What it's all about

On Mon, 04 Apr 2005 15:12:58 GMT, Jose
wrote in ::

You pay for a service, you are in deed a customer.

Would you say the same for a doctor's patients, a teacher's students, an
agent's clients? The word "customer" implies a different kind of
pecuniary relationship than the other words, and that includes "guest"
when applied to a hotel.

While all customers may be guests, not all guests are customers:


Here's what Merriam-Webster has to say about it:

Main Entry:customer
Pronunciation:*k*s-t*-m*r
Function:noun
Etymology:Middle English custumer, from custume
Date:15th century

1 : one that purchases a commodity or service
2 : an individual usually having some specified distinctive trait
a real tough customer


Main Entry: guest
Pronunciation: *gest
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English gest, from Old Norse gestr; akin to Old
English giest guest, stranger, Latin hostis stranger, enemy
Date:13th century

1 a : a person entertained in one's house b : a person to whom
hospitality is extended c : a person who pays for the
services of an establishment (as a hotel or restaurant)
2 : an organism (as an insect) sharing the dwelling of another;
especially : INQUILINE
3 : a substance that is incorporated in a host substance
4 : a usually prominent person not a regular member of a cast or
organization who appears in a program or performance