Who originally said 'The Customer Is Always Right'?

Whether or not you think a customer is always right likely depends on your role. For consumers, it's reassuring when a business is quick to fix issues and attentive to feedback. But for retailers, the phrase can become frustrating when it’s abused, such as when customers return unfinished meals or stained items. Is it possible for a customer to always be right in these cases? That’s up for debate.

Whether you love or hate the phrase, you may wonder where it originated. There are several theories, but not all of them are accurate.

The Origin of the Phrase ‘The Customer Is Always Right’

The first recorded mention of 'the customer is always right' appeared in 1905 and is credited to Marshall Field, the prominent Chicago department store mogul. Known for his immense wealth and success, Field was famously referred to as a 'merchant prince' by The Boston Globe, which suggested that his fortune might have reached $125 million, equivalent to about $4 billion today.

Field, who managed the large Marshall Field and Co. department store, was known for ensuring that all his employees adhered strictly to his business principles. As reported by The Globe, 'Every employee, from cash boy up, is taught absolute respect for and compliance with the business principles which Mr. Field practices.' Field strongly believed in treating customers as always right, stating that a truly untrustworthy trader would not concede to this principle.

While it is possible that the author of the The Globe article was merely crediting the saying to Field, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that the phrase was in circulation before the 1905 publication.

Field wasn't alone in adopting this customer-first philosophy. César Ritz, the renowned hotelier with properties in Paris and London, championed a similar idea, coining the phrase 'le client n’a jamais tort,' meaning 'the customer is never wrong.' This attribution dates back to 1908, though Ritz may have used the phrase earlier.

Creating a term is one thing, but popularizing it is an entirely different achievement.

Harry Selfridge

Harry Gordon Selfridge, who once worked as a stock boy and later as a department manager under Marshall Field, is said to have been influenced by Field's teachings. According to a 2016 Chicago Tribune article, Selfridge is credited with coining the famous phrase and also popularizing the sales tactic that advised shoppers of the limited number of shopping days before Christmas.

While it's not verifiable, it's possible that Selfridge coined the phrase 'the customer is always right' and Field adopted it, although the reverse might also be true. Regardless, Selfridge became more closely associated with the phrase after opening Selfridge and Co. in London in 1909. His store was famous for the exceptional courtesy extended by its staff to customers, such as when he allowed a woman to buy a coat for 25 pence instead of 25 pounds after she mistakenly thought the price was lower.

Selfridge's approach was somewhat unconventional for English retail at the time, which favored a more balanced perspective. Many saw the idea of always deferring to customers as absurd. Nevertheless, Selfridge’s American-style department store was a resounding success, and Londoners relished the extra attention they received.

Occasionally, Selfridge is credited with modifying the phrase to 'the customer is always right, in matters of taste,' which significantly alters its meaning. However, there’s no reliable source to confirm that he ever made such a statement.

Some critics argue that the phrase can feel patronizing, suggesting that customers are often mistaken and that stores shouldn’t be expected to accommodate unreasonable behavior. Even Selfridge's somewhat distanced itself from the original principle. In a 1936 editorial, the store issued a statement that read: 'The customer is not quite always right. There is such a thing, very seldom, as the unreasonable customer … so far as we are concerned, we abide by our old slogan that the customer is always right, and at the same time we relieve ourselves of a possibly impossible position by adding the two words “almost always.”'