What single thing at faire hurls you off into the depths of rage?

[Becky10]

Her whole manner was very pushy, I got the feeling that because of my young age she didn't take me seriously, she thought I was just trying to play dress up. She was about to get the hat for me when older patrons walk in and she starts helping them. I was so very upset I had to leave. She was just so rude. I was 18 I think, about 2 years ago. I understand vendors may not take younger kids as seriously as they would adults, but there's a way to talk to people courteously no matter their age and she didn't know how. 

However, I've decided I look no good in hats so maybe it all worked out

I know exactly what you are talking about Delireus! I am really short for my age so it doesn't help. I have had the same thing happen to me, also at a hat store.  I was trying to see a hat and the vendor came over and gave assistance to the lady next to me when I asked to see the hat I got the death stare for a good 2 minutes before she asked if I was "even equipped to buy one of these hats". I was dumb struck. I told her indeed I was then asked the way to another hat vendor (They got my $130 and I got good service).  I try to remember that they do get disrespectful people who will try on hats then drop them on the ground and leave after myspace shots but you think you could spot who is a possible buyer and who is goofing around.  It just makes you feel so small to be talked to like that. So at least you arent the only one whose been treated that way.

[cowgrrl]

Someone who is not buying today, might remember you being nice to them, and buy tommorrow.

Exactly.  I usually spread out my purchases throughout the faire season.  I appreciate when vendors understand & take me seriously when I say 'I'll be back in a few weeks.' 

[Delireus]

I know exactly what you are talking about Delireus! I am really short for my age so it doesn't help. I have had the same thing happen to me, also at a hat store.  I was trying to see a hat and the vendor came over and gave assistance to the lady next to me when I asked to see the hat I got the death stare for a good 2 minutes before she asked if I was "even equipped to buy one of these hats". I was dumb struck. I told her indeed I was then asked the way to another hat vendor (They got my $130 and I got good service).  I try to remember that they do get disrespectful people who will try on hats then drop them on the ground and leave after myspace shots but you think you could spot who is a possible buyer and who is goofing around.  It just makes you feel so small to be talked to like that. So at least you arent the only one whose been treated that way.

She said that to you? Wow, that's crazy. I love that you asked her where the nearest hat vendor was, maybe she realized how she sounded then

[will paisley]

I know exactly what you are talking about Delireus! I am really short for my age so it doesn't help. I have had the same thing happen to me, also at a hat store.  I was trying to see a hat and the vendor came over and gave assistance to the lady next to me when I asked to see the hat I got the death stare for a good 2 minutes before she asked if I was "even equipped to buy one of these hats". I was dumb struck. I told her indeed I was then asked the way to another hat vendor (They got my $130 and I got good service).  I try to remember that they do get disrespectful people who will try on hats then drop them on the ground and leave after myspace shots but you think you could spot who is a possible buyer and who is goofing around.  It just makes you feel so small to be talked to like that. So at least you arent the only one whose been treated that way.

She said that to you? Wow, that's crazy. I love that you asked her where the nearest hat vendor was, maybe she realized how she sounded then

The clincher would be to go back by the place with the new hat, a la Pretty Woman and the dress store.

[bookwench]

I know exactly what you are talking about Delireus! I am really short for my age so it doesn't help. I have had the same thing happen to me, also at a hat store.  I was trying to see a hat and the vendor came over and gave assistance to the lady next to me when I asked to see the hat I got the death stare for a good 2 minutes before she asked if I was "even equipped to buy one of these hats". I was dumb struck. I told her indeed I was then asked the way to another hat vendor (They got my $130 and I got good service).  I try to remember that they do get disrespectful people who will try on hats then drop them on the ground and leave after myspace shots but you think you could spot who is a possible buyer and who is goofing around.  It just makes you feel so small to be talked to like that. So at least you arent the only one whose been treated that way.

She said that to you? Wow, that's crazy. I love that you asked her where the nearest hat vendor was, maybe she realized how she sounded then

As a hat maker and seller, I feel a need to chime in here.  I agree that your treatment was extremely rude and uncalled for, but I am relieved that you can see and understand the other side of it.  Hat shops are a magnet for all kinds of people to come and play dress up.  Normally I have no problem with this - I mean, how will you know if you like the hat and the hat likes you if you don't try it on?  However, after the 15th person in a row comes in, manhandles all your hard work, takes a bunch of pictures, then tosses your hats to the ground and wanders off, it does get a bit old.  One show I was at I had a tricorn fascinator on display.  I can't tell you how many parents grabbed that hat and handed it to their children to play with while mommy and daddy shopped!  One woman even tried it on her DOG!  ("Oh look Fluffy - a hat in your size!").  I eventually had to throw the hat away (hand blocked and shaped, by the way) because it was completely destroyed.


All this being said, none of this is any excuse for a customer to be treated like a nuisance.  Every customer is important and should be treated with respect.  And sometimes that means taking a break and walking away for a few minutes after the latest batch of drunk myspace picture-takers, so you don't take your frustration out on your good customers.

ps:  I agree - LOVE the fact that you asked where another hat shop was!!  Hopefully that'll teach 'em!

[Adriana Rose]

God I hate it when people come into my shop look at the things that I spent my winter making and tell me " I can make that better"  That has a tendancy to throw me in to a bit of a rage

And the people who want to play dress up snap a picture and leave, thanks to that I dont allow photos in the shop anymore

[Nighthawk]

Being of the Scottish Renaissance reenactor persuation, I have to say that the things that irritate me the most are people who wear "kilts" that are nothing but the curtains or the table cloth- wrapped around their waists like 5 times! I actually asked someone once if he would like me to show him how to pleat his great kilt! I was wearing mine, but he still looked at me with this dumb look on face and said "Kilts have pleats?" I actually had him take it off and I pleated and wrapped him in it right there by the jousting arena. I understand the whole costume thing, and I don't think of myself as a garb nazi, but for the love of the gods, at least do a little research before you try to wear something ethnic!

And then there are the guys who wear loin clothes, sheepskin rugs, and blue face paint! What part of that is Renaissance?

And then there were the guys who just showed up wearing leather boots and their tighty whiteys... Seriously? That's Renaissance? In what sense?

Well, loud misbehaving drunks and loud misbehaving children are annoying anywhere you find them, not just faire! Drunks I can deal with, but heavens forbid you say anything about someone else's kids! It seems that's the only time the parents notice the little bastards, then they go off on you for daring to tell them how to raise them. I love when they ask me or my wife if we have any, we'll say no, and after seeing y'all we don't want to!

I don't really let that kind of stuff ruin my day though, but I think sometimes I get more "faire related" stress outside the gates, like this week I was banging my head against the wall on a kilt forum trying to explain to some people that seem like they've never had a day of fun in their lives why we like to dress up and do what we do. 

Oh yeah, and unauthorized kilt checks 

Hey Z... Which forum would that be exactly? 

[Nighthawk]

God I hate it when people come into my shop look at the things that I spent my winter making and tell me " I can make that better"  That has a tendancy to throw me in to a bit of a rage

And the people who want to play dress up snap a picture and leave, thanks to that I dont allow photos in the shop anymore

Why the hell would a person do that? I look at the leather vendors, know I can do better than most, but I still come away with ideas, because they all have something creative and interesting that they do. Even though I can do better than most, I have the respect not to say it! And I have the appreciation to see the things that they can do better than me!

[crashbot]

I had a rotten experience with a corset vendor at TRF last year.

My wife, who was not with me, was looking for a particular style of corset. I thought I saw one hanging in the shop at started looking at it (not touching, but looking). I called my wife to get some information and politely asked the shop keep for some information on the corset while my wife told me what to ask.

This lady was epic on the d-bag level. Rude, unprofessonal, snide, and actually asked me to "step outside and ask my wife questions and when *She* feels like doing business me, she will find me". She also mentioned that "these are for serious corset wearers and are rather expensive".

A. I am not sure what a "serious corset wearer" is, but I am pretty sure the 20 or so my wife owns would qualify.
B. She was sorely mistaken if my appearance ( i was in my "civies", so rather deathrocker looking) somehow implies  that I have no money and cannot afford her wares..


Needless to say, I thanked her for her business and I left. Someone else made a nice profit off the grand or so I dropped that day.

[cowgrrl]

I had a rotten experience with a corset vendor at TRF last year.

My wife, who was not with me, was looking for a particular style of corset. I thought I saw one hanging in the shop at started looking at it (not touching, but looking). I called my wife to get some information and politely asked the shop keep for some information on the corset while my wife told me what to ask.

This lady was epic on the d-bag level. Rude, unprofessonal, snide, and actually asked me to "step outside and ask my wife questions and when *She* feels like doing business me, she will find me". She also mentioned that "these are for serious corset wearers and are rather expensive".

A. I am not sure what a "serious corset wearer" is, but I am pretty sure the 20 or so my wife owns would qualify.
B. She was sorely mistaken if my appearance ( i was in my "civies", so rather deathrocker looking) somehow implies  that I have no money and cannot afford her wares..


Needless to say, I thanked her for her business and I left. Someone else made a nice profit off the grand or so I dropped that day.

crashbot:  Was it a small shop that specialized in underbust corsets?  I had a similarly bad experience with a corset shop at Scarby & I'm wondering if its the same vendor.  Totally ignored by the staff for a good 5 minutes.  I e-mailed & received a rather nice response from the owner but I still cannot bring myself to spend money at a shoppe that didn't feel I was worthy the first time around.

[Mikael]

Delireus,

Wow. When I was working at a booth at MDRF (that sells mostly fairly high end blades and things of that nature), I still was polite to whoever came looking at items and offered to take them out and show them off, etc. Even when I figured they weren't going to buy (for whatever reason), that didn't keep me from at least giving a friendly hello and letting them know I was available if they had any questions.

I also worked for a few years at KRF for a higher end blade vendor and it was always our policy to show every customer blades and allow them to handle them as long as long as they were 18, faire policy on that one.  Now last year we got this snotnosed punk kid as a new employee. His attitude ticked most of us off.   However it is not untill we were repremanded by FAIRE MANGAEMENT for being rude that he was fired.  We found out that he decided to tell a young man, about 14-15, that he couldnt show him anything becuase he couldn't afford it.  Well it turn out that this young man had Daddy's AMEX BLACK at his disposal and they had already researched us and were planning on spending over 5K.  Well as you could guess we lost that sale.  Every customer no matter if there spend $1 or $5000 should be treated like the best customer of the day. 

[BubbleWright]

Makes my blood boil when at Faire I see a father verbally abusing and belittling his kids in the tone of a feudal lord and seeing the kids cringe in terror. In years to come these children will associate Renaissance Faires with loathing because of said father's abuse instead of having warm memories of the wonderment that is Faire. 

[Nighthawk]

Makes my blood boil when at Faire I see a father verbally abusing and belittling his kids in the tone of a feudal lord and seeing the kids cringe in terror. In years to come these children will associate Renaissance Faires with loathing because of said father's abuse instead of having warm memories of the wonderment that is Faire. 

Yeah, that crap happens everywhere. I went to the gas station yesterday. I heard this kid say "Hey that guy's wearin' a skirt!" I heard a ***SMACK!!*** followed by a "No, stupid! He's wearing a kilt!" I wanted to kill his mom... 

[Merlin the Elder]

...snip...
crashbot:  Was it a small shop that specialized in underbust corsets?  I had a similarly bad experience with a corset shop at Scarby & I'm wondering if its the same vendor.  Totally ignored by the staff for a good 5 minutes.  I e-mailed & received a rather nice response from the owner but I still cannot bring myself to spend money at a shoppe that didn't feel I was worthy the first time around.

Lady Nimue was looking for corsets at Scarby and we had excellent service at one shoppe (I'm not sure how many there are there). I'm under the impression that it was the owner that we were dealing with. Even though we told her that we were not buying that day, she (the shopkeeper) insisted on determining what size Nimue was going to need, so that she would know at least that much when the time came. Some of the other clothing shopkeepers at Scarby would have us "try this...try that" almost to a fault.

I find it very disturbing that age or appearance may be having some influence in these cases. Nim and I are ...well, not young anymore. But in our younger days, we experienced similar problems (albeit, not at faires). One look at me and mothers would gather their children and herd them safely away...

I will trade with shoppes that treat me well, and I do a lot of return business with those shoppes. However, if I were to witness poor treatment of another shopper (as long as the shopper didn't have it coming, and some I've seen do), I would make my displeasure known, and I would no longer trade there.

[Elennare]

Oooh, I just thought of another thing that had everyone at our booth both pissed, and shaking our heads in astonishment.  It's a bit long to explain, but it was a rather long event and the whole thing was nuts.

Working the balloon/bunny fencing booth, had a couple of guys show up to play who were so drunk I was amazed they could still stand upright.  I was currently helping customers get into the gear.  First guy gets in his jacket no problem.  Hand him off to the ring master. 

Second guy, put the jacket on him, and he squats down so his head is at my chest level.  Now, if you don't know, fencing jackets are put on "backwards," i.e. zipper in the back.  We would hold the jacket, have the customer extend their arms, and then slip the jacket on, and then have them turn around so we could do the zipper.  Well, this guy, after he gets the jacket on but before it's zipped, goes "well honey, since you've got me like this, you HAVE to give me a hug!"  Yeah right!  So you can burry your face in my chest?  No thanks!  Finally get him in the jacket, and send him off to the ring.

Ring master starts going through his spiel, when all of the sudden guy #1 jumps up on the railing surrounding the ring and starts bellowing to any and all passers-by that they should "come watch [him] kick his brothers a**."  We drag him off the railing, get the 2 of them squared away, and explain all the rules.  Again.  They say they understand, and are ready to go.

Here's the best part of the whole thing.  They start fighting, take 2 swings with the swords, and all of the sudden guy #1 tackles guy #2 and pops both of his balloons by slamming his head into the ground!    Guy #2 isn't too happy about this, and proceeds to try to flip guy #1 off of him, and they start wrestling.  It took 3 people, including the ring master with his quaterstaff, to pry them apart. 

Once we finally got them apart, they act like nothing happened and say that's how they always fight.  We quickly take out stuff back, including the now dented-beyond-use fencing helmet, and kick them out and tell them to never come back.

Un-freaking-believable.  Apparently they thought the clearly explained rules of the game, repeated multiple times to them, didn't actually apply.  Never again were such obviously drunk people allowed to play.  At least while any of us who had been there for that were working the booth.