Maria Carvajal’s Tailor Shop

As a preface, my experience at this tailor was by far my most poignant reminder of the selfishness and poor customer service which plagues much of the American commerce system today.
I braved the cold weather in hopes of finding a quality tailor from which I could get my suit measurements taken before I travel. Upon entry into the store, the sales floor was empty and I waited at the counter for a few seconds before being greeted coldly by a short female that I assume to be the owner of this establishment. I greeted her with a smile and said: «Good afternoon, may I ask how much you would charge me to have my suit measurements taken?» The shop keeper harshly responded no and said that she couldn’t do it. In my bewilderment I asked her why she was unable to do so and she replied that it was a common practice in the tailor industry. Trying to give her the benefit of the doubt I thought perhaps tailors don’t give out suit measurements because clients can take this information elsewhere for tailor work.
Despite my brief pause to try to reason her logic I couldn’t help but notice a tape measure behind her and this led me to implore further. I simply asked again and she gave me the same bologna about the industry practice. In my disgust for the lack of humility and lack of general customer service skills displayed by the shop keeper I said «No, you CAN do it. The problem is that you WON’T do it». To this comment she simply shrugged her shoulders and repeated that she can not do it.
It’s amazing to me that despite my offer to pay for the service and my good intentions I was the victim of a selfish money hungry shop keeper and potentially an even more insidious industry practice. Needless to say I’m going to have a few family members take the measurements for me so as to have the accurate reading that I believe a professional could provide me.
I really wish that this experience had been otherwise and perhaps if the customer service were better I would have taken the extra step to request a quote for making a suit at the location or perhaps take a business card for future tailor work. The relationship and trust between a tailor and their client is the TRUE industry secret and I hope someday this shop keeper can learn that before they put them self out of business.