The customer may always be right (or not), but the customer is not always cheerful, writes independent retailer Carol Schroeder. One of the day-to-day challenges facing shopkeepers and our employees is how to deal with an unhappy customer. Here are four techniques I hope you’ll find helpful.

Acknowledge that the customer is upset and ask them to tell you the problem. Listen carefully, and if you think it will help, rephrase their complaint to make it clear that you understood what they said. Sometimes an unhappy customer just wants to be heard. READ MORE.