You've probably heard this a million times - "the customer is always right." Almost every company lives by this rule. Some follow it so blindly that even when a cust omer is completely wrong, they still bend over backwards to please them.
Look, wanting to make customers happy is great. But let's be real - it's just not possible to please everyone all the time. Plus, this famous saying has been shortened over the years, and we've completely missed the point.
The full saying changes everything
What Harry Selfridge actually said was "the customer is always right in matters of taste." Big difference, right? He meant customers know what they like and what they don't like.
Think about it this way. You own a shoe store. A customer walks in, you show them a pair, and they say "these are ugly." Well, they're right not to buy them because they have to wear them. Same goes for a wedding dress shop - if all your customers want white dresses but you keep stocking blue ones, then white is clearly the right choice.
This is basic business sense. Listen to what your customers want and adapt to their needs. But don't confuse this with saying yes to every crazy demand they throw at you.
Why we forgot the important part
Simple answer - language gets lazy. We love shortcuts when we talk, so long phrases get cut down over time. The problem is, when you cut out words, you lose the real meaning.
People want to communicate fast, so "the customer is always right in matters of taste" became just "the customer is always right." See how different that sounds? Same thing happened to other sayings too. Like "great minds think alike" - the full version is "great minds think alike, but fools seldom differ."
Nobody's right 100% of the time
Customers included. Yes, happy customers come back. Yes, customer satisfaction drives business success. But trying to please everyone at any cost? That's a recipe for disaster.
Imagine a restaurant that makes any dish a customer asks for, even if it's not on the menu. Sounds nice, but now your kitchen is chaos, other customers are waiting forever, and nobody knows what you actually serve anymore. Or think about stores with unlimited returns - sounds great until people start abusing it and your costs go through the roof.
Five types of customers who are definitely wrong
Not every customer deserves the red carpet treatment. Here are the ones you should absolutely say no to.
1. The impossible customer
They walk into your shoe store and ask for forest green shoes. You explain you don't carry that color. They insist you "check in the back." You explain again - the manufacturer doesn't even make that color. But they still don't believe you and demand you keep looking.
2. The angry customer
These people think yelling will get them what they want. They show up at a packed restaurant without a reservation and get mad about waiting. Then they spend the whole meal snapping at servers and making everyone around them uncomfortable.
3. The scammer customer
They bought something months ago, used it wrong, broke it, and now want a full refund. When you point out the obvious misuse, they swear they followed all the instructions. Even when you show them proof, they stick to their story.
4. The entitled customer
They missed your return window, don't have a receipt, but still demand a refund because "the customer is always right." No matter how many times you explain your policy, they refuse to accept it.
5. The liar customer
They claim their laptop arrived damaged and want a replacement. But when you ask for details, their story keeps changing. Eventually, they admit they dropped it while unboxing but still expect you to cover it.
Know when to say no
Great customer service means knowing when to draw the line. Giving in to unreasonable demands doesn't just hurt your business - it tells your employees their wellbeing doesn't matter.
Your staff shouldn't have to take abuse just because someone's a paying customer. Finding the balance between customer satisfaction and employee respect? That's what real business success looks like.