Marshall Field

Marshall Field built Chicago’s dominant department store and is the figure named in the earliest (1905) printed appearances of “the customer is always right.” He championed liberal returns and customer service at a time when caveat emptor ruled retail. Quote Investigator credits him with popularizing — and possibly crafting — the slogan, while cautioning that the true origin is uncertain and that he may have adopted it from another retailer or an employee such as Selfridge.