The Customer is Always...

A customer returned a microwave to a department store, saying there was a dent in it. Then, a week or so later, she returned to look for another one. She got an employee from the toy department to take a microwave off of the shelf and take it to customer service. It was there that she had three employees take out the microwave to examine it for any possible defects. It was there that the employees carefully removed the microwave and placed it on the counter. The store employees seemed pleased to see that the microwave looked pristine and brand new. However, the customer saw a dent in the top. Everyone else was angling his or her head trying to see what the woman saw. There was a tiny imperfection the size of a pinhead on the top of the microwave. That tiny little shallow dent that could hardly be seen with the human eye was enough to cause an enormous amount of fear in the woman. The customer explained she was afraid of getting radiation from a dented microwave. All three employees nodded, and nobody really said anything until someone clarified that she didn't want that microwave.

After the woman had walked off, the customer service employee said that the microwave could go back on the shelf after it was repacked and retaped, because there was nothing wrong with it. She commented how no man-made product is going to be completely perfect. About a half an hour later, the customer was back up to complain because the store employees had returned the microwave she'd rejected back to the shelves.

It was at this point that a manager pulled aside the customer service employee. She asked, "Do you know how to complete this sentence? The customer is always...?"

The employee answered, "...standing in line?"