We should stop saying "The customer is always right" because it's not true

OpticalMoose@discuss.tchncs.de to Showerthoughts@lemmy.world – 223 points –

In the grand scheme of things, the customer may have slightly more pull than the cashier ringing up their order, but it's the CEO and the board of directors that control the narrative. That's why we're getting bigger and less fuel efficient vehicles, bigger and more fattening meal portions in restaurants, and bigger less affordable houses.

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The saying has been corrupted. Selfridge originally meant the saying to mean customer complaints should be treated seriously so that customers do not feel cheated or deceived. Nowadays people take it to mean the customer can do no wrong and is king of all he surveys.

More that the customer has ultimate veto power over any deal. You can do everything absolutely perfectly, and the (potential) customer can still decide the deal is "wrong" and walk away completely.

You don't have to convert every potential customer into an actual customer, but an actual customer will only convert if they believe they are "right".

An actual customer can do no wrong, but not everyone who walks through your doors is an actual customer.

I always thought it was supposed to reference market sentiment.

If your company is focused on X, but is also doing Y, and the market is really taking up with Y, you need to focus on keeping Y alive and well. Makes for a successful company to respect the market's wishes, and allows you to pursue X while Y is subsidizing it.

If you insist that X is the future, and put Y on the back burner to focus on X, well, the market will find a competitor who is doing Y better than you, and the market will abandon you.