The Customer is Always Right

The customer is always right, or so I have been told. This is an old phrase initiated in the early 20^th century by retailers to try impress upon their employees the importance of great customer service in creating highly successful retail businesses. The phrase caught on over the years and became a staple in the retail industry. In fact, it was a somewhat of a rallying cry for any consumer who had a disagreement with a store employee or owner. It was almost an automatic argument winner with a retailer when the customer invoked this phrase.

Today, however, is a very different world and customer service seems to be a thing of the past in most places. I remember when an establishment opened in my neighborhood about four years ago. It was a gas station that also sold sub sandwiches, the latest in coffee drinks cold or hot, and shakes amongst other things. My kids loved it. The day that it opened was fantastic. The employees were so cordial and helpful, I almost felt as though I were underpaying for my $3 cup of coffee. I was an instant fan.

Unfortunately, as the months passed the behavior of the employees slowly but surely began to change. Trips into the store were not unpleasant, but I was not greeted with anything that remotely made me want to spend any more than absolutely necessary. The cashiers now barely utter a "thank you" and I often feel as though they believe that they are doing me a favor by selling to me, than me doing them a service by buying from them. I can only assume that the euphoria of being in business in a new place has worn off.

It doesn't end there, though. As stores have grown in size, for example, it seems like in most cases personal customer service has gone in the opposite direction. Take walk through your favorite department store such as Walmart, Kmart, or Target and take note of how long it takes someone to say "can I help you find something?" Yes, in a lot of cases, we don't need help and sometimes we just want to look. Does that give the clerks the green light to ignore us? I may not need help, and, no I don't want to be pestered, but it actually makes me feel good when someone genuinely wants to help me.