A lesson for salesmen

BLOOMINGDALES

Salesman:  [Ignoring me while rearranging stacks of shirts]

Me:  Hi, I want to buy a tuxedo.  Looking for a slim fit in a 34″ jacket.

Salesman:  [Without even looking up from his shirts.]  The smallest jacket I have is a 38″.

 
Total sale:  $0 
 
NORDSTROM

Me:  I’m looking for a tux.

Salesman:  Trendy?

Me:  Yes — slim fit, 34″ jacket.

Salesman:  We don’t carry 34″ jackets.  Try on this 36″ — See?  Now we can do a bunch of alterations and it’ll look roughly like this. [scrunching up the back]  You’ll look great.

 
Total sale:  $0
 
HUGO BOSS

Me:  I want to buy a tuxedo.  I need a 34″ jacket.

Salesman:  Really?  I’m sure a 36″ jacket would look just fine on you — here, just try it on.

Me:  Okay, but I’m serious:  I want a 34″ jacket.

Salesman:  Well, I think the 36″ looks fine, but since you insist, go ahead and try on this 34″ jacket.  It’s not a tux (we don’t have any 34″ tuxes), but at least we’ll . . . HOLY COW!!  That looks AMAZING!  That’s off the rack and it fits you PERFECTLY — I can’t believe it. 

Chorus of other salesmen:  Wooaahh.

Tailor:  You look gorgeous.

Me:  [Letting that “I told you so” moment sink in]

Salesman:  I’m calling Germany to see if they will make you a 34″ tuxedo.  In the meantime, here’s every other 34″ jacket in the store, and a bunch of shirts; this tie would look awesome; oh, and have you ever worn a pocket square?

 
Total sale:  Amount withheld to protect the guilty. 
 
 
 

One comment

  1. Anonymous · · Reply

    Happy day for you. I'm sure I need to see a picture of the fabulous tie(s). Lady

    Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Owning My OCD 2.0

Making sense of my world

Master Class

Travel, Teaching, and the Arts