Monday, September 29, 2008

THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS WRONG ed. by Jeff Martin


The Customer Is Always Wrong is a collection of essays on retail life. The book is edited by Jeff Martin, manager of a Tulsa Barnes and Noble, and features 21 anecdotes by writers you most likely will never have heard of about their own personal experiences working at a wide selection of retail jobs. Obviously I picked up this book because of its flagrant similarity to my own. And let me tell you, mine compares rather favorably to this one. For one thing, it’s funnier. And it’s less fussy.

For the most part, the essays range in quality from slightly boring to fairly amusing. A highlight is Victor Gischler’s tale of his time spent selling hearing aids, which made me laugh for two solid minutes.

Anybody who’s worked in or shopped retail (that is, everybody) can relate to something in this book, and it’s an entertaining enough read.

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