Realistic, practical, and compelling anecdotal solutions are offered here for countering belligerent, abusive, and condescending customers. This book captures the essence of the skills required for helping retailers deal with problem customers and improve employee efficiency. A six-pronged approach known as LESTER is detailed, which involves listening to customers, echoing the issue, sympathizing with the customer’s emotional state, thanking the customer, evaluating one’s opinion, and responding with a win-win solution. Retailers come away with tested strategies for turning nightmare customers into friends.