Dear Annie: I work as a clerk at a clothing store.
Yesterday, a woman came in with a boy who looked to be about 13.
She wanted him to try on a specific outfit, and he refused, saying it “looked stupid.” I silently agreed with his assessment. The outfit was ridiculous for a boy his size and age.
The two of them got into an argument, and I heard her say, “I want you to look nice for the wedding. Try it on.”
I walked over and gently told his mother, “I’ve heard this from other customers, and I can assure you, if he doesn’t like it, he’s not going to wear it, and you’ll be wasting your money.”
The boy then said, “See, Mom? Listen to this guy. Even he knows this is stupid.”
The mother then shouted, “No! I want you to look nice, and you cannot wear a dark suit with a dark shirt. You’ll look like a pimp.”
The boy calmly replied, “Well, in that case, I won’t go.”
Whereupon the mother said she’d make him wear a dress to the wedding and called him a moron.
At that point, I politely told her she’d have to leave, and I escorted her out while she screamed that her son was an ingrate.
Was I wrong to have escorted her out? My boss wasn’t angry, but I know he would rather have made the sale.
I thought the woman’s behaviour was inappropriate. — Sales Clerk in Kansas
Dear Kansas: Screaming customers should be politely asked to leave, and that mother seemed particularly past coping.
However, clerks need to be careful. It doesn’t help to take sides and become the paying customer’s adversary.
You might have had better luck if you could have steered both of them toward an outfit that would have allowed for a compromise.
Dear Annie: I’m not an expert, but I recommend that “Itching in Ky.” and other homeowners with bedbug problems place their guest bed mattress in a full mattress cover made of plastic or other non-penetrable material with a zippered closure. — Fellow Kentuckian
Dear Fellow: With bedbugs such a problem, it can’t hurt to protect yourself before the critters move in. Some of these mattress covers also protect against dust mites and allergens.