‘The
Customer is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles’
Edited
by Jeff Martin
You knew it was a bad time of year to go to that store, but you
went in anyhow and you wished you hadn’t.
The lines were long and filled with grumps and kids, both way past
nap time. You couldn’t find anything because the place was a mess. The sound
system was broken, and the same Christmas song was playing over and over again
until you thought you’d scream. You couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Too bad you were the person behind the cash register.
In the new book “The Customer is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles,”
edited by Jeff Martin, you’ll see that you’re not alone. You’ll also see that
there is humor in them there aisles, too.
Want great discounts on merchandise? Don’t mind long hours on your
feet? Do you have the negotiation skills of a statesman, the strength of a
linebacker, and the patience of a kindergarten teacher? Are you ready for work
with little-to-no job security? Then step up and sign on for a retail position.
Editor Jeff Martin says that the writers of this book “are retail
survivors.” They’re the ones who helped you find that elusive gift. They’re the
people you yelled at because they didn’t have the color sweater you wanted. The
writers represent all the people who ever took your money at a cash register.
Unless you work in a kids’ store, small shoppers sometimes can be
a challenge for retail workers. Mystery author Elaine Viets writes about doing
research for a novel while working in a bookstore, and how a comment from a
12-year-old boy gave her hope for the world of reading.
Stores are magnets for unique customers and local characters.
Kevin Smokler in “Another Day at the Video Store” writes about some of the ones
who visited him at work. In “The Bad Call,” Clay Allen remembers an
early-morning group of customers that made him cry. And the word “project” will
scare you too when you read “Other Things in Mind” by James Wagner.
Years from now, when you look back on your time spent working
retail, think of “We Weren’t Really Rock Stars” by Richard Cox. Maybe you’ll
remember to be nice to the new guy behind the cash register.
Had your fill of crabby shoppers, tinny music and crowded parking
lots? No matter which side of the check-out counter you’ve been on recently,
this book is the perfect antidote to it all.
In “The Customer is Always Wrong,” editor Jeff Martin assembled 21
stories from the trenches, including great experiences and ones best forgotten.
For retail workers past and present, there’s familiar hilarity in some of them
and sobering realism in others. Having spent time in retail (at a bookstore, of
course!), I loved this book.
Pick up a copy of “The Customer is Always Wrong,” then go ahead
and throw away the receipt. This is a book you’re going to want to keep on your
shelf for a long time.
“The Customer is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles,”
edited by Jeff Martin, c.2008, Soft Skull Press
$12.95 /
$16.95 Canada • 171 pages