Now we know who to blame

[MoonCat]

For the most hated phrase in the world among those who work with the public:

[Pixilated]

I notice the article says the phrase was never to be taken literally ... shame that so many bosses these days don't seem to realize that.

I also wonder if customers back then tended to be as rude and tantrum-y as they are today.

[KhirasHY]

The biggest mistake the business world ever made was to let those words be uttered where any customer could hear them. Ever. It's led to a feeling of entitlement all over the place, something made worse by the fact that the saying is just so damn wrong in the first place.

As Mallrats once clarified: "The customer is always an asshole!"

[Chromatix]

I've always interpreted the phrase to mean that the customer should always be given what he asks for, within the limitations of the business's abilities - and charged accordingly. It implies that customers know their own desires and needs better than random retail employees do.

As we know, however, this doesn't eliminate *all* complaints - but it should eliminate nearly all instances where a good customer has to be compensated to retain his future business. Bad customers should not be compensated unless a legal obligation to do so arises.

[taxguykarl]

This essay linked from XCashier's sig put it best.