For nearly a century, a retail philosophy existed that has slowly gone by the wayside. It’s the axiom “The customer is always right.” If you’ve ever worked in retail, you know that this is the farthest thing from the truth. The concept spawns some of the most unreasonable, demanding, entitled actions you’ll ever see.
“The earliest printed mention of “the customer is always right” dates to 1905 and is attributed to Marshall Field, a Chicago department store operator who was celebrated in his day for his great wealth and success. In a profile, The Boston Globe dubbed him a “merchant prince” and speculated he might be worth up to $125 million, or roughly $4 billion today.
“Field, who oversaw a block-sized store named Marshall Field and Co., was said to be insistent on employees observing his business practices. “Every employee, from cash boy up, is taught absolute respect for and compliance with the business principles which Mr. Field practices,” the Globe reported. “Broadly speaking, Mr. Field adheres to the theory that ‘the customer is always right.’ He must be a very untrustworthy trader to whom this concession is not granted.”1
By the mid-30s, the phrase had been amended. The customer is almost always right. Even that can be a stretch!
Have you ever met someone who thinks they are always right? Job had three friends who were like this. When Job was hurting, they took the “I’m-right-you’re-wrong” approach. They were so certain that they knew what was causing all his troubles in life. He tried pointing this out to them, but they adamantly denied it and cast the blame back on him. There was no real listening. There was no weighing of evidence and lots of assumed evidence. They concluded: Job, we’re right. You’re wrong. End of story.
How do you deal with people like that, the know-it-alls of life?
I don’t think we can change them and attempting to change them would be frustrating. Remember, WE are the ones who are wrong, not them. Instead, we must guard ourselves and not get sucked into their strategy. Let’s start by memorizing two passages of Scripture.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Isaiah 5:21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
Second, let’s answer a question. Am I more concerned about being right or being righteous? What’s the difference? Being right means I allegedly won the argument. I’ve proven my point and made someone see things as I see them. Now, I’m doing a victory lap and standing in the winner’s circle. But was it worth it? The street preacher yelling and screaming at people from the top of his lungs, telling them they are going to hell and their vile lifestyles is proof may be right, but he is certainly not righteous.
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
Finally, remember that even the best of us isn’t right all the time. We are still human, and we can and do make mistakes. However, there is One who is never wrong. He is completely trustworthy and dependable all the time. Take confidence in the God who is always right.
Deuteronomy 32:3-4 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. (4) He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
1https://www.mentalfloss.com/who-first-said-the-customer-is-always-right
Images are taken from https://pixabay.com/, https://www.pexels.com/, or https://unsplash.com/images or created in Windows Copilot. According to the websites, they are Royalty Free and free to be used for our purposes.
