So this happened years ago (2015) but figured I’d share it. Before graduating with my degree in mechanical engineering, I worked at Batteries+Bulbs. I was paid a not great $10 an hour to start, but it beat my previous pay at Walmart for $8/hr.
About six months into working there, the owner sold that store to his brother and took him for a ride doing so. Naturally he changed a bunch, some things I was very in favor of; getting rid of space-stealing displays that nobody ever saw, a “kiosk” computer nobody used, etc. He also changed stuff that wasn’t so great, he was a picky asshole about breaks, insisted customers pre-pay for special orders we might never get or that could be wrong, raised prices store wide (for context, a 2032 lithium batter cost the store like 12¢, he raised the prices of those from $3.49 to $4.99 per battery).
Anyway, one day a dude comes in looking for a motorcycle battery. He sees an Odyssey battery which is very high end for $199 and asks about it. Now that particular battery was very high end but had been there like 4 years. Chances of it lasting it’s 5 year warranty period were slim to none. Instead I suggested to him an East Penn battery, $139, same power output, same warranty, and it had arrived at the store like a week ago. He agreed. I didn’t know the owner was in the back room. He heard all of this. As soon as dude left the store, he burst in and berated me for not selling the expensive battery. Tried explaining my actions, no dice. Was told “if you every undersell like that again, you’ll be fired.” I left that day and never came back.
I disagree with “the customer is always right” mentality. He asked me for my expertise and I gave him an option that would keep him happy for years to come at a lower cost.
Within a year the entire store had rolled staff including a manager of like 6 years.