Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Saying ·265 of 348
"The customer is always right."
They never said that.
What people say
"The customer is always right."
What was actually said
"The customer is always right in matters of taste." Harry Gordon Selfridge — Attributed to Harry Gordon Selfridge / Marshall Field (c. 1905)
Why it stuck
The qualifier "in matters of taste" narrows the claim to preferences — colour, fit, style. Dropping it makes customers right about everything, including policy.
The longer form is sometimes called apocryphal; earliest recorded uses are simply the shorter slogan.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.