---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Retail is selling things that don't come…"
description: "\"Retail is selling things that don't come back to customers who do.\" — Tony Farmer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/tony-farmer-283968_business_retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come_470148.png"
---

#  Retail is selling things that don't come back to customers…

![“Retail is selling things that don't come back to customers who do.” quote by Tony Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/tony-farmer-283968_business_retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come_470148.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/tony-farmer-283968_business_retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come_470148.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/tony-farmer-283968_business_retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come_470148.png)

> “Retail is selling things that don't come back to customers who do.”

Tony Farmer

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Retail focuses on selling products that never return to the customer, emphasizing profit over lasting value.

**In simple terms:** Retail sells items that don’t come back.

Key Takeaway

Consider value beyond immediate profit.

Themes

Business Retail Customer value

Mood

analytical critical

Type

business:1 customers:1 inspirational:0 retail:1 selling:1 selling things:1 come customers:1 retail selling:1

When to use this quote

- Business strategy
- Customer loyalty
- Product design

Key Concepts

Consumerism Profit motive Sustainability

Questions to Reflect On

- How can retailers add lasting value?
- What role does customer retention play?

A Different Perspective

Short-term profit can damage brand trust.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Retail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retail/) [Selling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling/) [Selling things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling-things/)

## Related quotes

> [“Orders come from customers, not from leaders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-rachelle/orders-come-from-customers-not-from-leaders/)

[Joyce Rachelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-rachelle/)

> [“They could see the economic attractiveness of being able to strip out the burgeoning brand-related costs from manufacturer brands and make a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-thain/they-could-see-the-economic-attractiveness-of-being-able-to-strip-out/)

[Greg Thain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-thain/)

> [By selling directly to customers, real women, the brand is able to avoid significant retail mark-ups that typically exist in high end fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lafleur/by-selling-directly-to-customers-real-women-the-brand-is-able-to/)

[Sarah Lafleur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lafleur/)

> [The point to remember about selling things is that, as well as creating atmosphere and excitement around your products, you've got to know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-wilde/the-point-to-remember-about-selling-things-is-that-as-well-as/)

[Stuart Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-wilde/)

> [I wish we didn't live in a world where buying and selling things seems to have become almost more important than either producing or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-wish-we-didn-t-live-in-a-world-where-buying-and-selling-things/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [I have too much product, and I'm trying to rein it in and sell more of my main collection. I wish you didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-have-too-much-product-and-i-m-trying-to-rein-it-in-and-sell-more-of/)

[Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/)

> [Customers don't always know what they want. The decline in coffee-drinking was due to the fact that most of the coffee people bought was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/customers-don-t-always-know-what-they-want-the-decline-in-coffee/)

[Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/)

> [Basically we get confused a bit about what retail is. It is really just buying things, putting them on a floor and selling them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-harvey/basically-we-get-confused-a-bit-about-what-retail-is-it-is-really/)

[Gerry Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-harvey/)

> [JPMorgan Chase are among the most successful global investment banks, most successful global asset managers, and, in the United States, one of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/jpmorgan-chase-are-among-the-most-successful-global-investment-banks/)

[Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/)

> [While there have been many potential scenarios discussed, today we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hryb/while-there-have-been-many-potential-scenarios-discussed-today-we/)

[Larry Hryb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hryb/)

> [I have a Mercedes. I wear a Rolex watch. I have no problem with the selling of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juergen-teller/i-have-a-mercedes-i-wear-a-rolex-watch-i-have-no-problem-with-the/)

[Juergen Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juergen-teller/)

> [“Caris noted his ready smile and affable manner, and guessed that he made his living by selling things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/caris-noted-his-ready-smile-and-affable-manner-and-guessed-that-he/)

[Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/)

> [I've been very successful at selling my things, but I've also been getting up at 4 in the morning for 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-cannell/i-ve-been-very-successful-at-selling-my-things-but-i-ve-also-been/)

[Stephen J. Cannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-cannell/)

> [I have a lot of problem selling things to our fans. But video and radio is a way to get to fans who wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-popper/i-have-a-lot-of-problem-selling-things-to-our-fans-but-video-and/)

[John Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-popper/)

> [The Tube is a vehicle for selling things, not for exploring ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-donahue/the-tube-is-a-vehicle-for-selling-things-not-for-exploring-ideas/)

[Phil Donahue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-donahue/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Retail is selling things that don't come back to customers who do.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tony Farmer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-farmer/retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come-back-to-customers-who-do/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-farmer/retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come-back-to-customers-who-do/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/tony-farmer-283968_business_retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come_470148.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/tony-farmer-283968_business_retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come_470148.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/035/tony-farmer-283968_business_retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come_470148.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Retail is selling things that don't come back to customers who do.” — Tony Farmer",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Tony Farmer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-farmer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Retail is selling things that don't...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-farmer/retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come-back-to-customers-who-do/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-farmer/retail-is-selling-things-that-don-t-come-back-to-customers-who-do/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
