This is a similar thing to “the customer is always right”, where the meaning has shifted due to lost context. The original quote was “the customer is always right in matters of taste”. Basically, it meant that if the customer wants to buy something, they’re not wrong and stupid because the seller thinks it’s wrong and stupid to want to buy. Not that the customer is in a perpetual moral high ground over the business and should be granted every wish.
I’ve seen this before but is that truly the origin? On the Wikipedia page, the quote(s) do not seem to allude to taste or buying preferences at all but rather to customer service. I’ve tried searching but I haven’t seen any primary sources state that the original quote, or intent, was with the inclusion of “in matters of taste”.
Okay, I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s kind of an apocryphal reverse-explanation to counter currently all-too-common abusive behavior towards service personnel. I think it’s just an old motto that once made more sense than it does today when it’s been in use for over a hundred years.
This is a similar thing to “the customer is always right”, where the meaning has shifted due to lost context. The original quote was “the customer is always right in matters of taste”. Basically, it meant that if the customer wants to buy something, they’re not wrong and stupid because the seller thinks it’s wrong and stupid to want to buy. Not that the customer is in a perpetual moral high ground over the business and should be granted every wish.
I’ve seen this before but is that truly the origin? On the Wikipedia page, the quote(s) do not seem to allude to taste or buying preferences at all but rather to customer service. I’ve tried searching but I haven’t seen any primary sources state that the original quote, or intent, was with the inclusion of “in matters of taste”.
I got it from my college econ professor, so I don’t have further sourcing. Sorry
Okay, I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s kind of an apocryphal reverse-explanation to counter currently all-too-common abusive behavior towards service personnel. I think it’s just an old motto that once made more sense than it does today when it’s been in use for over a hundred years.