Rudeness

A friend of my youngest daughter, Madison, said something today that really brought back a strong memory but sort of in reverse.  This young girl who is very intelligent, and works in a trendy clothing shop as she goes to university, stated that a customer in the shop whistled and click their fingers at her to open a change room for them. She felt they were rude and rightfully so. People of all sizes and ages can be incredibly rude.  But this brought back a huge memory of a time when a good girlfriend and I had a similar experience while out shopping one day.  Sort of in reverse though.

We were probably about 15-16, and were doing some shopping in the city area of our mid-western town which was based alongside the Mississippi river as it wound its way down the countryside.  We had money in our pockets, and were seriously on a mission to make a purchase, but just wanted to spend our time looking at what fashions were available.  We were having fun on this rare shopping expedition, and entered a local exclusive dress shop in a good mood and smiling.  We were dressed as typical teenagers, similar in style to what is probably being worn today, we were very exclusively shunned.  But we persevered.  At one stage I took a dress from one of the racks and asked if I could please try it on, and was told: "I'm sorry dear, all of our dressing rooms are full. Perhaps another time...."  Looking towards the dressing room area, I could see that they were empty, and this was just an outright lie!  It wasn't long before we got the idea that they just wanted us to leave.  We weren't considered worthy. 

That was when I came up with the plan. About a week later we returned, but this time in very trendy clothes, and with a very haughty attitude. We entered the shop and laughed at some of the clothes displayed on the mannequins, stating how horrid they were, and wished we could find something in this town that suited us.  Finally we each chose something and we were shown straight away to the dressing rooms.

We both kept the shop assistants busy running back and forth with clothes and styles, as we either tried them on, or just frowned at their choices.  We were the only people in the shop, and we needed time for the plan to brew a bit longer....

After a while the store became a bit more busy with a few more customers beginning to look around.  So, looking at my friend, I smiled  and after the preening, and  the previous trying on of very many dresses, and accessories we both looked at each other amongst the mess which now lay and hung around us, with the sales ladies standing by, and just stated that all of these fashions just weren't up to date, and none of it suited our style. 

As we left the store, we commented somewhat loudly that this seemed like a below par shop with above par prices, and we would be telling our friends not to bother entering.  The sales ladies were busy collecting our discarded items, and the new customers soon followed us out the door. 

Mind you, we never went back - really didn't want to.   But we heard that the attitude of the shop had changed, and a more youthful look was being pursued. Good.  Hope they also updated their attitude!