Is the customer always right?

I am currently enrolled in a business class where we are learning about customer service. My professor is a big advocate for getting the best customer service he feels he deserves. He is constantly telling us that if we are at a restaurant, bank, store, etc. where we feel they could improve their customer service we should go up to the owner/manager/employee and tell them what we think of their service and how they could do better. In his eyes by doing this we are helping the business do better.

However I have to disagree. Although it's true that without customer's opinions businesses will never change what they do, I don't think that bluntly telling a business what they are doing wrong is of very much help either.

I have been on both sides of this ordeal. I have gone into stores wanting to purchase something and have had no service, lack of enthusiasm from the sales clerk, and not received the information or help I desired. I have also been the cashier for some very rude people that feel it is my job to personally provide them with every little detail they need in order to be happy, and when I fail to do so they criticize me, the company I work for, and anything else they can. Luckily for me I am not offended easily nor do I take this sort of criticism personally.

However I have come to realize that people in general tend to be very critical and pessimistic when it comes to spending their money. If they have a bad experience they are sure to tell everyone they know how very poorly they were treated. But when people receive a good service they very rarely tell this experience to anyone.

So why are we all so critical and harsh to those people who serve us, when we our selves hate to be criticized by others? My answer for you is simple. Money. Money runs the world. Money is why we go to school to get a degree, it's why we spend the majority of our life at jobs we hate, it's why marriages fall apart, why people go hungry, why economies decline, why wars rage, why people go to jail, why politics are dishonest. The list goes on and on.

So although we should certainly point out ways to businesses how they can improve, perhaps we should also compliment them on what they do good. And when we see an employee that is having a bad day, instead of criticizing them and telling them of their poor work ethic, perhaps we should try to be sympathetic. After all none of us can have a good day every day and how would you like dealing with grumpy people all day? Don't you think their moods may eventually rub off on you?

In conclusion I just want everyone to think about the people not the business every time you go somewhere. When all is said and done money will come and go but people are always here and what you say will last a lot longer then the memory of your short moment in the check out line. So remember that behind every business is real people just like you who deserve the same respect you do.