Don't Let Exceptions Rule Your Thinking

Here's a reminder from Art and me for readers of Making Money Is Not Illegal, Immoral or Fattening:
"Sometimes circumstances mean you bend a standard. Let’s say your standard is, 'Never point to another aisle. Walk the customer to the location of the product they’ve asked about.' Okay, but now there are four different customers standing around wanting the attention of your one employee in that department on the sales floor, and she’s gotten on her radio to call for backup help, but the help hasn’t come yet, and a guy walks up to the one employee and says, 'Where’s the men’s room?'
"Maybe it’s okay to point instead of giving a personal escort. There are always exceptions. Deal with the exceptions and move on. The important part is that you think through real carefully what your standards are, and especially the ones that are nonnegotiable."
It's the same idea with customers as with your staff. Don't get waylaid by the exceptions:
"If I really wanted to get your feathers up, get you so you’d start disagreeing with me, I’d say my opinion is with anything that comes back for a refund in the store, give the refund, take care of the customer. Now you go, 'Two years ago, I had somebody steal a drill. You mean I’m going to take care of that guy?' Then I ask, 'How many refunds do you do in your store?' 'Well, we do a whole bunch.' So isn’t what happened with the drill an exception? Just deal with it and move on. Don’t let that be the only thing you remember about refunds, please. Do not ever let one customer impact the way you think about all customers.
For more details, see the sections starting on pages 15 and 35 of the book.