Who was it who invented the saying 'the customer is always right'? I believe it was to do with a hotel.

Though it's by no means certain, the phrase was most likely coined by either Marshall Field or Harry Gordon Selfridge (founder of London's Selfridges store). The two of them have both been credited individually with its invention in the past, and its entirely possible they came up with the saying independent of one another. Its also possible they both stole it from the same unknown, less-successful, source and each adopted it as their own.

Several retail concern used this as a slogan from the early-20th century onward. In the USA it is particularly associated with Marshall Field's department store, Chicago (established in the late 19th century). The store is an icon of the city, although it is set to lose its name in 2006 when, following a takeover, it becomes renamed as Macy's. In the UK, Harry Gordon Selfridge (1857-1947) the founder of London's Selfridges store (opened in 1909), is credited with championing its use. The Wisconsin born Selfridge worked for Field from 1879 to 1901. Both men were dynamic and creative businessmen and it's highly likely that one of them coined the phrase, although we don't know which.

Of course, these entrepreneurs didn't intend to be taken literally. What they were attempting to do was to make the customer feel special by inculcating into their staff the disposition to behave as if the customer was right, even when they weren't.

The trading policy and the phrase were well-known by the early 20th century. From the Kansas City Star, January 1911 we have a piece about a local country store that was modelled on Field's/Selfridges:

[George E.] "Scott has done in the country what Marshall Field did in Chicago, Wannamaker did in New York and Selfridge in London. In his store he follows the Field rule and assumes that the customer is always right."

Whether the phrase was coined by Field or Selfridge it is fair to call it American. What we can't do is credit them with the idea behind it. In 1908 César Ritz (1850-1918), the celebrated French hotelier is credited with saying 'Le client n'a jamais tort' - 'The customer is never wrong'. That's not the phrase that people now remember, but it can hardly be said to be any different in meaning to 'the customer is always right'

I don't know who started it, but I would like to hang them. I work at Home Depot and too many people try to tell me I don't know what I am talking about because I am a woman in the Hardware Department. Those are the most annoying type of people in the world.

My boss got around that though by asking me what I thought and then backing me up. Such as someone asking for a Sawzall. I say, "You mean an actual Sawzall brand or just a reciprocating saw." They think just because it's a brand name, that's the name of the tool.

I very much agree with your sentiments. How on Earth can the customer always be right? It defies all logic.

I think the saying "the customer is always right" is very much tongue in cheek and not to be taken very seriously.

If I owned a shop, I know exactly who would be right, me, the shopkeeper! End of Argument! Here in England a shopkeeper can refuse to serve any person he/she so chooses not to serve and there's nothing a 'customer' can do about it. So, guess who's right then?

Though I don't know who invented that one, I know that the Japanese have the saying "The customer is God"!!

I suppose this is because if you don't rub them the wrong way, you get better sales!

the customer is never right unless you sweet talk them into thinking they won and of corse your plan of action makes them think it was their idea at the time