This is my first attempt at Tales From The Sales Floor, so please give me all the feedback you can in the comments. Thanks!
If you've worked in sales, you'll know that a wife or husband can either be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Just keep that in mind. It all started when this guy came up to me by the shirt wall. He was a slightly shorter, balding man wearing a baggy dress shirt and a pair of trousers, "I need a new shirt" he said. Not a problem. I measured his neck: 16 1/2" I told him. "No, that can't be right," he muttered, "are you sure it's not bigger?" I paused and looked at him for a second "Trust me, I've been doing this a long time... how about we just give it a try." He reluctantly agreed. We found him a shirt and got him in to the change room. When he came out, he had a look of shock on his face. "Wow! Look how great this fits! Fantastic!" "See, perfect fit" I told him with a sly grin. "I'll take it" he exclaimed before heading back into the change room. He came back out a moment later and we headed to the register. I punched in his information, scanned the shirt and got his credit card. Simple shirt sale right? Well, almost.
His wife came up to us. She had a very cosmopolitan look and an arrogant appearance to her. I could tell before she opened her mouth that she liked to be in charge. He grabbed the shirt to show her, "Look honey, I'm a 16 and a half, would you believe it?" She looked at me with disdain. "He's an 18." She said coldly. I tried to avoid laughing at how ridiculous a statement that was. An 18" neck in that shirt would look like a tablecloth on him. "The 16 and a half fit perfectly." I responded with a smile. "Let's just see about that. Get us an 18." Despite her tone, I enthusiastically grabbed her an 18", eager to prove her wrong. She took it from me and dragged her husband back into the change room. As soon as he changed she went in with him, so I didn't get a chance to see the 18". They both came out a few minutes later, him holding a shirt in his hand. He raised it towards me with the look of a dog who'd been smacked in the nose with a newspaper. "I'll take the 18" he muttered. "Are you sure?" I asked. He paused for a second. "He'll take the 18" his wife said from behind him. He nodded glumly. "I'm sorry but I can't sell you the 18" I said firmly to his wife. It was obvious she was in charge so there was no point explaining that to him. "It doesn't fit him properly and I can't have something that doesn't fit him properly representing my work." She screwed her face up like she was going to spit on me, then marched up to me and grabbed the shirt out of his hands, leaving the change room area. He followed behind, perhaps just relieved that someone had made a decision. Realizing the sale was gone, I just went to cleaning up the garbage from the unpacked shirt. I learned later that they had paid for the shirt in the shoe department.
It wasn't the first time I refused service to someone because they weren't making rational decisions, and it wouldn't be the last time.
Shopping Tip #1: If you're in a reputable store and an experienced sales associate who has measured you tells you what size you are in something, just go with it, even if you feel a little doubtful. It's not in their best interests to lie to you. A lot of guys get a certain size stuck in their head, but sizes are different between manufacturers, and we change size all the time.
Shopping Tip #2: Grow a pair and shop for yourself. Don't let your wife, or your mother tell you what size you should wear, or what clothes look best on you. In my experience the average woman has little or no idea about menswear, but because clothing is considered a feminine domain women are automatically considered experts. Ask yourself "How did I buy clothes before I was in a relationship?" And I pray the answer isn't that your mother bought them.
Thanks for reading! Again, as this is my first attempt, please be critical in what you hated and what you liked about this type of post and let me know in the comments. Thanks!
- Mr. S
If you've worked in sales, you'll know that a wife or husband can either be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Just keep that in mind. It all started when this guy came up to me by the shirt wall. He was a slightly shorter, balding man wearing a baggy dress shirt and a pair of trousers, "I need a new shirt" he said. Not a problem. I measured his neck: 16 1/2" I told him. "No, that can't be right," he muttered, "are you sure it's not bigger?" I paused and looked at him for a second "Trust me, I've been doing this a long time... how about we just give it a try." He reluctantly agreed. We found him a shirt and got him in to the change room. When he came out, he had a look of shock on his face. "Wow! Look how great this fits! Fantastic!" "See, perfect fit" I told him with a sly grin. "I'll take it" he exclaimed before heading back into the change room. He came back out a moment later and we headed to the register. I punched in his information, scanned the shirt and got his credit card. Simple shirt sale right? Well, almost.
His wife came up to us. She had a very cosmopolitan look and an arrogant appearance to her. I could tell before she opened her mouth that she liked to be in charge. He grabbed the shirt to show her, "Look honey, I'm a 16 and a half, would you believe it?" She looked at me with disdain. "He's an 18." She said coldly. I tried to avoid laughing at how ridiculous a statement that was. An 18" neck in that shirt would look like a tablecloth on him. "The 16 and a half fit perfectly." I responded with a smile. "Let's just see about that. Get us an 18." Despite her tone, I enthusiastically grabbed her an 18", eager to prove her wrong. She took it from me and dragged her husband back into the change room. As soon as he changed she went in with him, so I didn't get a chance to see the 18". They both came out a few minutes later, him holding a shirt in his hand. He raised it towards me with the look of a dog who'd been smacked in the nose with a newspaper. "I'll take the 18" he muttered. "Are you sure?" I asked. He paused for a second. "He'll take the 18" his wife said from behind him. He nodded glumly. "I'm sorry but I can't sell you the 18" I said firmly to his wife. It was obvious she was in charge so there was no point explaining that to him. "It doesn't fit him properly and I can't have something that doesn't fit him properly representing my work." She screwed her face up like she was going to spit on me, then marched up to me and grabbed the shirt out of his hands, leaving the change room area. He followed behind, perhaps just relieved that someone had made a decision. Realizing the sale was gone, I just went to cleaning up the garbage from the unpacked shirt. I learned later that they had paid for the shirt in the shoe department.
It wasn't the first time I refused service to someone because they weren't making rational decisions, and it wouldn't be the last time.
Shopping Tip #1: If you're in a reputable store and an experienced sales associate who has measured you tells you what size you are in something, just go with it, even if you feel a little doubtful. It's not in their best interests to lie to you. A lot of guys get a certain size stuck in their head, but sizes are different between manufacturers, and we change size all the time.
Shopping Tip #2: Grow a pair and shop for yourself. Don't let your wife, or your mother tell you what size you should wear, or what clothes look best on you. In my experience the average woman has little or no idea about menswear, but because clothing is considered a feminine domain women are automatically considered experts. Ask yourself "How did I buy clothes before I was in a relationship?" And I pray the answer isn't that your mother bought them.
Thanks for reading! Again, as this is my first attempt, please be critical in what you hated and what you liked about this type of post and let me know in the comments. Thanks!
- Mr. S
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