8 ridiculous ways Zappos keeps customers and staffers happy

365-day return policy? Directing customers to competitors’ websites? Paying trainees $4,000 to quit? That’s no way to thrive—or is it?

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You think you work for an odd place? Try Zappos, the shoes and accessories company that values staff and customer good will above sales.

Its secret to landing on Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For is putting customers and employees first—even in ways that sound like business suicide.

The Las Vegas-area footwear firm sees itself as a service company that just happens to sell shoes, says Loren Becker, the downtown coordinator and experience and community team manager. So, customer happiness matters more than making the sale.

“We might not have every shoe in every color with every size,” Becker says, “but if we provide fanatical customer service, then those customers will continue to return and purchase from us—or continue to give us chances until we can get all the products that they have.”

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