Shopping...

     Been shopping recently? Going out to pick up your essentials, like food, toiletries, maybe shoes or clothes? As you go through the aisles, looking at the selections, do you encounter Them? Who? Why, Them, of course. The other shoppers who for some reason seem to think that the store belongs to Them and Them alone. They cut in front of others, leave their cart in the aisle (many times right in the middle) while They go three aisles down to look for something. And, woe be unto you if you dare - YOU DARE!!!1! - to touch Their Precious. They have no concept of others, or of courtesy. They will stand in front of the things that you want to get to, and become selectively deaf when you say, "Excuse me". Even better, They'll grab just about all of something, emptying the shelf, and act as if it's perfectly fine to deny others. And, be careful if YOU get the thing before They do, because then the sighing starts. Like you did it on purpose, just to inconvenience Them. But, at least you don't work at the store. That's a special kind of hell altogether, with way too many examples to put here. But I thing you can guess (maybe even seen it firsthand).

    I used to work in retail, but not anymore. Luckily, I've never been the target of the ire of Them. But I've seen it in play a lot. And it's not pretty.
    You see, there's an adage that comes up concerning working in a sales-related field: "The customer is always right!" It means that the Customer is SACRED, and the staff need to bend over backwards to make Them as happy and content as possible, so that they continue to shop at your establishment, and maybe recommend their friends and family to do the same. It's thought by many to be a Sales Rule of Law: no matter what, the Customer is king!
     Too bad it isn't.
     According to grammarist.com,

The timeless aphorism “The customer is always right” is widely attributed  to Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of the popular Selfridge’s  department store located in London. Wisconsin-born Selfridge introduced the phrase in the early 1900s to encourage employees to prioritize customer satisfaction and create an  environment where customers felt valued and respected. It was all part of his marketing and brand establishment.                                                                                                       

But, some sources also attribute the saying to other business magnates of  the era, like César Ritz, who was the founder of the famous Ritz Hotel. He actually coined the phrase as “Le client n’a jamais tort,” which translates  as “the customer is never wrong.” 

   In other words, it's just a marketing ploy. But, the trouble is, people have taken it and run rampant with the concept, thinking that retail people have no choice but to kiss their ass. And They get VERY angry when they don't. Which makes it rough for everyone.

     Look, I get it. It's frustrating when you can't find what you want, and even more so when you can't find anyone to help you. And sometimes the staff is not very helpful; there are times I've heard people tell of workers walking away from them when they need help. But it's still not an excuse to go off and throw out attitude at them or other shoppers. Just leave. Go elsewhere. If it happens enough, the store will have to take steps to improve things, if they want to stay open. Don't blame everyone on site, just because of one or two people. Shop at a different place; that's the best way to prove you mean business, not verbally (and sometimes physically) assaulting someone. Be an adult, okay?

     And the next time you abandon your cart in the aisle, it's moving to the back of the store. Hide and Seek, anyone?