The Customer Is Always Right (Even When You Don’t Think They Are)

I heard this story recently and in my experience, sets a record for holding a grudge against a business.

22 years ago along with her two toddlers, a steady customer went into her local upper east side pizza shop, to buy a slice.

She gave the pizzaman cashier a twenty dollar bill.

The change received was for a ten.

A discussion began. It became contentious. The customer knew she had given a $20 bill as it was the only currency in her possession,

No, the man behind the counter would give change only for a ten.

The upshot?

She vowed to the pizzaman who was condescending and rude to her, never to patronize the shop again.

It wasn’t about the ten dollars, she said it was the principle.

Sure, he thought. No big deal.

But the spurned customer also made it her business to tell every person she knew in the neighborhood for years about the alleged short-changing.  Countless other young mother’s were told the tale and to avoid the shop.

For the ignored customer, this meant at least $1,000 per year that was spent at other pizza establishments. Pizza parties; ordering in; stop for some slices? Anywhere else but this shop.

Did she influence any other people? Probably.

The only certainty is that the pizza place which has since moved within the neighborhood has missed out on one customer’s business.for 22 years and counting. That is at least $22,000 according to her reckoning, maybe upwards of $100,000 if she did influence a few others as she claims she did.

I’m sure the pizza shop didn’t notice she never returned. Or  that other potential customers  were steered away. They’re still in business and seem to be doing fine.

But that’s what I call holding a grudge.

The moral? Losing a regular customer can cost you more than you’ll ever know.