doesn’t matter how you feel or what your data shows about a product, if customers don’t buy it you can’t do shit about it. In practice, tofu is a healthier, more sustainable, less expensive, more versatile option than traditional meat, but if my butcher shop moves to tofu because I wholly believe it’s far better fit everyone, I’ll go out of business regardless. The customer wants steak and even if the customer is making a choice I don’t agree with, the customer will always win that argument by simply shipping elsewhere.
the saying actually predates sam walton’s very existence on the planet.
Yes, you can add a “you should act like if…”, then the phrase will be correct
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_customer_is_always_right
Original intend: They advocated that customer complaints should be treated seriously so that customers do not feel cheated or deceived. This attitude was novel and influential when misrepresentation was rife and caveat emptor (‘let the buyer beware’) was a common legal maxim.
The customer is always right is what management says when they want you to be subservient to the customer because they believe it gets sales, or maybe just for the bosses amusement. Sacrifice dignity, agency, relevant subject knowledge. Given the choice between ‘yes, massa’ and an actual informed discussion on the merits of options, the latter every time.
May also be someone who never worked at all. 🌚 Even if you’re not dealing with customers directly - there may be chain of command above you with all kinds of stupid ideas.
Only the sith deal with absolutes.
This is when the wily cashier applies the PITA service fee.
