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Why the Customer is Never Right

Kelly Erwin

English 1010

Mrs. Kohout

September 6, 2022
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Working at a fast food or retail store is the bane of every human's existence. As a teenager, it

is a pivotal stepping stone in the path to becoming an adult. The problem with this important

moment in a young person's life is the customers that come into the place of business they are

working at. Customers are rude and inappropriate. The saying “The customer is always right” is

a false statement and should not be told to workers. The customer is never right because the

workers know more about their store, the rudeness of customers, and the natural dark nature of

the human being.

First of all, why do we assume the customer is always right when the worker has been trained

and gets paid to know things about the store? Crazy viral videos have shown examples of people

assuming they know more when they are obviously in the wrong. Not getting started on so-called

“Karens”. Karens are old news to most people at this point. If a customer walks into the store and

demands something that the store doesn’t even sell, would they be right in that situation? No,

they would be very wrong. The worker knows what the store sells and the customer has no right

to get mad at the salesperson for a mistake that the customer made. The worker can go through

weeks of training and the customer could be walking in for the first time. Logistically, the title

for most knowledgeable should not automatically be given to the customer.

Secondly, if the customer was told that they were always right, they would act out more often.

There needs to be restraint when giving that kind of power to someone, especially when that

customer could be extremely smart or stupid. Most likely the people working in these jobs are

lower class and are working to get by. They do not need someone smart mouthing them about

how they don’t carry their floral scented flushable wipes that they need so much. With no

punishment for being wrong, the customer can become a menace. Once rules are set where the

customer is never right, the customer will start to become more humble and treat the worker with
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respect. No one wants to walk into a store and have a customer screaming at the manager. It

ruins everyone's day.

It may be said that the rudeness of a customer comes from what kind of person they are. On

the contrary, their rudeness comes from the natural darkness that all people possess in their souls.

Humans have been evolving for thousands of years. All of the ethics we have created throughout

our years is just an evolutionary trait we have gained, so we won’t kill each other. All humans

are actually rude, but it is hidden well. That is why when given the go to be right no matter what,

people tend to be rude. “The customer is always right” causes the customer to always be wrong.

Also, it may seem harsh to say the customer is never right, but in the grand scheme of things, it

was too much to say they were always right. Let's say the saying was changed. It would reduce

the number of stuck up customers by a landslide.

“The customer is always right” is an outdated phrase. Times change and the phrase itself

should change as well. People have proven time and time again that they don’t deserve to be

right all of the time. Reality checks are good for everyone, and they are perfect for a crazy lady

screaming in a grocery store or a boutique. Those people need to be told they are wrong.

Growing up does not stop right when you turn eighteen years old. It never stops. You continue to

learn and grow every day of your life. Patience is a life skill that is needed in our society so we

can thrive and evolve together. The customer is never right. Not when they scream because their

coffee was not made fast enough. Not when something they liked went out of stock, so they

complained to the manager. Especially not when they throw a literal tantrum in front of a store

because they have to wear a mask. A customer is not the boss. A customer is a customer. They

are merely consumers of a product. They aren’t Gandhi.