(When clothing comes out of the packaging, we steam it to remove the wrinkles before we put it on the sales floor. A customer picks up a shirt that I have just finished steaming.)

Customer: “Excuse me, do you know what this stain is? Will it come out in the wash?”

Me: “It’s water, from the steamer. Just give it a few minutes to dry, and the stain will be gone.”

Customer: “I don’t have a few minutes. If I take it home and wash it, can I return it if the stain doesn’t come out?”

Me: “No ma’am. Once the article has been washed we can no longer return it. It’s just water, I can assure you.”

Customer: “Well, then can you wash it here?”

(I go and soak it in the sink in our stock room, and hand the sopping wet shirt to the client.)

Customer: “I asked you to wash it! Instead you just made the stain bigger!”