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I confess. I have little interest in retail sales figures. I skip newspaper headings like: “Bealls reports fewer customers ...,” “Sears figures disappoint ...,” “Consumer confidence poll suggests less spending ...” A waste of my reading time. Frankly, I would be more interested in seeing fewer sales figures and consumer confidence index graphs and more space used for articles exploring the human issues in retail. Take, for one example, what appears to me to be the increasingly abusive and uncivil behavior of customers toward retail salespeople and clerks.

“The customer is always right.” True, you say? Understood, you say? Wait. At one time, it meant that every reasonable effort should be made to satisfy a customer’s complaint or misunderstanding or whatever. As a result, sales personnel were trained in appropriately addressing — with courtesy and reasonable accommodation — the confrontational and aroused emotions of dissatisfied customers. “Reasonable” here was the acceptable standard. Today, open up the subject of customer rights to any experienced retail person and one likely hears that a shift has occurred. “The customer is always right” is now more accurately “The customer is infallible.”

Consider clothing sales. Once it was expected that clothing returned without receipt, labels gone or detached, and evidence of having been worn, etc., would not merit a refund or credit. Today, in more businesses than not, it is highly more likely that such a customer will receive a full refund or credit! It has become a familiar game. True, the clerk may have been informed by management to refuse refunds or credits for returned merchandise for a variety of reasons. However, today’s savvy and clever (add devious?) customers will, refused for any reason a refund or credit, angrily demand to see the store manager or request the district manager’s phone number. Aha! The store manager may insist the clerk is correct. So? No surprise that this customer returns an hour later, entering with a haughty smile. “Has your district manager called?” Yes, of course, the store has received that corporate call, and the sales clerk has been informed the customer will return and is to be given a full refund. Too, the corporate executive has mentioned that the customer angrily stated her resentment of the clerk’s “rudeness” and the manager’s inflexibility with the “store’s rules.” Result? Full refund, no further questions.

The percentage of customers who take notorious advantage of and deceitfully work the refund or credit system, I am told, that once was at about 10 percent, now hovers today at 15 to 20!

The game sometimes takes on the calculated characteristics of a scam. Customer infallibility is not limited to upscale stores. Service personnel at supermarkets, hardware stores, restaurants, etc., are weary of the frequent loud salvos of the “I am ALWAYS right, even if you tell me I’m not!” consumer. A friend of mine shared this example: an inexperienced cashier rang up a $65 amount on groceries — much of it for several cans of this and a dozen or more packages of that. The customer paid and immediately rushed to the service desk, thrusting his receipt to the assistant manager and insisting he receive a full, double-the-amount refund on the “out-of-date merchandise”— pointing to his cart. (Readers: You have seen that policy at some markets, designed to catch an occasional expired product beyond its sell-by date. An honest customer may note a sell-by date and call attention to it either before or after its purchase. If after, a double refund is given as an inconvenience courtesy.) The scam artist in this tale hunted for over sell-by date products, grabbed all of them up, paid for them and then demanded his double the money refund! The calculated quick profit on his $65 purchases — $130 in cold cash! Refused the obvious scam reward, the con created a scene: shouting, flailing his arms, shoving his cart against the counter, shouting “That’s your@#*&)**!! store’s policy! Pay me!” The manager called and was instructed to pay the refund. Later, a “be on the alert” notice was sent to the chain’s other stores.

Stores and employees go to great lengths to serve customers fairly and courteously. A few fall short, but not many overall. How many readers out there could add to this discussion of a yet small, but I hear, alarmingly growing segment of “citizen customers” who scam their refund, credit or coupon “rights.” It is distressing to me to bear witness to customers playing the “I am right, always” game with its abusive behavior, feigned anger and public tantrums acted out in businesses and directed at patient, hard-working retail employees.

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Ted Beranis, of Bonita Springs, is a retired educator.