So you’ve decided to get a job? You filled out your application, turned it in to a manager and set up an interview time? That’s great.

But have you considered everything? The pay rate? The job description? Or their interview process? What types of questions will they ask? Here’s one: How do you define customer service, and why is it important?

Everyone from McDonald’s to Macy’s will ask you that question. Be careful how you word your answer, because it could make or break your interview.

Customer service is the most fulfilling part of any job. Making the customer happy makes any job worthwhile. However, it is also the aspect of a job that sends employees over the edge to resignation.

The customer is always right, huh? Well, to those in the customer service business, that is the law to abide by. However, most know this is wrong.

A customer at a McDonald’s in Rochester, Minn., known by myself and the other employees as “the evil Russian guy,” is a prime example.

He came into McDonald’s and ordered a cup of fresh coffee, because old coffee gives him headaches.

The employee wholeheartedly accepted his request, however instead of making him wait a full three minutes for a brand new pot to brew, she simply switched out a pot that was currently brewing and replaced it with an empty one so he could receive the fresh coffee promptly.

However, the customer was not pleased with her act of kindness. He instead insisted that she had given him old coffee and called her an idiot.

After all the trouble the employee went through to serve this man quickly, he showed no appreciation and, instead, insulted the employee.

Those who’ve worked in customer service know “the customer is always right,” and the only appropriate response is a smile, and “I’m sorry, how can I make this right?”

This is ridiculous. With three years of experience, working in fast food, I have realized the customer is never always right.

The poor employees who have profanity yelled at them and food thrown in their faces show an immaturity among today’s customers. The fact that they feel the need to yell in someone’s face to get something accomplished is mind blowing.

The employee’s job is to please you, and the mistakes made are rarely intentional.

We’ve all been customers at some point, whether purchasing a cheeseburger from Wendy’s or the newest pumps by Jimmy Choo from Saks Fifth Avenue.

Yelling or getting upset is never the solution to any problem. In fact, most often it will make things worse. Also, almost everyone has been in the shoes of an employee at McDonald’s or the sales associate at Sears.

Receiving a complaint is the worst part of your day, especially when they’re extremely upset and they yell in your face.

The first thought that goes through your mind is what to do first. However, the only thing that manages to come into your head is, “I’m sorry.”

You regret the mistake that was made, and you don’t know what you can do to make things better. However, the customer is enraged, yelling, and eventually storms out of the store, claiming he or she will never return. The memory of that moment doesn’t leave your mind. You did the best you could, right?

The point here is that customers are not always right. Just like the employees make mistakes, customers blow things out of proportion. The insulting customer from McDonald’s, who had no reason to yell at the employee, is an example of when the customer isn’t right.

We all make mistakes, and customers need to realize this. Consider holding back your anger and speaking with a mature tone in your voice. This will avoid making a bad situation worse.

This could also help solve the problem more quickly and make everyone’s day better. Your problem will be solved, and the employee will avoid an upsetting memory.

— Justine Hain is a freshman in pre-journalism and mass communication from Rochester, Minn.