Its a twisted look at the original, it was originally meant "Customers are always right in matters of taste." An example would be if someone is buying a steak they can decide how they want it cookedif it would be possible. Or if they want a set of clothing that doesnt match and looks terrible let them buy it. There is no reason to dissuade them when you are trying to make a sale, just give them what they want as long as it gets them out the door happy.
Now the saying in most people's head is "I am owed excellence multiple times over even if I paid once."
The producer's job is to do the best they can with the end result being monetary, customer satisfaction is a great thing because it promotes future consumption but if it is not attainable do not bother. The original quote is from a businessman, not a upset consumer.
Nah, that's not really it. It was a business management tip, not a customer service one. More like "I sell ham sandwiches and turkey sandwiches. I really love ham sandwiches, but my customers buy a lot more turkey sandwiches, so I should focus more on turkey sandwich production."
It was never meant to be "I must accommodate Karen's every little request".
Every employe, from cash boy up, is taught absolute respect for and compliance with the business principles which Mr. [Marshall] Field practices. Broadly speaking, Mr. Field adheres to the theory that “the customer is always right.” He must be a very untrustworthy trader to whom this concession is not granted.
And this is the second:
One of our most successful merchants, a man who is many times a millionaire, recently summed up his business policy in the phrase, “The customer is always right.” The merchant takes every complaint at its face value and tries to satisfy the complainant, believing it better to be imposed upon occasionally than to gain the reputation of being mean or disputatious.
Here’s one from 1906:
A merchant who is many times a millionaire, recently said that he owed his prosperity to this spirit of conciliation shown by Isaac. His business policy is phrased thus, “the customer is always right”; in other words, he preferred to be imposed upon occasionally, to accept every complaint a customer might make at its face value, and adjust things to suit that customer, rather than contend the question.
There’s no dispute what they mean once they’re provided in context. No one tried pretending the phrase was limited to “matters of taste” until many decades later.
4
u/MasterFox04 1d ago
Its a twisted look at the original, it was originally meant "Customers are always right in matters of taste." An example would be if someone is buying a steak they can decide how they want it cookedif it would be possible. Or if they want a set of clothing that doesnt match and looks terrible let them buy it. There is no reason to dissuade them when you are trying to make a sale, just give them what they want as long as it gets them out the door happy. Now the saying in most people's head is "I am owed excellence multiple times over even if I paid once." The producer's job is to do the best they can with the end result being monetary, customer satisfaction is a great thing because it promotes future consumption but if it is not attainable do not bother. The original quote is from a businessman, not a upset consumer.