17 Stories Of Customers Who Took The “Always Right” Adage Too Literally – A Reflective Roundup
Dear readers,
Not Always Right was named as a play on the well-worn expression, “The customer is always right.” The quote is generally attributed to Harry Gordon Selfridge, who founded an upscale department store chain in the early 1900s, but the sentiment seems to have begun growing in popularity in business circles all over the world around that time.
Most will say that the full quote is, “The customer is always right in matters of taste,” meaning if a customer wants to buy a truly hideous sweater or pour half a bottle of ketchup on their steak, shrewd businesses should do their best to accommodate those desires. Some speculate that the quote refers to the idea that the business world should follow the demands of the consumers as a whole.
Regardless of the intention of the idiom, customer-facing workers and NAR readers alike know all too well that many customers have latched onto the simplest version of the adage and taken it to mean that they can never be wrong.
In celebration of our roots, we’ve dug into the Not Always Right archives for 17 stories of customers who said The Thing!
How Spider-woman Goes Shopping – Maybe the customer’s always right, but they don’t always pay attention.
Why The Customer Isn’t Always Right – Hits from the comments: “How much of a hurry can you possibly be in when buying an aquarium?” (Credit: aali kane)
Very Wrong About Being Right – Ooooh, he knows two phrases: “The customer is always right,” and, “I want your supervisor.” Smart guy!
Ignore The Code Of Practice – The customer didn’t technically say it, but this malicious compliance is too beautiful to skip over!
Discovering New Dimensions Of Unreasonableness – Hits from the comments: “No, the customer failed basic math and geometry.” (Credit: Mike Carr)
Biting The Hand That Fees You – When the customer is always right, the manager is always exhausted.
Customer Service Only Applies To Actual Customers – Hits from the comments: “Whenever someone says, ‘The customer is always right,’ they should be tossed out of the store. Immediately. Every. Single. Time.” (Credit: Hodge Elmwood)
Smile, And The World Scowls With You – In Customer Land, the customer is always right and the employees aren’t human beings.
Plenty Of Room For Him To Make A Mistake – Every now and then, the customer lands right in some instant Karma.
Not Always Right Is Never Wrong – This manager is totally right.
Customer Ignorance Is Soda Pressing – When a customer’s back is against the wall, they can always fall back on this one.
Fry Me A River – The customer doesn’t always know what to say when they’re called out.
Doesn’t Have A Liquor Sense – We’d love to hear him say that to a judge.
Even Bosses Have A Stupid Quota – You say I can’t argue with you? You’re right! And I’m not gonna!
A Thick Slice Of Humble Pie – Hits from the comments: “He’s lucky he didn’t get a freshly thawed pecan pie in his face.” (Credit: Dark_Otter)
Off The Clock And Into The Fired – Oh, no! The CIAR is coming from inside the house!
Guardians Of The Service Staff – Let’s wrap up this roundup with a customer using “the customer is always right” for good instead of evil!
We hope you enjoyed this roundup about people who said, “The customer is always right!” Want to send in your own story? Submit your story here!
Some other roundups to check out if you liked this one:
15 Hilarious Stories About Customers Demanding The Impossible
10 Crazy Stories About Customers Making Absolutely Outrageous Requests
