Is The Customer Always Right?

By Marty Nemko

No matter how rude or demanding a customer is, employees are forced to treat them with respect or risk getting fired. How hypocritical for employers to proclaim employees as their most important product while they require employees to take abuse they'd never let their spouses endure. In my view, a wiser policy: The customer is usually right. Employees should have discretion to tell customers, "Your behavior is unacceptable. Continue and we'd prefer to lose your business." Not only will that improve employee morale, it will make some such customers realize that their antics won't be rewarded.