Angry customers are something that every store owner has to face. Most of the time, customers are upset about the price of one of your products, or that you are sold out of or do not carry a certain product they were looking for. While every situation and customer can be a little different, there are many simple, yet effective ways that store owners can use to deal with upset customers.

The biggest piece of advice we can give to any store owner is to not take anything customers say personally. Most of the time they are upset with a product, price, or your store for not carrying a product. It is very important to not get defensive or try to rebuttal what they are saying. You must make sure that you and your employees stay confident in your store, your prices, and inventory, and portray that to the customer.

It is also very important to make the customer feel heard. Listen to what they are saying because most of the time, an upset customer just wants to know that you care about the inconvenience they have experienced. Most of the time, simply listening will solve the problem. Store owners should also be very open to what they have to say. Sometimes what the customer is saying can actually help you improve your store, so it is key to not feel like you are too good to listen to an upset customer.

One final way to help store owners deal with angry customers is transparency. Giving your customers the context behind your pricing or explaining to them when new shipments come in every week with new products, can go a long way with an upset customer. If you are honest and open with them and tell them you feel bad for not having that product on that day, they will be a lot more understanding than they were before. One of the biggest things store owners need to remember is that the value of a customer is not how much product they buy from you, but rather the relationship you have built with them. In order to build and grow that relationship and really see the value of your customers, you have to be transparent with them about everything.