Standing in my boutique on a sunny February day, folding jumpers, organising styles in order of their sizes, and a more mature lady (65-75) came in....
The boutique has a large display window (large enough for three display models) which I change regularly and create themes with funky bits and bobs.....
Basically a blind man could see that I am not aiming at the more mature, formal market!

So, in she comes I greet her with "Hello" and a generic comment about it being a lovely day for the time of year. She wanders around touching very few of the garments, but doing it in away that would suggest they were melting the skin off of her hands! She began to make her way towards the door, I was ready to thank her for coming in and say goodbye.
However, she turned around and made her way to the counter (where I was now standing).

She asked me if I could please show her some skirts. I had no skirts out on display (as I did not have any in stock) and explained this to her. She then asked if she could please see some elastic waist trousers (informing me that she was actually looking for a skirt, but she would look at the trousers anyway). Again I explained that the tree styles that were hanging on the rails were unfortunately all that I had at the moment.

I was then treated to one of the dirtiest looks (the I have ever been on the receiving end of) before she began her full blown rant.
It went along the lines of her giving me a lecture on providing a service (she felt that I was not doing this). She told me that I should be stocking a wider range to serve a wider range of customers.

Again, as politely as I could, I explained that I was a small boutique stocking one off pieces from new/young designers and I did not want to go down the route of stocking the varieties that you can get in a high street chain.

“Good luck, we will see how long you are in business for.”
Was her parting shot to me as she walked out of the door!

I have since decided to be slightly less tactful, when ladies of this age range wander in. I now do not pander to them, in fear of offending them as it appears that I did just that anyway.

Why can some people not just accept things as they are? What gives some women (and men) of a certain age (mainly those you have lived through major wars) the right to say or do whatever they feel??

My boutique is very much filling a gap in the market in the area that my shop is situated, and it is very firmly aimed at the 18-35 year old style conscious woman!