The customer is not always right. We are all customers, and sometimes we’re dead wrong. Stew Leonard Jr., CEO of Stew Leonard’s grocery stores, enjoys saying, “The goal is to make the customer feel right.” 

His sentiment means never dealing with a customer in a judgmental way, because you never want a customer to leave feeling unvalued. But what are the ways to let a customer know they are wrong without making them feel wronged? Advice on interpersonal tactics is readily available: Listen, let them vent, be empathetic.

But what are the guiding principles? Here are four.

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