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Who were some of your worst, rudest, and/or most ignorant customers?

SuitMyself

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There's been many threads on SF about rude or ignorant sales associates--so I thought, Well, why not turn the tables around and hear from the other side?

This thread is for those who work (or have worked) as clothing sales associates. Share with us your stories of your worst customers, your rudest customers, your most ignorant customers.

Don't hold anything back!
 

SpooPoker

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Someone sent me a PM and said "ill take it" and never paid. I was like "oh. mah. gawd"
ffffuuuu.gif
 

Master-Classter

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I once had a customer, a woman (I work in mens and she was over on our side of the changerooms for some reason) who must have tried on 30+ items, heeing and hawing at the mirror, in and out of the changeroom, getting me to run back and forth getting her various sizes, colors, etc and after about at least an hour she didn't buy a SINGLE thing. I was left holding a pile of clothes to be refolded and put away while trying to manage a bunch of other customers over the Saturday.

I know "that's your job" and all, but sheet. and my problem wasn't even the commission or anything, it was just the fact that she really went out of her way to try on anything and everything and then literally just shrugged and left.
 

GradSchooler

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My own worst experience was similar. Guy tried on 8 of the SAME sweater, then left them all in a pile inside the changeroom and left.

Worst story I've ever heard is from an SA I met yesterday. He claimed to have had a family of 7 come in on boxing day, try on 86 pairs of shoes and then leave without buying a single thing.
 

tim_horton

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I have an associate from college who makes a point of never saying "Excuse me" or "Thank you" to a SA. When I asked her why, she says she does it back home in Ohio, but not here in New York City, because that's the norm here. When I protested, she said I just didn't understand New York. I was born here, not that it matters - good manners should be fairly universal... Aggravating conversation, and it's embarrassing to be with her when she barrels into an SA (or museum worker, etc.) demanding things.
 

GradSchooler

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your friend sounds like a real charmer
 

SpooPoker

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Who was it that posted the story of the guy trying on pants and *********** in them and left them in the fitting room? It was like 3 months ago, cant find it now, but I would say that wins.
 

OttoSkadelig

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Originally Posted by SpooPoker
Who was it that posted the story of the guy trying on pants and *********** in them and left them in the fitting room? It was like 3 months ago, cant find it now, but I would say that wins.

what a scatterbrain.
 

uhurit

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Not related to clothing...back in the days I peddled BMW's @ in a Southern dealership. Saturdays are the busiest. A typical customer on Saturday: an overweight schlub in closed toe sandals with socks with a brood of screaming kids/ neurotic wife who'd want to drive every model available, and yet just doing research and still a year away...
 

landshark

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Worst customer I've ever had asked to look at men's sale denim. After flipping through the rack he walked across the store and said thanks. He then stole over $5000 worth of merchandise & kicked our door open and jumped into a passing truck.
 

SuitMyself

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1.) A guy came in 45 minutes before closing time and wanted to buy some khakis. He told my colleague what he needed and my colleague gave him two pairs in his size. Minutes passed. It was now closing time. He was still trying on more pairs. The guy went back and forth between the shelves and the fitting room for a total of two and a half hours AFTER closing time. At the end, he decided not to buy anything and he left. During all that time, he tried and retried and RETRIED every pair of khakis in the store in his size COUNTLESS times before deciding he didn’t want to “commit” to any of them.

2.) A wife literally dragged her husband in to buy a new suit for an upcoming wedding. She said to me, “This man needs a new suit. He HAS to get a new suit for so-and-so’s wedding. Dress him up.” The husband didn’t want a new suit and she said he must buy a new one because his current suit wasn’t so current anymore. He succumbed and I brought out a few suits for him to consider along with some shirts and ties, etc. He still wasn’t keen on the idea of having to buy a new suit but his wife INSISTED that he does. After approximately 45 minutes, he finally decided on one that he liked—along with a new shirt and new tie and all other accessories—and he said to me, “I like THIS one. I’ll take all this. Wrap it up.” His wife then said, “Well, honey, you can’t buy from the first store we go to. We should shop around some more.” She then grabbed him by the arm and they both left. I never saw them again.

3.) A couple in their 50s came into the store one day and the husband’s arms were loaded with two mountains of clothing: sportcoats, dress pants, shirts, ties, suits (they’ve all been worn and were quite old). He told me that his son just recently switched jobs (no longer working a desk job and was now working in construction) and didn’t need all his business clothes anymore and he asked me to give him a refund on behalf of his son. I looked at the mountain of worn clothing and told him how on earth could I possibly give him a refund for used clothing? He said he didn’t understood what I meant. I told him to leave. He left and I never saw the ****** again.

4.) A young guy in his early 20s walked into the store one day and walked right up to a mannequin dressed in a double-breasted black suit (a suit, NOT A TUXEDO). He said to me, “I need a new tuxedo. I like wearing Italish tuxedos. I have to wear a tuxedo everyday. I work in a hotel and I like this Italish tuxedo you have here. I really like it. It’s very Italish. I need to buy a new tuxedo because I work in a hotel and I have to wear Italish tuxedos to work everyday.” He then turned around and left. I never saw him again.

5.) An early 40s man and his wife were wandering around the store and he was trying on various suit jackets on and it was obvious, even to a blind man, this guy didn’t have the first clue as to what he was doing. He was about a size 40R and he was trying on various jackets that weren’t even remotely close to fitting him. I walked up to him as he was trying on a 42T. I said to him that that size would be too long for him. He said he had monkey arms and he needed the longer arm length. I told him jacket sleeves could be lengthened and that jacket torso length was more important than jacket sleeve length. He gave me the Look Of Death and said very curtly, “Thank you.” I was momentarily taken back by this and quietly suggested he try on a 40R. His wife didn’t even look at me the entire time and she, with her back turned to me the entire time, took a 40R off the hanger and gave it to her husband to try on. He flexed his arms and said, “Too tight.” I told him, very reassuringly, that that is the correct size for him, even indicating with my own arms flexed, how the shoulders should fit and look. I then showed him how much extra fabric he had around the girth and that we would have to taper the jacket. I would guess his waist size to be approximately 33” or 34”. The 40R jacket’s girth was HUGE on him. Again, he gave me the Look Of Death and said again, very curtly, “Thank you.” I looked him straight in the eye for half a nanosecond, turned on my heels and walked away from the ******. No ******* sale is worth this sort of ******* bullshit rude ignorance from this stupid redneck hillbilly asshole.


( . . . more to come as I try to remember more incidents . . . . )
 

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