While I agree that customer service is important enough to warrant dealing with even cranky customers, I must add that this does not give folks the right to abuse anyone who is representing their business in any capacity.
There are the people who treat a business as though everyone is out to cheat them personally, and is trying to get more from them than they might be entitled.
Rude behavior includes but is not limited to throwing money on a counter, accompanied by remarks aimed at making the worker serving them to feel guilty somehow about what they have been charged. Not nice people.
Rude is going beyond the question concerning a charge for service or items, and making comments to the effect that "everyone here is just greedy" and like comments.
Rude, is saying rude remarks with a perfect smile on your face and trying to pass it off as a joke. No one thinks your cute, funny, or witty. In fact, they'll just label you a jerk and be less willing to give you good service next time. You will be remembered, and treated respectively on following visits. The person helping you is a person.

I agree with Harley's mom. Civility should be expected of business employees AND comsumers. It needs to be taught in homes and expected in schools.

we children, in our family, worked in our family store. My father taught us the customer was always right... UNLESS they were trying to cheat us.

I remember a customer doing just that, I couldn't have been older than 12 when one day I was waiting on a customer and as I gave him back his change, which we were taught to count back to them, he told me I didn't give him the right change. He then told me he had given me a 20.00 bill.

That's something else Dad taught us to always put the money on the ledge of the till, until we were finished completely with the transaction. When I showed the man the 10.00 bill there he said, "Oh" and that was the end of the situation.

Whether or not he was actually trying to cheat me or not, I was able to defuse what could have been a bad situation!

So... customers DO have their responsibilty as well to not be abusive, dishonest and show patience too.

During my time in retail, I came to learn that my mood changed throughout the day. I could be happy at the start of my shift, and then either get happier or grumpier as the day went on, due almost entirely to how I was treated by the customers.

There would occasionally be a rude customer that would take the smile off my face and it would take a little while to get it back. Conversely, there would be the occasional happy customer that would brighten my day. It was amazing how a incere "Thank you" could keep me smiling and happy for hours.

A cranky ill-tempered customer is an opportunity to make a life-long customer.

As a person that has been in customer service most of my life, a little courtesy goes A LONG way. If someone is trying to help you, please end your phone call or ask them to hold.

We are here to help you, extend us the courtesy of providing your attention to us.

Sometimes it takes getting angry to make the business see that they're wrong and do something about it. If you don't ask for a manager you don't get satisfaction.

On the flip side, if a company cow-towed to every consumer who was angry - they'd be out of business, there is responsibility on the consumer's part.

And why can't consumers just say "no" instead of then telling stories about how they were pressured into something? I've never been pressured - "no" is a magical word. If you can't say it, then I hope you don't have access to your checkbook or credit cards - get a backbone. AARP does seminars to help seniors say no.