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The Customer Is Always Wrong: An Unhinged Guide to Everything That Sucks About Work (from an Angry Retail Guy) - The Perfect Funny Gift for Retail, Service, or Office Workers
Customers want you to magically produce something from the back room. Bosses schedule you on your day off. Corporate policies are mandated that make zero practical sense. Sound familiar?
If you've ever worked in customer service (or any job, really), you know that everyone else—the customer, the boss, the company—is always right, and never the employee. Well, lucky for you, the "Angry Retail Guy" is more furious—and funnier—than ever in this hilariously unhinged guide to all the things we wish we could say out loud at work...without getting fired. In The Customer Is Always Wrong, you'll laugh (and maybe cry) at this rant-filled, illustrated attack on all the frustrating things that suck about work.
Expanding on the ire-filled, laugh-out-loud viral videos that have made him a (whispered) workplace name, Scott Seiss joyfully eviscerates not only overbearing customers but every annoying aspect of work like purposeless job interview questions, debatable brand values, and the walking human train wrecks that are our bosses. Scott guides you all the way from first applying to the job, to inevitably gritting your teeth and smiling on your last day when that one manager you despise says, “Come back and visit us!”
If you've ever worked in customer service (or any job, really), you know that everyone else—the customer, the boss, the company—is always right, and never the employee. Well, lucky for you, the "Angry Retail Guy" is more furious—and funnier—than ever in this hilariously unhinged guide to all the things we wish we could say out loud at work...without getting fired. In The Customer Is Always Wrong, you'll laugh (and maybe cry) at this rant-filled, illustrated attack on all the frustrating things that suck about work.
Expanding on the ire-filled, laugh-out-loud viral videos that have made him a (whispered) workplace name, Scott Seiss joyfully eviscerates not only overbearing customers but every annoying aspect of work like purposeless job interview questions, debatable brand values, and the walking human train wrecks that are our bosses. Scott guides you all the way from first applying to the job, to inevitably gritting your teeth and smiling on your last day when that one manager you despise says, “Come back and visit us!”
208 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2024
75 people are currently reading
3118 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
November 21, 2024
"Working in customer service is like opening one of those little Advent calendars. You pop open one day, and there's a little piece of chocolate inside. You pop open another, and there's a fifty-year-old adult man trying to spit on you because he misread a coupon. It's an exhausting, thankless job. But if it's any consolation, at least the pay is horrible and there's little to no benefits. Hats off to anyone who's ever done it."
I worked retail for ten years, from the good - B. Dalton Bookseller, the bad - Pearle Vision Center, to the ugly - Sear's Outlet, where someone tried to return a used vibrator. (How do I know it was used? It was WET. Plus, the woman had a satisfied grin on her face.) Yeah . . . so of course this book totally resonated with me. And, if you've ever had to deal with the public, I'm guessing you'll enjoy it, too.
Seiss snarkily sends up resumes, interviews, employee handbooks, and all things work related from the retail environment to office space.
His reply to the cringe-inducing words "the customer is always right"?
"You think you're God because you went shopping? You're not infallible; you're at the mall."
As you might imagine, management doesn't come out looking too good:
"Bosses are like orchestra conductors-no one knows why the hell they're standing there. All they're doing is waving their arms and claiming to be essential."
And, to the suggestion of "Let's replace our employees with AI" comes this awesome retort:
"Let's replace our CEOs instead. That would save a lot of money. Actually, AI is too advanced for that job. All you need is a Fisher Price tape recorder loaded up with a bunch of bad ideas. Or a Roomba with a tie. Or a paperweight with a secret family."
I got a lot of laughs out of this one, though it did stir up memories . . . memories I've tried very hard to repress. Sigh. I guess you can never REALLY leave retail . . .
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Celebrate for the read.
I worked retail for ten years, from the good - B. Dalton Bookseller, the bad - Pearle Vision Center, to the ugly - Sear's Outlet, where someone tried to return a used vibrator. (How do I know it was used? It was WET. Plus, the woman had a satisfied grin on her face.) Yeah . . . so of course this book totally resonated with me. And, if you've ever had to deal with the public, I'm guessing you'll enjoy it, too.
Seiss snarkily sends up resumes, interviews, employee handbooks, and all things work related from the retail environment to office space.
His reply to the cringe-inducing words "the customer is always right"?
"You think you're God because you went shopping? You're not infallible; you're at the mall."
As you might imagine, management doesn't come out looking too good:
"Bosses are like orchestra conductors-no one knows why the hell they're standing there. All they're doing is waving their arms and claiming to be essential."
And, to the suggestion of "Let's replace our employees with AI" comes this awesome retort:
"Let's replace our CEOs instead. That would save a lot of money. Actually, AI is too advanced for that job. All you need is a Fisher Price tape recorder loaded up with a bunch of bad ideas. Or a Roomba with a tie. Or a paperweight with a secret family."
I got a lot of laughs out of this one, though it did stir up memories . . . memories I've tried very hard to repress. Sigh. I guess you can never REALLY leave retail . . .
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Celebrate for the read.
March 29, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Celebrate for this arc!
I was under the impression this would be a comic book. It's not, it's an illustrated book.
I was surprised, but I wasn't disappointed, I had a great time.
I'm not familiar with the author, but I really liked his way to voice what goes on in my head a lot when confronted to the corporate culture and lingo. He expresses perfectly how it's perfectly normal to be frustrated and angry as a worker.
I was under the impression this would be a comic book. It's not, it's an illustrated book.
I was surprised, but I wasn't disappointed, I had a great time.
I'm not familiar with the author, but I really liked his way to voice what goes on in my head a lot when confronted to the corporate culture and lingo. He expresses perfectly how it's perfectly normal to be frustrated and angry as a worker.
September 10, 2024
I don’t typically read many humor books, because it’s very difficult to be funny on the page, in my opinion. Humor just usually doesn’t translate that well most of the time, especially when it comes to stand-up comedy. However, I’m a big fan of this guy’s angry customer service rants on the internet and when I saw that an ARC of his book was available, I figured, why not?
I can safely say that I related to this book a LOT, having been thoroughly traumatized by working in various customer service roles for years. I agree with Seiss’s takes on pretty much everything, and yes: he DID make me laugh. There are several sections of rants in this book and I could practically hear them in his voice, with that TikTok music behind it. But there’s also a variety of other topics and different formats to shake things up, as well as a few illustrations.
The only issue I can see is maybe the timeliness of some of the pop culture name drops. For example, I don’t think a MrBeast reference will age well in the distant future, but that’s just my personal opinion. I only vaguely know who that guy is right now. But the actual humor throughout is good, especially if you’ve struggled with bad experiences at work.
Seiss covers everything from customer interactions to bosses to the hiring process, and there are constant gems. It’s a light read and I enjoyed it quite a bit!
Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
If Scott Seiss sees this, thank you for speaking up on behalf of the employees. Lol
I can safely say that I related to this book a LOT, having been thoroughly traumatized by working in various customer service roles for years. I agree with Seiss’s takes on pretty much everything, and yes: he DID make me laugh. There are several sections of rants in this book and I could practically hear them in his voice, with that TikTok music behind it. But there’s also a variety of other topics and different formats to shake things up, as well as a few illustrations.
The only issue I can see is maybe the timeliness of some of the pop culture name drops. For example, I don’t think a MrBeast reference will age well in the distant future, but that’s just my personal opinion. I only vaguely know who that guy is right now. But the actual humor throughout is good, especially if you’ve struggled with bad experiences at work.
Seiss covers everything from customer interactions to bosses to the hiring process, and there are constant gems. It’s a light read and I enjoyed it quite a bit!
Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
If Scott Seiss sees this, thank you for speaking up on behalf of the employees. Lol
September 28, 2024
An absolute riot. I’ve loved Seiss’ humor since the first time I saw him on TikTok, and I’m thrilled he’s just as funny as an author.
July 20, 2024
Here we have 200 pages of customer service rants set in various venues -- retail, call centers, the office, et cetera. It's a long form rant set of the sort of things Scott Seiss is known for (I'm not super familiar with him but his work sounds vaguely familiar) but it's really sort of 200 pages of the same thing in different packaging.
However, chapter 4 that applies to current working woes (the "no one wants to work" myth, the huge disparity between incomes now and the incomes of our parents and other stressful things) was a bit more thoughtful and hit home way more than the rest of the book.
That being said I did skim large swaths of it and it's just not for me, it tried very hard to keep being funny and that's the thing about being funny-- you can't try so hard, especially so repetitively.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Celebrate for the eARC in exchange for review!
However, chapter 4 that applies to current working woes (the "no one wants to work" myth, the huge disparity between incomes now and the incomes of our parents and other stressful things) was a bit more thoughtful and hit home way more than the rest of the book.
That being said I did skim large swaths of it and it's just not for me, it tried very hard to keep being funny and that's the thing about being funny-- you can't try so hard, especially so repetitively.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Celebrate for the eARC in exchange for review!
July 4, 2024
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)
You might know Scott Seiss as the Angry IKEA Guy on Tik Tok (@scottseiss - if not, check him out, his retail rants are legendary). I'm a fan, so when THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS WRONG popped up on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to review it. Unfortunately, I think his well-earned critiques of customer service jobs (and the current state of the labor market in general) are better suited to 90-second sound and video bites.
Part of the mistake is mine - I saw the cover and immediately pegged this is a graphic novel. It's not. (My bad.) I also thought it'd be more similar to his videos, with short vignettes of egregious interactions with customers and managers (and hopefully some educational information about, say, the history of labor unions or the fight for a $15 federal minimum wage sprinkled in for good measure). Instead, it's more of a long-form rant about the minor and major inconveniences of work, from the hiring process to dealing with shitty bosses.
Some people might enjoy it, but it mostly wasn't for me. I didn't DNF exactly, but did mostly skim the second half of the book.
You might know Scott Seiss as the Angry IKEA Guy on Tik Tok (@scottseiss - if not, check him out, his retail rants are legendary). I'm a fan, so when THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS WRONG popped up on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to review it. Unfortunately, I think his well-earned critiques of customer service jobs (and the current state of the labor market in general) are better suited to 90-second sound and video bites.
Part of the mistake is mine - I saw the cover and immediately pegged this is a graphic novel. It's not. (My bad.) I also thought it'd be more similar to his videos, with short vignettes of egregious interactions with customers and managers (and hopefully some educational information about, say, the history of labor unions or the fight for a $15 federal minimum wage sprinkled in for good measure). Instead, it's more of a long-form rant about the minor and major inconveniences of work, from the hiring process to dealing with shitty bosses.
Some people might enjoy it, but it mostly wasn't for me. I didn't DNF exactly, but did mostly skim the second half of the book.
May 19, 2025
I love Scott Seiss’s angry retail rants because they’re simultaneously cathartic and hilarious at once. One of my favourite ways to cope with life’s hardships is to laugh at them and Seiss nailed that perfectly with “The Customer is Always Wrong.”
And this isn’t a rant about work from someone who’s disconnected from reality. “Here’s the current state of work as I see it: we’re dealing with income inequality, gig work, hustle culture, bootlicking, union busting, returning to the office, the devaluation of labor, the rise of artificial intelligence, the relentless pursuit of corporate profit, the destruction of the working class, generational divides, and so-called worker shortages.”
HE GETS IT. He’s not one of those out-of-touch assholes who will tell you “you just need to work harder.”
A few of the rants in here were almost verbatim transcriptions of the social media rants that made him famous. I haven’t seen all of his videos, so maybe there’s more, but there’s a lot of fresh and funny content in here that made me smile.
My favourite rants?
Brands trying embarrassingly hard to stay relevant online like McDonalds posting “we’re serving beef realness, honey! And the price is giving affordable.” I KNOW the social media team was embarrassed.
At this store, we’re a family.” We’re not a family; we’re acquaintances who keep our lunch in the same fridge.
“Do you work here?” Obviously, yes. How many people do you know who wear a name tag recreationally? You think I’m behind the counter because I got lost?
“It’s lazy for cashiers to sit down.” You don’t think people can sit down and work at the same time? You’re going to be really disappointed when you find out what an office is.
This was a fun book full of hilarious insights by a fellow worker who just gets it!
And this isn’t a rant about work from someone who’s disconnected from reality. “Here’s the current state of work as I see it: we’re dealing with income inequality, gig work, hustle culture, bootlicking, union busting, returning to the office, the devaluation of labor, the rise of artificial intelligence, the relentless pursuit of corporate profit, the destruction of the working class, generational divides, and so-called worker shortages.”
HE GETS IT. He’s not one of those out-of-touch assholes who will tell you “you just need to work harder.”
A few of the rants in here were almost verbatim transcriptions of the social media rants that made him famous. I haven’t seen all of his videos, so maybe there’s more, but there’s a lot of fresh and funny content in here that made me smile.
My favourite rants?
Brands trying embarrassingly hard to stay relevant online like McDonalds posting “we’re serving beef realness, honey! And the price is giving affordable.” I KNOW the social media team was embarrassed.
At this store, we’re a family.” We’re not a family; we’re acquaintances who keep our lunch in the same fridge.
“Do you work here?” Obviously, yes. How many people do you know who wear a name tag recreationally? You think I’m behind the counter because I got lost?
“It’s lazy for cashiers to sit down.” You don’t think people can sit down and work at the same time? You’re going to be really disappointed when you find out what an office is.
This was a fun book full of hilarious insights by a fellow worker who just gets it!
March 31, 2025
I have never felt so seen
December 15, 2024
If you follow the author on social media, then you probably have heard many of the punchlines in here, but still worth picking up if you’re not a bootlicker.
February 16, 2025
The Customer Is Always Wrong: An Unhinged Guide to Everything That Sucks About Work (from an Angry Retail Guy) – The Perfect Funny Gift for Retail, Service, or Office Workers by Scott Seiss (2024): 8 out of 10: The Customer Is Always Wrong is a humorous exploration of the frustrations faced by employees in customer service and in the office.
Authored by comedian Scott Seiss, known for his “Angry Retail Guy” TikToks, the book delves into the myriad challenges workers encounter, from unreasonable customer demands to nonsensical corporate policies.
Through a series of rants and workable illustrations, Seiss provides a cathartic outlet for anyone who’s ever had to smile through workplace absurdities. The book takes a soup to nuts journey from the initial job application process to the joy of finally quitting and starting the process all over again.
The Good: You know, it must have been a few nervous moments for whoever the publisher assigned to this book. Three minutes of TikToks is hardly a foundation of a comedy book two-hundred pages long. So there must have been a great sense of relief when the actual manuscript hit the editor’s desk.
There are not a lot of writing notes below compared to most books I review. Part of the reason is “The Customer Is Always Wrong” is a breezy two-hundred pages with quite a few illustrations and power point style presentations. The other is I really enjoyed the book, so I gobbled it up over three nights.
I liked Scott Seiss’s TikToks (which I watched on YouTube because I am an old and not a barbarian.). Scott pretends to be an Ikea employee, saying what every seasonal Ikea employee wants to say to a ridiculous customer. “The Customer Is Always Wrong” reprints the rants in full, alas they do not work on the written page as well as they did in the viral TikToks. Scott’s expressions, delivery and especially the dramatic music really sell the material in short twenty second bursts.
Thankfully, we are in for a treat. Even the introduction shows Scott is not riding this small TikTok wave and pounding the same joke for the rest of the book. For example, he opines on those ridiculous wallet ads on social media. “Why are men so obsessed with buying bulletproof wallets? These are the unanswerable questions of modern times. For real, I can’t go two scrolls without an Instagram ad calling me a softie unless my credit cards are encased in titanium.”
Seriously, why would anyone want those? They are too small. You’re going to lose it. Then where will you be? Plus, there is nowhere to put that condom you have had in your wallet since 2012. Also, where the hell am I supposed to put my cocaine? (This book caused me to put it down and go on my own rants more than once.)
His personal stories and asides during the various categories are the highlight for me rather than the “Customer Service Guy” shtick. As an example, let me give you his rant on the delightful and useful phrase “I have a hard out at 3pm”
“Since when can we say that?! Any time a manager wants to leave, they just utter the magic words “hard out,” then lightning cracks and they disappear in a cloud of smoke and deceit. How dare we waste your time by attending the meeting you scheduled to discuss the work you assigned? I thought we were going over quarterly analytics because we had to. I didn’t realize at any point I could pull my therapist’s signature move and just stand up and say, “Whelp, that’s my time. Later, loser.” If people could leave things whenever they wanted, no one on earth would’ve ever seen a wedding cake get sliced.”
“I normally get out of meetings early by acting like someone accidentally said my sleeper agent activation phrase, then diving out of a window with a grappling gun—but this seems much easier. And “hard out” appears to be the emotional service animal of office jargon, i.e., it’s illegal to ask any sort of follow-up question. The first person to say “hard out” gets to leave completely unchecked, and everyone after looks like either a liar or a coward. How about this? I’ve got a hard out at 9:05 a.m. every day for the next thirty years. I hope you understand.”
In another example, during the chapter on job interviews, he shares this story. “Imagine you lose out on a job and discover the person who got it was Peter Dinklage. That actually happened to me once. My acting manager called me to let me know, and I was like, “Duh.” I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been invited to my sister’s wedding if Peter Dinklage were available.
For the record, I found Scott the actor to be a delight as well. From my Cocaine Bear review “I am also going to praise a TikTok personality. (Check on Hell I believe the forecast calls for flurries). Scott Seiss maybe a TikTok comedian but he is a hilarious TikTok comedian. That said, being able to do a few minutes of observational humor doesn’t necessarily lead to a good stand-up set, let alone the ability to act in a film. Here is the thing though: he is fantastic in this.”
The secret sauce is really the personal stories, and the surprise is his material on office politics is a lot sharper and funnier that the customer service stuff.
The Bad: I hate. And I mean hate book titles that put all the keywords and descriptors in the book’s title. It is called keyword stuffing and well look at the title above for a particularly egregious example.
The Ugly: Scott’s aside about people calling him the “If-you-bought-Luigi-from-Wish.com Guy” lands quite differently than it did when he wrote it last year.
In Conclusion: When Scott sticks with specific war stories, “The Customer Is Always Wrong” really sings. The latter half of the book is a lot better than the first half, but it is a breezy read, so you will be there soon enough.
Authored by comedian Scott Seiss, known for his “Angry Retail Guy” TikToks, the book delves into the myriad challenges workers encounter, from unreasonable customer demands to nonsensical corporate policies.
Through a series of rants and workable illustrations, Seiss provides a cathartic outlet for anyone who’s ever had to smile through workplace absurdities. The book takes a soup to nuts journey from the initial job application process to the joy of finally quitting and starting the process all over again.
The Good: You know, it must have been a few nervous moments for whoever the publisher assigned to this book. Three minutes of TikToks is hardly a foundation of a comedy book two-hundred pages long. So there must have been a great sense of relief when the actual manuscript hit the editor’s desk.
There are not a lot of writing notes below compared to most books I review. Part of the reason is “The Customer Is Always Wrong” is a breezy two-hundred pages with quite a few illustrations and power point style presentations. The other is I really enjoyed the book, so I gobbled it up over three nights.
I liked Scott Seiss’s TikToks (which I watched on YouTube because I am an old and not a barbarian.). Scott pretends to be an Ikea employee, saying what every seasonal Ikea employee wants to say to a ridiculous customer. “The Customer Is Always Wrong” reprints the rants in full, alas they do not work on the written page as well as they did in the viral TikToks. Scott’s expressions, delivery and especially the dramatic music really sell the material in short twenty second bursts.
Thankfully, we are in for a treat. Even the introduction shows Scott is not riding this small TikTok wave and pounding the same joke for the rest of the book. For example, he opines on those ridiculous wallet ads on social media. “Why are men so obsessed with buying bulletproof wallets? These are the unanswerable questions of modern times. For real, I can’t go two scrolls without an Instagram ad calling me a softie unless my credit cards are encased in titanium.”
Seriously, why would anyone want those? They are too small. You’re going to lose it. Then where will you be? Plus, there is nowhere to put that condom you have had in your wallet since 2012. Also, where the hell am I supposed to put my cocaine? (This book caused me to put it down and go on my own rants more than once.)
His personal stories and asides during the various categories are the highlight for me rather than the “Customer Service Guy” shtick. As an example, let me give you his rant on the delightful and useful phrase “I have a hard out at 3pm”
“Since when can we say that?! Any time a manager wants to leave, they just utter the magic words “hard out,” then lightning cracks and they disappear in a cloud of smoke and deceit. How dare we waste your time by attending the meeting you scheduled to discuss the work you assigned? I thought we were going over quarterly analytics because we had to. I didn’t realize at any point I could pull my therapist’s signature move and just stand up and say, “Whelp, that’s my time. Later, loser.” If people could leave things whenever they wanted, no one on earth would’ve ever seen a wedding cake get sliced.”
“I normally get out of meetings early by acting like someone accidentally said my sleeper agent activation phrase, then diving out of a window with a grappling gun—but this seems much easier. And “hard out” appears to be the emotional service animal of office jargon, i.e., it’s illegal to ask any sort of follow-up question. The first person to say “hard out” gets to leave completely unchecked, and everyone after looks like either a liar or a coward. How about this? I’ve got a hard out at 9:05 a.m. every day for the next thirty years. I hope you understand.”
In another example, during the chapter on job interviews, he shares this story. “Imagine you lose out on a job and discover the person who got it was Peter Dinklage. That actually happened to me once. My acting manager called me to let me know, and I was like, “Duh.” I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been invited to my sister’s wedding if Peter Dinklage were available.
For the record, I found Scott the actor to be a delight as well. From my Cocaine Bear review “I am also going to praise a TikTok personality. (Check on Hell I believe the forecast calls for flurries). Scott Seiss maybe a TikTok comedian but he is a hilarious TikTok comedian. That said, being able to do a few minutes of observational humor doesn’t necessarily lead to a good stand-up set, let alone the ability to act in a film. Here is the thing though: he is fantastic in this.”
The secret sauce is really the personal stories, and the surprise is his material on office politics is a lot sharper and funnier that the customer service stuff.
The Bad: I hate. And I mean hate book titles that put all the keywords and descriptors in the book’s title. It is called keyword stuffing and well look at the title above for a particularly egregious example.
The Ugly: Scott’s aside about people calling him the “If-you-bought-Luigi-from-Wish.com Guy” lands quite differently than it did when he wrote it last year.
In Conclusion: When Scott sticks with specific war stories, “The Customer Is Always Wrong” really sings. The latter half of the book is a lot better than the first half, but it is a breezy read, so you will be there soon enough.
July 3, 2025
If you have ever had to cater to the general public to make money. This book is for you. If you have ever had to training yourself at a new job cause zero of the employees including the managers had know clue how to train a new employee or just did not have time to do that. Then this book is for you. If you believe customer service employees do not make enough money for all the jobs (by the way those other jobs have nothing to do with your job but you are still expected to get them completed) they have to complete day-in and day-out. Believe me, this book is for you. If you are a person that feels like this book is not relatable to you or you just do not believe in treating people like descent human beings while they try to move heaven and hell to please you with all your first world problems you should definitely read or listen to this book. You are mostly the problem and this book will help you see the err of your wicked ways and hopefully, by the end of this book it will help you become a better customer for all the rest of us on this planet.
P. S. A huge thank you to my manager for recommending that i read this book.
P. S. A huge thank you to my manager for recommending that i read this book.
August 4, 2025
This was absolutely hysterical. As someone who worked in retail for a few years, a lot of this really resonated with me, particularly the bit about handing in the two weeks' notice. When I did that at my retail job, the first words out of the HR rep's mouth were, "This isn't a full two weeks." Which was true - it was about 10 days, because the new job needed me to start ASAP. I wasn't going to jeopardize my new job just because the old job was butt hurt that I didn't give them exactly 14 days to work with.
Besides, the old job was closing down anyway, so they really didn't have room to complain.
God, I hated that job. Loved this book though. Great, funny read!
Besides, the old job was closing down anyway, so they really didn't have room to complain.
God, I hated that job. Loved this book though. Great, funny read!
May 14, 2024
The Customer is Always Wrong
By: Scott Seiss
Publication Date: September 9th 2024
"The Customer is Always Wrong" by Scott Seiss is a hilarious book on the challenges of customer service. This book had me chuckling all the way through and maybe pondering putting in that 2 week notice. Thanks for keeping up the spirts of the working class person. I'll watching and liking you on social.
Thank you Netgalley, Scott Seiss and Harper Celebrate for allowing me a ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
By: Scott Seiss
Publication Date: September 9th 2024
"The Customer is Always Wrong" by Scott Seiss is a hilarious book on the challenges of customer service. This book had me chuckling all the way through and maybe pondering putting in that 2 week notice. Thanks for keeping up the spirts of the working class person. I'll watching and liking you on social.
Thank you Netgalley, Scott Seiss and Harper Celebrate for allowing me a ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
January 19, 2025
Honestly a funny book and helped with my decision to leave a toxic work environment. My favourite part of the book was when Seiss pointed out training is just non existent anywhere you work. He talked predominantly about retail and customer service but even working with kids was the same. I didn’t get trained lol. I just got thrown with 15 kids in a room alone then had to be told “I haven’t observed you enough with the kids” yeah that’s because you left me alone with them most of the time lady!!! Anyway great book, his rants were hilarious and hit so hard.
January 22, 2025
As a follower of Scott Seiss on social media, and a retail worker, this book was relatable from cover to cover. Scott’s writing style and dry humor are right up my alley and there were so many laugh-out-loud funny bits. Highly recommend this to any of my fellow disgruntled employees of various markets—it warms my heart knowing there are others out there who loathe capitalistic greed and stupid idiots as much as I do.
March 26, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Celebrate for this arc!
4/5 stars
I LOVED the "Angry Ikea Guy" videos but he completely dropped off my radar for some time, and I'm glad to see he has this hilarious and far too relatable book out now! This is full of the things you wish you could say to the idiotic and mundane things said to you by customers, employers, and potential employers, and it honestly brings me much joy lol. I worked for FAR TOO LONG in different big box retail locations and other corporations, and oh man this brought back a lot of memories 🤣😭💀💀💀💀 The sarcastic replies in this are gold, and past overworked underpaid depressed me is LIVING FOR THEM LOL
4/5 stars
I LOVED the "Angry Ikea Guy" videos but he completely dropped off my radar for some time, and I'm glad to see he has this hilarious and far too relatable book out now! This is full of the things you wish you could say to the idiotic and mundane things said to you by customers, employers, and potential employers, and it honestly brings me much joy lol. I worked for FAR TOO LONG in different big box retail locations and other corporations, and oh man this brought back a lot of memories 🤣😭💀💀💀💀 The sarcastic replies in this are gold, and past overworked underpaid depressed me is LIVING FOR THEM LOL
July 4, 2024
I wanted this title to be better. The laughs plateaued really early. I'm just not sure this content makes for a book anymore, in 2024. Who is the actual audience? Maybe it just wasn't for me, but the book felt forced and overlong. Sorry.
January 11, 2025
When I saw that this dude wrote a book, I figured I’d check it out. His videos are fun to check out and this book is an extension of that.
Listening to the audiobook, it felt odd not hearing the music from the videos.
Listening to the audiobook, it felt odd not hearing the music from the videos.
December 27, 2024
Hilarious and cathartic
January 12, 2025
If you’ve ever worked in Retail or Customer Service this is definitely the Book for you. I’ve been in Retail myself for almost 25 years (Yikes!) and this was absolutely true and hysterical.
February 26, 2025
So funny
December 25, 2024
Never laughed so hard reading a book in my life. This is a comedic goldmine, pondering the absurdities and existential dilemma surrounding the employment grind. While delivered with razor-sharp wit and an overdose of sarcasm, the sad truth is how spot on Seiss is in taking on the miserable prison-like institution that we have created for, and forced upon ourselves, under the guise of “purpose and achievement.” Work may be the most successful con game ever put over on the human race. It would be utterly depressing but for the gut-busting laughs Seiss evokes as the workers/employees of the world read this and relate to every perfectly-timed punchline. Couldn’t put it down.
October 20, 2024
Tries too hard to be humorous throughout the book.
December 31, 2024
Format: Audiobook via Audible
Rating: 5 STARS
This audible really spoke to me because of how real it was! Scott spoke about the realities of how hard it is to be an employee at work on a regular basis, and how the customer is very wrong! Not only did he highlight the everyday struggles your everyday worker deals with, but the comedy was a great bonus too! As a healthcare worker, work is so strenuous on my mental health, but in order to survive you have to fight thru your demons and go. I loved the chapter about the annoying co workers, and the dumb shit they ask and pester you about! Really spoke to my soul!
Rating: 5 STARS
This audible really spoke to me because of how real it was! Scott spoke about the realities of how hard it is to be an employee at work on a regular basis, and how the customer is very wrong! Not only did he highlight the everyday struggles your everyday worker deals with, but the comedy was a great bonus too! As a healthcare worker, work is so strenuous on my mental health, but in order to survive you have to fight thru your demons and go. I loved the chapter about the annoying co workers, and the dumb shit they ask and pester you about! Really spoke to my soul!
October 8, 2024
Absolutely delightful! Full review postponed until publishing day on request of the publisher.
Edit: Book has been published and review now follows
This book is so relatable!
I love how Seiss says what we’re all thinking (and possibly too polite to say) in such a no-nonsense, humorous way! I absolutely will need a copy so I can carry it with me as a pick-me-up at work.
I recommend this book especially to millennials who have worked in customer service, wrote thousands of cover letters, or otherwise live through a less than awesome job.
This book is going to put a smile on your face!
Edit: Book has been published and review now follows
This book is so relatable!
I love how Seiss says what we’re all thinking (and possibly too polite to say) in such a no-nonsense, humorous way! I absolutely will need a copy so I can carry it with me as a pick-me-up at work.
I recommend this book especially to millennials who have worked in customer service, wrote thousands of cover letters, or otherwise live through a less than awesome job.
This book is going to put a smile on your face!
Read
March 18, 2025The reader is always right; the book was funny.
September 30, 2024
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.
Scott Seiss, known for his viral “Angry Retail Guy” videos, brings his signature humor and biting commentary to the written word in The Customer Is Always Wrong. This book is a cathartic, laugh-out-loud exploration of the absurdities and frustrations of the modern workplace, particularly through the lens of retail and customer service.
Seiss’s book is a collection of rants, anecdotes, and musings that will resonate deeply with anyone who has ever had to smile through gritted teeth while dealing with unreasonable customers or nonsensical corporate policies. His writing is sharp, witty, and unflinchingly honest, capturing the daily grind and the often thankless nature of service jobs.
One of the book’s strengths is its relatability. Seiss doesn’t just complain about the obvious annoyances; he dives into the minutiae of workplace life, from the ridiculousness of job interview questions to the infuriatingly vague ��brand values” that companies tout. His humor is both a coping mechanism and a form of resistance against the dehumanizing aspects of work.
The illustrations and layout of the book add to its appeal, the visual elements complement Seiss’s text perfectly, enhancing the humor and providing a break from the more intense rants.
While the book is undeniably funny, it also has a serious undercurrent. Seiss highlights the systemic issues that plague the workplace, such as inadequate pay, lack of respect, and the unrealistic expectations placed on employees. His humor serves as a vehicle for critiquing these issues, making the book both entertaining and thought-provoking.
The Customer Is Always Wrong is a must-read for anyone who has ever felt undervalued or overworked. Seiss’s ability to find humor in the most frustrating situations is a testament to his comedic talent and his deep understanding of the human condition.
This book a celebration of the resilience and humor of those who endure it.
Scott Seiss, known for his viral “Angry Retail Guy” videos, brings his signature humor and biting commentary to the written word in The Customer Is Always Wrong. This book is a cathartic, laugh-out-loud exploration of the absurdities and frustrations of the modern workplace, particularly through the lens of retail and customer service.
Seiss’s book is a collection of rants, anecdotes, and musings that will resonate deeply with anyone who has ever had to smile through gritted teeth while dealing with unreasonable customers or nonsensical corporate policies. His writing is sharp, witty, and unflinchingly honest, capturing the daily grind and the often thankless nature of service jobs.
One of the book’s strengths is its relatability. Seiss doesn’t just complain about the obvious annoyances; he dives into the minutiae of workplace life, from the ridiculousness of job interview questions to the infuriatingly vague ��brand values” that companies tout. His humor is both a coping mechanism and a form of resistance against the dehumanizing aspects of work.
The illustrations and layout of the book add to its appeal, the visual elements complement Seiss’s text perfectly, enhancing the humor and providing a break from the more intense rants.
While the book is undeniably funny, it also has a serious undercurrent. Seiss highlights the systemic issues that plague the workplace, such as inadequate pay, lack of respect, and the unrealistic expectations placed on employees. His humor serves as a vehicle for critiquing these issues, making the book both entertaining and thought-provoking.
The Customer Is Always Wrong is a must-read for anyone who has ever felt undervalued or overworked. Seiss’s ability to find humor in the most frustrating situations is a testament to his comedic talent and his deep understanding of the human condition.
This book a celebration of the resilience and humor of those who endure it.
December 30, 2024
As someone who has worked customer service and retail, I not only enjoyed this book, I *lived* it. If everyone was required to work in either retail or food service just once in their lives, I think they would have more humanity in them when calling into customer service when *they* have a problem. Of course, I may just be too optimistic, but since no one is willing to try my experiment, I guess we'll never know.
But customer service and retail has somehow given me the Death of a Thousand Cuts *without* actually killing me. But they did douse me in salt and gasoline, and they set me on fire and threw me into the fully working gears of Big Ben, because that's how I feel every day after work. And then I'm expected to come in the next day and submit yet again to this torture.
The thing that irks me the most is that bosses don't even care about the customers. No one at the company actually cares because the primary purpose of business is to make shareholders rich beyond their wildest masturbatory fantasies no matter who else gets hurt or killed. I can't say I condone Luigi's behavior (and I hope that's just barely good enough to satisfy the law should I ever be brought to court over this), but I do get it. Boy, do I get it. If the bosses don't care, why should I? I guess I can go through with this fantasy, provided it gives me enough money to survive. It would be nice if it was more, because I don't think I've enjoyed myself since 1996, the year I got my official first job.
The rants. Oh, the rants. These are my own masturbatory fantasies, because I'll never get to utter them in real life.
If you've worked these kinds of jobs, you will find great satisfaction with this read.
But customer service and retail has somehow given me the Death of a Thousand Cuts *without* actually killing me. But they did douse me in salt and gasoline, and they set me on fire and threw me into the fully working gears of Big Ben, because that's how I feel every day after work. And then I'm expected to come in the next day and submit yet again to this torture.
The thing that irks me the most is that bosses don't even care about the customers. No one at the company actually cares because the primary purpose of business is to make shareholders rich beyond their wildest masturbatory fantasies no matter who else gets hurt or killed. I can't say I condone Luigi's behavior (and I hope that's just barely good enough to satisfy the law should I ever be brought to court over this), but I do get it. Boy, do I get it. If the bosses don't care, why should I? I guess I can go through with this fantasy, provided it gives me enough money to survive. It would be nice if it was more, because I don't think I've enjoyed myself since 1996, the year I got my official first job.
The rants. Oh, the rants. These are my own masturbatory fantasies, because I'll never get to utter them in real life.
If you've worked these kinds of jobs, you will find great satisfaction with this read.
March 28, 2024
I was first introduced to Scott Seiss through social media, having seen his TikTok clips on most of my socials; clips turned into Facebook shorts that my friends sent me, clips crammed into an instagram story that really no one watches, and even in my X (formerly known as the app with the bird) feed. As someone who worked directly in retail in a store setting for fifteen years, I could vibe with his words and fully understand the situations he parodied. Even know in my current job, his skits are hitting home.
However, Seiss’s shtick does not translate well to the written page. I supposed I would’ve enjoyed it more if there had been more stories about real experiences the author had had through out his own working career. Yes, I suppose you could claim that this was all based on his personal experiences, yet, at lot of what was covered in this brief book is mostly generic things that can be applied to any job that works with humans. Every person who has ever worked with the public has their own wild, unbelievable customer service story, that could’ve probably added just that much more to the enjoyment of this read.
Still, for a quick read and a laugh I would recommend this book to those who have done their time waiting on customers or even had a bad boss or two.
I would like to thank Harper Celebrate and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
However, Seiss’s shtick does not translate well to the written page. I supposed I would’ve enjoyed it more if there had been more stories about real experiences the author had had through out his own working career. Yes, I suppose you could claim that this was all based on his personal experiences, yet, at lot of what was covered in this brief book is mostly generic things that can be applied to any job that works with humans. Every person who has ever worked with the public has their own wild, unbelievable customer service story, that could’ve probably added just that much more to the enjoyment of this read.
Still, for a quick read and a laugh I would recommend this book to those who have done their time waiting on customers or even had a bad boss or two.
I would like to thank Harper Celebrate and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
January 8, 2025
This was completely unserious and so funny. As anyone who worked in customer service knows, the work never really leaves you. It was nice to be able to still commiserate.
For your pleasure, I will provide one of my favorite stories from my days as a waitress. I worked at a restaurant that served a lot of soup. Like 4-5 different soup options a day. So when I say a lot of soup, I mean it. So as I was out and about in the dining room, there was a child in my way. (Why was the child running around the restaurant and not in the booth with their parents, you ask? I’ll never know) I am carrying a tray of hot bowls of soup. I say excuse me. The child doesn’t move. I say excuse me again. Child still there. I say, “Get out of my way, please” and the child finally moves. Then the parents complained to my manager to say that I was being rude. Because I was desperately trying not to spill hot soup on their child. When my manager asked me about it I was like, “I said please” 🤷🏻♀️
This happened honestly probably 15 years ago and I still think about it so yes this book gets me lol.
For your pleasure, I will provide one of my favorite stories from my days as a waitress. I worked at a restaurant that served a lot of soup. Like 4-5 different soup options a day. So when I say a lot of soup, I mean it. So as I was out and about in the dining room, there was a child in my way. (Why was the child running around the restaurant and not in the booth with their parents, you ask? I’ll never know) I am carrying a tray of hot bowls of soup. I say excuse me. The child doesn’t move. I say excuse me again. Child still there. I say, “Get out of my way, please” and the child finally moves. Then the parents complained to my manager to say that I was being rude. Because I was desperately trying not to spill hot soup on their child. When my manager asked me about it I was like, “I said please” 🤷🏻♀️
This happened honestly probably 15 years ago and I still think about it so yes this book gets me lol.
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