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

Big A

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I know this is off topic, but if someone with a little juice could get the description under my screen name changed to "alterationist" I'd be mighty grateful.
 

SuitMyself

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Originally Posted by bananananana

Couldn't it be that they don't want to listen to you? Either because they don't really care or they don't want to feel obligated to buying something because they spent your time. And given that your first two stories were about customers who did take a lot time and didn't buy anything, it seems like you do have a problem with that.


You obviously haven't worked in menswear.

If you should ever give it a go, try it for a while and then get back to everyone here on SF. You wouldn't stay Little Miss Sunshine (or Little Mister Sunshine) for too long, that's for sure.
 

SuitMyself

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Originally Posted by SuitMyself

This is my open question to all those who think I was insensitive to Lennie Small about his Value Village sport jacket: What would you have done? What would you have said to him?



Isn't it funny that no one has stepped up to the plate and answered this question?

It's not easy, is it?
 

literasyme

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Originally Posted by SuitMyself
This is my open question to all those who think I was insensitive to Lennie Small about his Value Village sport jacket: What would you have done? What would you have said to him?

I did answer your question earlier:

You're confusing two things. What you told that guy, the tone you used, the advice you gave him, whatever -- that's one thing, and since I wasn't there, I can't judge it. I don't work in retail: I have no idea what I would have said or done.
What I find gross is not whatever happened in your interaction with that guy. It is, to quote myself, this:

But you are bragging about it HERE in telling the story in the way you chose to tell it. ...

To be clear: plenty of your anecdotes are hilarious. But you clearly don't see a difference in making fun of shysters or self-righteous ***** and in making fun of economically or mentally challenged people who're trying to dress well, even if they fail utterly and are useless at communicating their desires (and/or can't understand the advice they're given). I see that difference, I think it's an important one, and I do think it's a question of class, tact, or whatever tag you want to put on it whether that distinction matters to one or not.
Your inability to distinguish between stupid idiots (like the shirt button guy -- Jesus!) and poor, perhaps mentally challenged or otherwise intellectually insufficiently equipped people who aren't otherwise offensive is what I find objectionable.
 

JamesX

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Originally Posted by SuitMyself
Isn't it funny that no one has stepped up to the plate and answered this question?

It's not easy, is it?


I didn't answer because I figured it was obvious.

I would have told him it was too small and sent him on his marry way.

The problem I pointed out before wasn't that he was ill treated. The problem is with your attitude regarding him.

The previous stories the people are being rude or condescending or simply dense. Which your opinion of them are funny because they deserved it.

In the last story, the man actually did listen to you. He didn't act huffy and puffy. He didn't call you funny names. He didn't even waste your time.

You told him the suit is not going to fit him and he need to get a new one. He said "I'll think about it" and left (probably because he didn't have the money to spent to buy one).

Which I think is actually your best experience among the ones you shared in this thread.

And at the end you labeled him as Stupid Idiot, anyways. Why was he an idiot? Because he doesn't realize what a basic suit fit is? That is just a matter of education. Did he insist on the suit is fine regardless of you telling him? At least in the story he seems to took your advice and didn't insist on himself being right. So he learned something. To label that person as a Stupid Idiot is like calling someone who doesn't know which fork is the shrimp fork "Stupid Idiot." It is unbecoming.
 

pudman43

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SuitMyself, while I myself might choose not to end my posts with "Stupid Idiot" and such (which is no doubt what has got everyone all wound up), KEEP THE STORIES COMING!! Your posts have been hilarious and for sheer entertainment value this is the best thread I've read in ages!!

cheers
 

voxsartoria

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Originally Posted by literasyme

Your inability to distinguish between stupid idiots (like the shirt button guy -- Jesus!) and poor, perhaps mentally challenged or otherwise intellectually insufficiently equipped people who aren't otherwise offensive is what I find objectionable.


Thank you for sticking up for me and others like me.


- B
 

SuitMyself

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Originally Posted by literasyme

Your inability to distinguish between stupid idiots (like the shirt button guy -- Jesus!) and poor, perhaps mentally challenged or otherwise intellectually insufficiently equipped people who aren't otherwise offensive is what I find objectionable.



I never said the Value Village jacket guy was "mentally challenged or otherwise intellectually insufficiently equipped". You said that, I didn't.

For the record, you still haven't answered my question directly. You still haven't given a play-by-play of how you would have handled it. Put yourself in my shoes and think about it hypothetically.
 

SuitMyself

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Originally Posted by literasyme

Much as I enjoy this thread, it makes some of you retail workers sound as rude as the customers you describe... Isn't it part of your job to put up with fools (like the pinstripe suit woman)?


No, my job does not involve putting up with fools and stupid idiots. My job involves educating and informing and advising customers who are actually able, willing, and capable of listening, learning, and accepting.
 

voxsartoria

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Originally Posted by SuitMyself
No, my job does not involve putting up with fools and stupid idiots. My job involves educating and informing and advising customers who are actually able, willing, and capable of listening, learning, and accepting.

This is my approach to teh StyleForvm.


- B
 

bananananana

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Originally Posted by SuitMyself
You obviously haven't worked in menswear.

If you should ever give it a go, try it for a while and then get back to everyone here on SF. You wouldn't stay Little Miss Sunshine (or Little Mister Sunshine) for too long, that's for sure.


Then why do you keep doing it if it's making you so grumpy about it? Are you seriously going to imply that working in menswear is so goddamn ******* stressful in the spectrum of possible occupations and that other jobs don't involve working with stupid clients? If anything, at least you have the option of always walking away from a dumb customer. A lot of people, including myself, don't really have that option.
 

RSS

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Have not been in sales per se ... architect here. But as for clients ... there was one I don't mind dishing.

We almost didn't accept this particular couple as clients ... as they weren't up to our usual standard ... but for some reason we took them on. The project turned out nicely ... and while we were paid in full, the client ultimately withheld almost $350K from the builder. When I inquired why I was told, "I can pay the builder or buy new furniture, and I'm buying furniture." When later I testified to this in court ... the client screamed-out, "I should sue you." After calling for order, the judge retorted, "You can't sue your architect for telling the truth. Now shut up."
 

SuitMyself

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14.) A mid 20s/late 20s woman came in carrying two suits in their repsective garment bags. She showed me the pants' hems on both pairs and told me that her husband bought these to wear to a family wedding in Lebanon.

I had a look at the pants. The hems looked like they were done VERY SHODDILY by hand (the stitching was coming undone) and the hems were covered in dirt and dust and the back of the hems were torn as if they were too long and had been dragging against the pavement.

"My husband has spent thousands and thousands of dollars here at your store and this is the first time we've ever had this problem!"

I asked her what exactly the problem was since it was quite obvious it was not our tailor who did such a shoddy job hemming the pants.

"Look at the pants! The stitching is coming undone! But that's not what really pisses me off! Look at this! It's torn at the back! The salesman told me that wool is a good quality fabric and wouldn't tear but LOOK AT THIS! IT'S TORN!!!!"

Jesus Christ.

"When did you buy these? Do you have the receipt with you?"

"We bought these to wear to a weddinig back home in Lebanon."

"Do you have the receipt with you?"

"NO!"

What could I do?

She commenced screaming and shouting again. Thank God there was no one else in the store at the moment. "I felt so ******* embarrassed when my husband put on these suits! The pants were far too long when he tried them on in the hotel room and he couldn't even wear these suits to the wedding! Our whole vacation was ruined! The wedding was ruined! Your tailor ruined the suits and ruined our vacation and the wedding! I felt so embarrassed!!"

"You say your husband didn't or couldn't wear the suits?"

"That's what I just said!"

I looked again at the hems on both pairs of pants.

"Madam, the hems are covered in dirt and dust. Clearly, your husband did wear these pants."

"NO, HE DIDN'T!"

"Can you explain to me how the hems are covered in dirt and dust if he never wore them and never left his hotel room with them on?"

No answer.

"Furthermore," I continued, "Our tailor doesn't do such shoddy quality work as this. These hems were stitched by hand by someone who doesn't know how to sew. You had someone else hem the pants. Our tailor didn't do the hemming for you. Also, your husband wore the pants. I'm sorry they did not fit. The best I can do for you is to have our tailor shorten the length of both pants for you--because it's quite obvious the length is far too long for him--but I will have to ask you to have these drycleaned first before we can do that."

"WHAT?! I WANT TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER!"

I called out the manager. He came out along with another associate. This associate, as it turned out, was the one who sold these suits to the lady. He recognized her instantly.

Long story made short (as told to me by this associate later that day) . . . the lady bought the suits for her husband without him in the store and she took her best guess as to his right size. She failed in that department. The associate later told me that the wife took the suits home as they were when she bought them and she had told him that she will have a tailor back home (in Lebanon) hem the pants.

But, of course, that wasn't the story she told me when she came in to ***** at me. According to her story to me, it was OUR tailor who hemmed the pants two inches too long for her husband.

The manager also recognized her. Basicaly, he told her, RIGHT THERE ON THE SPOT, never to come back to our store. Why? Previously, she had bought two suits on deep discount (final sale) and, eight months later, wanted to return them without the receipt. The manager decided to do the right thing and gave her an exchange just to keep her happy. Now, today, she wanted to exchange these two dust and dirt encrusted worn suits for two brand new ones.

The manager threw her out. We never saw her or her husband ever again.
 

Sanguis Mortuum

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Originally Posted by SuitMyself
12.) Even to this day, I still can't figure out why it's so difficult for people to remember the word tailor.

"Do you have a seamstress here to do hemming?"
"Do you have a sewing person here?"
"Do you have an alterationist?"
"Do you have a hemming person?"
"Do you have a pants hemmerer?"
"Do you have an alteracationist?"
"Do you have an altercationer?"
"Do you have an altercation person or altercation service?"
Stupid schmucks.


Actually in most cases 'seamstress' is perfectly correct, and is the more common term for some who just does general sewing and alterations as opposed to tailoring (providing they're female, of course).
 

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