Do you think that all stores should follow the "customer is always right" policy?

I have NEVER agreed with his "creed."

because it might cause problems

Not ALWAYS right. But...... if you want them as return business, you have to pick your battle carefully. There will never be an excuse for mean, nasty, abusive or rude - these attitudes should never be tolerated in anyone.

It will be abused very quickly.

But customers need to be treated politely by store personnel. If a customer is being abusive to a lowly staff member then the manager should deal with it. I have heard customers being really nasty to employees. I try to always be polite, even when I am angry because Mom would know if I weren't.

No employees should not have to put up with any rude customers especially if the customer is impossible to please.

But I understand while mostly, retail does. Security. At Nordstroms, when we had an irate customer or unreasonable one, they just wanted us to be kind and gracious to be safe. Also they knew the returns from unhappy/sometimes unreasonable customers, weren't worth the struggle in the end. Back to security, if someone was really bad or likely stealing we had a button to hit on the keyboard. Security would look through the cameras and call asking yes or no questions to assess the situation with you. Then they would take action if needed. :)

Those with a lot of five finger discounts may need to reconsider!

It doesn't matter if you think the customer is wrong...it matters about whether or not you want them to return. If a business owner is at risk of a financial loss I can understand holding ground if the customer is not right. Otherwise a happy customer is a returning customer.

I agree with this, but still, it the customer definitely isn't ALWAYS right. Key word. :)

You're right that ALWAYS, is the key word in this. But then if you have a philosophy of making the customer feel they are right and tell your workers that the customer is OFTEN right, the worker is very likely to justify not treating them that way a lot more often than they should.
The absolute of the word ALWAYS, will NEVER be constant! :)

I don't understand the last statement Kent?? But ok. :)

Sort of like saying never say never, and poorly phrased at that!

I looked over my answer and it struck me that in my career, I was never on the sales side of the equation. I was responsible for a lot of equipment ,supply and service purchases, and that probably sways my answer heavily especially thinking about being a retail customer as well. Telling your staff that the customer is ALWAYS right could also mean the staff takes the easy way out regardless of if it's tiem to politely tell the customer they are wrong, (if it costs you ...well that's the policy !) I guess the real key is to make sure you have good people who understand how to make the customer feel as valued as they believe they should be and still protect the interests of the business and it's profitablity.

some customers are truly unwelcome though.

The customer is the customer, doesn't mean they're always right.

Ya and I will explain why.



IS EVERY CUSTOMER ALWAYS RIGHT? NO AND WE KNOW THIS..... However, The Store operates on Customers and it is the responsibility of the Store to make the Customer happy.

Does that mean give away the store for her? No, but it means that you listen, you try to help her and help her to feel that she is getting what she wants.

How much does it cost you as a store if the customer tells one person that the Store is bad? Then that person tells another and another and before you know it, the story don't even sound like what actually happened.

Stores loose business from Customers who are not happy. Giving them dynamic Quality Customer Service makes the difference.

In theory you are absolutely correct. But, lets look at a department store, for example. Lets say you sell a dress for $500 and 20 people come in an buy the dress. You just made $10000, now lets say 10 of those people return the dress say it does not fit, etc. Your policy is to give them a full refund. After taking the dresses in you see they are dirty (food, etc) and you confront the customer. According to your answer you would allow the customer to return the dress and get a full refund. You are now out the cost of the dress, the time the sales person took to ring the person up and the time it took to return the dress. Basically you are taking a $5000 loss.

No, and I agree with you.... But get a full refund if the Dress was dirt and shows clear evidence of Abuse? No I would not, but I would give a discounted refund and maybe a Store Credit this way you are not loosing money

nope,,,but it is a policy

The customer is not always right. I have seen people try to take things they abused or used wrong back to Walmart saying it was defective. You DO NOT tow a car with a set of jumper cables and take them back because they came apart. Just because you bought a nice house plant and didn't water it causing it to die is not the stores fault.

Haha Noooooooooo!

For the most part they are.. but there are "rules". and breaking them does not make you right.

I have seen some customers be unreasonably rude to the store workers over something that they have no control over.

WE live in different times and customers are getting more violent and abusive toward store help. There are times when not only is the customer wrong but demanding the impossible from stores.

I truly blame the pure hate the Republican party encourages.

My "disturbed" students were my most important concerns, but treating them as being right would have destroyed our efforts. Their parents were also treated as customers but often suffered the same disadvantage. It was a tricky business.

As a student I worked for customer service and I came to the conclusion that at least 75% of people complaining are either abusive or plain morons...

Would never go back to customer service...

From experience, customer is seldom right....

Not if they are obviously wrong, especially if they are abusive to the store clerk.

But 90% of the time it's best for the business to go along.

yes

I have seen people try to take advantage of businesses to get discounts and free stuff. There isn't any shame anymore.

You should do what you should to appease your customers but you shouldn't break yourself if their demands are completely unreasonable.

Customers are idiots most of the time.

it depends on what they're saying they're right about.