Ok, my theory about sucky customers has always been that underneath it all, in spite of the fact that they're face to face with a real person, sucky customers feel that it's the "big company" they're dealing with, not a person, so therefore, general rules on interactions with others don't apply. Everything revolves around them, and they can be as much of a pain in the a** as they want, cause they're a person vs. a "big company". Don't read signs and still want to know the info? No problem, it's "big company"'s responsibility to make sure you know what you should know. Want it in a two pack instead of a three pack? Why should you have to take it the way "big company" wants it, it should all be your way.
This was reinforced by most of my dealings as individuals - for the past year or so I've been slowly de-cluttering/downsizing/simplifying my life, selling off this and that on Craig's List. I've also bought a couple of batches of things where I wanted some of it, and sold off what I didn't want to finance what I kept. No where near a business, just a dozen or so ads per month. For the most part, people are very nice, which backs up my theory above.
But today, I think my theory is shattered - or at least proved to have exceptions. OK, she wasn't exactly sucky - but she sure had the SC attitude, even though she could in no way feel it was her against a "big company".
I had, earlier in the year, done a clear-out of my fabric stash ( all you quilters know what I mean) and had about 40 yards of odd pieces left. I put up an ad on Craigs List saying that was the last batch, I wanted it out the door, so I was offering it for $xx , which came to only $x per yard, to get it ALL out. I even put a note on the ad, stating please note, the ridiculously low price per yard ONLY applied to anyone buying the batch. I said in several places in the ad I wanted to sell as a batch.
So a woman emails me, she's interested. We email back and forth, and set up a day and time. On one email I specifically state, just want to make sure you are aware, I'm selling this as a batch, NOT individual pieces. She responds with another email, doesn't confirm this, but still wants to come by. She read the rest of the email, she had to have seen the note.
So today she comes by, I get out the fabric, she starts picking out "I want this piece, and this......". I very politely tell her, as per the ad, I'm selling it as a batch. I even mention that I put that on her email the previous night to be sure she realized it. I got no comments (or denials), just annoyed looks. I even was nice enough to offer to sell it piece by piece, but at a higher price (almost double, but still extremely cheap for qult shop quality fabric).
She has the nerve to ask if I can take a credit card Does my living room look remotely like a shop? Had I not been talking about how I had been doing my spring clean the past year via Craigs List? Do I sound like a shopkeeper?
Eventually, she decided to take all the fabric "well, I do like a lot of it, some I don't, guess it's be worth it" (Lady, take it or leave it, the guilt chip aint gonna work when you're getting it for about 1/10th the price of a quilt shop). And luckily her friend just happened to have a bill of exactly the right amount.
My first reaction was that if you can't read an ad or an email, you shouldn't be shopping on Craigs List. But since on the emails she read the address and directions just fine, but not the note about selling as a batch, I think now she felt that since I was "only" an individual and not a "big company" she could waltz in, walk all over me, and take what she wanted for the price she wanted in spite of what I posted, and I'd be so grateful to sell it I wouldn't protest.
Guess I need a new theory, so much for trying to rationalize that SC's aren't after us on an individual level
This was reinforced by most of my dealings as individuals - for the past year or so I've been slowly de-cluttering/downsizing/simplifying my life, selling off this and that on Craig's List. I've also bought a couple of batches of things where I wanted some of it, and sold off what I didn't want to finance what I kept. No where near a business, just a dozen or so ads per month. For the most part, people are very nice, which backs up my theory above.
But today, I think my theory is shattered - or at least proved to have exceptions. OK, she wasn't exactly sucky - but she sure had the SC attitude, even though she could in no way feel it was her against a "big company".
I had, earlier in the year, done a clear-out of my fabric stash ( all you quilters know what I mean) and had about 40 yards of odd pieces left. I put up an ad on Craigs List saying that was the last batch, I wanted it out the door, so I was offering it for $xx , which came to only $x per yard, to get it ALL out. I even put a note on the ad, stating please note, the ridiculously low price per yard ONLY applied to anyone buying the batch. I said in several places in the ad I wanted to sell as a batch.
So a woman emails me, she's interested. We email back and forth, and set up a day and time. On one email I specifically state, just want to make sure you are aware, I'm selling this as a batch, NOT individual pieces. She responds with another email, doesn't confirm this, but still wants to come by. She read the rest of the email, she had to have seen the note.
So today she comes by, I get out the fabric, she starts picking out "I want this piece, and this......". I very politely tell her, as per the ad, I'm selling it as a batch. I even mention that I put that on her email the previous night to be sure she realized it. I got no comments (or denials), just annoyed looks. I even was nice enough to offer to sell it piece by piece, but at a higher price (almost double, but still extremely cheap for qult shop quality fabric).
She has the nerve to ask if I can take a credit card Does my living room look remotely like a shop? Had I not been talking about how I had been doing my spring clean the past year via Craigs List? Do I sound like a shopkeeper?
Eventually, she decided to take all the fabric "well, I do like a lot of it, some I don't, guess it's be worth it" (Lady, take it or leave it, the guilt chip aint gonna work when you're getting it for about 1/10th the price of a quilt shop). And luckily her friend just happened to have a bill of exactly the right amount.
My first reaction was that if you can't read an ad or an email, you shouldn't be shopping on Craigs List. But since on the emails she read the address and directions just fine, but not the note about selling as a batch, I think now she felt that since I was "only" an individual and not a "big company" she could waltz in, walk all over me, and take what she wanted for the price she wanted in spite of what I posted, and I'd be so grateful to sell it I wouldn't protest.
Guess I need a new theory, so much for trying to rationalize that SC's aren't after us on an individual level
Comment