Action of the Week, March 29, 2026

Shine a Light on Old-Fashioned Customer Service

In the late 19th century—at the height of the robber-baron Gilded Age, no less—department store retailers and hoteliers began using the phrase, “the customer is always right”—birthing “the concept of customer service as we know it.”

Nowadays, we more often hear that “customer service is dead,” and that is certainly many people’s experience, whether shopping in person or online. A 2024 article by a brand expert contrasts the common big-box store experience—where a best-case scenario might be that if you ask where a product is, the employee will “use their phone to … look up the aisle and location, and point you in that direction”—versus the experience in a local business lucky enough to have mannerly staff who can “problem-solve on the spot” and provide “deep, immersive customer service.”

When customers have problems with or questions about a product—or they are the victims of fraudulent practices—the outsourcing of feedback mechanisms to call centers in India or to AI has only made consumer frustration worse.

Thus, we appreciate the suggestion of a subscriber to reward excellent customer service, which we share below. Implicitly, the comments also make the case for supporting independent local businesses.

“For some years now, I have taken to writing earnest and descriptive 5-star reviews when I encounter exceptional customer service. I started doing this … after noticing a steep decline in the level of products and service and also noticing a rather commensurate increase in my bouts of [complaining] (usually to myself) about these experiences or interactions. So, in an attempt to tip the scales toward the positive … I started submitting 5-star reviews that specifically mention the name of the person who provided [an] excellent product or experience [whether at] a restaurant, … hairdresser, [or] Lowes. More recently, as the plot for AI takeover thickens, I thought of these reviews in the context of a reverse ‘Cracker Barrel’-style campaign consisting of an avalanche of positive support for the type of exceptional customer service and craftsmanship that requires a human with a head and a heart. [It] certainly can’t hurt our cause. Maybe [it could be called] ‘5-Stars 4 Humanity.’”