Customer Is Always Right

One day, in a busy office, the boss called out angrily, “Little Johnny, come to my office right now.”

Little Johnny quickly responded, “Yes, sir!” and rushed to his boss’s office, nervous about what he might have done wrong.

As soon as he entered, the boss started shouting, “Little Johnny, I saw you arguing with the customer who just left. I’ve told you before that the customer is always right. Do you understand me?”

Little Johnny stood there, nodding his head, “Yes, sir! The customer is always right.”

The boss continued, “So, what were you arguing about with that customer?”

Little Johnny took a deep breath and explained, “He said my boss is stupid and an idiot, sir!”

The boss, now even more frustrated, asked, “That dumb man. What did you say to him?”

Little Johnny replied calmly, “I told him he’s right.”

The story humorously illustrates the principle that many businesses emphasize: “The customer is always right.” The boss wanted to enforce this rule strictly, making sure that all employees, including Little Johnny, adhered to it.

However, the situation took an unexpected turn when Little Johnny revealed that the customer’s complaint was about the boss himself.

By agreeing with the customer’s rude comment, Little Johnny technically followed the rule that “the customer is always right,” but in a way that was clearly not what the boss intended.

This short exchange highlights a couple of things. It shows the potential pitfalls of blindly following rules without considering context.

The phrase “the customer is always right” is meant to ensure good customer service, but in this case, it backfired because it was used in a way that insulted the boss. It demonstrates Little Johnny’s quick wit and literal interpretation of the boss’s instructions, which added an element of humor to the situation.