When I buy (for example) a shirt, I’ll say what I want explicitly: collar size, chest size, colours (solids only) and material (always 100% cotton or silk). And yet, even in the highest end men’s shops, I am constantly barraged by laziness and “money first” mentalities. They’ll say, “Here’s one!” and show me something that doesn’t meet all the criteria, and sometimes not a single one.

Notice the critical word: all. If I were to say, “a shirt”, that might mean anything, but when I speak explicitly in every detail, I expect them to listen and not show me anything except what matches it exactly. If they don’t have it, they should just say, “We don’t have it,” instead of trying to whore a product I will never buy. An honest “No” is far more welcome and appealing than a hard sell.

Almost no stores nowadays are concerned with giving customers what is wanted, only with moving product out the door. The reality is, they won’t move any product if they don’t have the respect to listen. And this doesn’t just apply to permanent goods like clothes, cars, and computers, it’s also true of perishables (e.g. serving “medium rare” when the customer orders well done” is unacceptable).