Customer: “My fabric is cut unevenly!”

I check it and she’s right. Then, I look at the sales receipt and find that she’s bought it as a “remnant”, which is the last piece of fabric on a bolt. That end piece has been cut by the factory and remnants are sold “as is” because they are deeply discounted (to like a dollar). I explain this to the customer, but I also say:

Me: “I have another bolt of the fabric. I can exchange the remnant for a fresh-cut piece?”

Customer: “What is this bait and switch? Are you trying to cover up your fraud?! And what about the cost of the gas I used to bring me back to the store?!”

Customers are lining up. I reach into my purse and hand the customer a dollar.

Me: “Here’s the refund, ma’am.”

The customers in line laughed. With the fact that she was making all this fuss over a dollar suddenly made public, she silently grabbed the dollar and slunk away.

My six-year-old loves when I make clothes for him, so I take him to the fabric store and let him pick out some fabrics. We end up with five bolts in the cart’s basket alongside him, and he’s giggling as he clutches onto the bolts and tells me what he wants me to make, namely button-down shirts.

I have a set budget for crafting and sewing supplies, so I inform my son he’ll have to pick three of the five fabrics or something different for me to make. He decides which fabrics to keep, and I put the other two back on the shelf. As I replace the last one, another customer approaches me.

Customer: “Where is the cotton canvas fabric?”

Me: *Pointing* “In the far right corner of the store, against the wall. It’s on sale for 30% off right now.”

Customer: “Thank you.”

At this point, the other customer turns to walk away but notices my son, who has been staring at him the whole time.

Son: *To me* “Why did he ask you where the fabric was?”

Me: “He thinks I work here.”

Customer: *Red-faced* “Yes, I did think you worked here because you’re putting away fabric.”

Son: “Mama put it back because I didn’t want it. You put things back where they belong if you don’t want them!”

Customer: *Muttering as he walks away* “Thanks again.”

For the record, I only knew where the cotton canvas was located because I had recently purchased some to make my son a coat.

My husband and I are both shy, non-confrontational people. A fabric and crafts store is having a good sale, and we’ve gone there to do some shopping and get some fabric. As we go along, we put the bolts that we’re going to get cut in our cart. The cutting table is in the middle of the store, and browsing the fabric racks takes us right past it where a fellow customer has been standing and chatting with the employee. She spots us and speaks up very loudly.

Customer: “You need to take a ticket to get fabric cut.”

Husband: “We’re still looking.”

Customer: “You need to get a ticket! You can’t get your fabric cut without a ticket!”

Me: “We’re not ready; we’re still looking around!”

I gesture around the store. She seems to think for a moment.

Customer: “Get a ticket! They’re right there!”

At this point, my husband and I realize she’s not going to get it and will keep yelling at us, and we both bolt, walking briskly in different directions away from the fabric counter. I’m safe, but my husband makes it to the end of an aisle with the cart and…

The woman appears around the end of the aisle where she has run to cut him off so she can yell at the top of her lungs.

Customer: “YOU DIDN’T GET A TICKET!”

Husband: “ARGH!”

He yelled in surprise, pushing past her and walking much faster to the other end of the store away from the cutting table.

Thankfully, at that point, the woman gave up on chasing either of us. We stayed over in the craft section until she finally left before we finished our fabric shopping, and then, yes, we got our ticket and waited our turn to get fabric cut.

I can’t tell you how often I’ve had this conversation with a customer at my fabric store.

Customer: “Do you think this fabric will go with my decor?”

Me: “Um, honestly, I have no idea, ma’am.”

Customer: “Well, this is terrible customer service. Why won’t you answer me? Afraid to have an opinion?”

Me: “No, ma’am, it’s just that I’ve never seen your house, so I have no idea what will go with your decor.”

The customer usually gets angry, flustered, or both, and flounces off. No one told me when I got the job that being psychic was a job requirement.

Related:
This Job May Require Telepathy, Part 5
This Job May Require Telepathy, Part 4
This Job May Require Telepathy, Part 3
This Job May Require Telepathy, Part 2
This Job May Require Telepathy

I work in a store where we sell handmade items from Africa — furniture, decorative items, porcelain, lamps, etc. The owners themselves go to Africa to buy products for the store and see the working conditions and such. It is very poor where they buy from, and they have happily seen how they and others with similar initiatives have been able to create more work for people.

I repeatedly have people complain that the prices are too expensive, and I have to explain that the products are handmade and shipped from southern Africa and that both the store and those making the products need to make a living. Some people want to get extra good prices if they buy two plates, for example, to which I know the answer is no. If they are to make a really big order, we can ask the owners, but that is significantly more than a few plates.

However, sometimes there comes a customer who complains that the prices are too low, that we can’t possibly pay them enough in Africa, and that we are using them, to which I have to explain that the owners themselves go down to see that everything is handled properly and that I have been along for one of those trips myself. It is true they are not paid as much as people are here, but it is a good salary for where they live and they are very happy being able to get a job.

Having these discussions over and over can make the head spin, especially as I try to make it so the customers are all feeling heard and try to take their opinions as valid points, even though I’ve heard them a hundred times over.

At one time, we had these handmade baskets that were made by women who were able to make them while caring for their families at home, which is important in their culture. It gave them the opportunity to get a salary while caring for their children. Together with that, we had a few pictures the owners had taken when visiting them. In a few cases, the children of these women also helped, wanting to do what their moms were doing. This, of course, caused a customer to accuse us of using child labor.

Customer #1: “This is horrible! It is child labor! I will never shop here again!”

Me: “I’m sorry to hear that. It is actually the women who do the work, but sometimes their children want to help, too. The owners visited them themselves and saw no signs of the children being forced to do it.”

Customer #1: “And these prices, they are far too low. Are you even paying them enough?”

I am just about to get into that when another customer interrupts us, showing me a bowl.

Customer #2: “This is really too expensive for a bowl. How can you take such high prices for this?”

Customer #1: “What? No, that is way too low a price. Don’t you care for the people making these things? It should cost a lot more!”

Customer #2: “Are you kidding me? No one can afford this!”

I tried to interrupt, but at this point, they were ignoring me, and since they were still keeping a civil tone, I actually let them have their discussion, excusing myself as customers were waiting to pay for their purchases. They continued for a while before they broke off. I thought for sure they would both leave, but they actually both made purchases in the end.

It was a very weird, yet satisfying day for me.