Be Polite and Kind to Your Customers

Politeness and civility are the best capital ever invested in business. Large stores, gilt signs, flaming advertisements, will all prove unavailing if you or your employees treat your patrons abruptly. The truth is, the more kind and liberal a man is, the more generous will be the patronage bestowed upon him. "Like begets like." The man who gives the greatest amount of goods of a corresponding quality for the least sum (still reserving for himself a profit) will generally succeed best in the long run. This brings us to the golden rule, "As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them" and they will do better by you than if you always treated them as if you wanted to get the most you could out of them for the least return. Men who drive sharp bargains with their customers, acting as if they never expected to see them again, will not be mistaken. They will never see them again as customers. People don't like to pay and get kicked also.

Politeness and courtesy are the best investment you can make in business. Large stores, gold-lettered signs, and flashy advertisements will all be useless if you or your employees treat customers rudely. The truth is, the kinder and more generous a person is, the more generously customers will support that person. "Like produces like." Whoever offers the most goods of comparable quality for the lowest price will generally do best over time. That price must still leave a profit. This brings us to the golden rule, "Treat others as you would want them to treat you." Customers will treat you better in return than if you always tried to take the most while giving the least. Those who squeeze their customers for every penny act as if they never expect to see those customers again. They won't be wrong. They will never see those people again as customers. People don't like to pay and get kicked too.

One of the ushers in my Museum once told me he intended to whip a man who was in the lecture-room as soon as he came out.

One of the ushers in my Museum once told me he planned to beat up a man. The man was in the lecture room, and the usher planned to attack him as soon as he came out.

"What for?" I inquired.

"What for?" I asked.

"Because he said I was no gentleman," replied the usher.

"Because he said I wasn't a gentleman," the usher replied.

"Never mind," I replied, "he pays for that, and you will not convince him you are a gentleman by whipping him. I cannot afford to lose a customer. If you whip him, he will never visit the Museum again, and he will induce friends to go with him to other places of amusement instead of this, and thus you see, I should be a serious loser."

"Never mind," I replied, "he pays for that, and beating him will not convince him you are a gentleman. I cannot afford to lose a customer. If you beat him, he will never visit the Museum again. He will also persuade his friends to join him at other places of amusement instead of the Museum. So you see, I would lose a great deal of business."

"But he insulted me," muttered the usher.

"But he insulted me," the usher muttered.

"Exactly," I replied, "and if he owned the Museum, and you had paid him for the privilege of visiting it, and he had then insulted you, there might be some reason in your resenting it, but in this instance he is the man who pays, while we receive, and you must, therefore, put up with his bad manners."

"Exactly," I replied. "If he owned the Museum and you had paid him to visit, things might be different. If he had then insulted you, you might have some reason to resent his behavior. But in this case, he pays us, and we receive his money. So you must put up with his bad manners."

My usher laughingly remarked, that this was undoubtedly the true policy; but he added that he should not object to an increase of salary if he was expected to be abused in order to promote my interest.

My usher laughed and said this was undoubtedly the right approach. But he added that he wouldn't mind a raise if he was expected to take abuse for my benefit.