All over the place!

I slept in this morning and now I feel like I am truly all over the place!!
My bf had to pick his parents up from the airport very late last night so we had no plans! I went out a very long with my sister and we talked and talked about her on off boyfriend situation (very off at the moment - hopefully it will stay this way and she will move on) afterwards I went for a nice hot bath and headed for an early night!

My alarm went off as normal at 7.30am, and I thought to myself how awake I felt.........
Bad thought, I then woke with a fright at 8.50am, the shop opens at 9.30am not good!!

I decided to give the hair washing a miss, so I had the quickest shower in history, threw on a bath robe, ran downstairs made a cup of tea and a slice of toast before dressing and waking my bf to drive me to the shop! I was in and open for 9.35am!

I know that you are probably thinking tea and toast????? If I had not squeezed them in I would have been snacking all day long on truly bad food. I thought that cotton wool head was enough to deal with in one day!

What is it with people this week??

I have just had a customer come into my shop browse, try on and buy from me. As we were waiting on her card getting authorisation she asked me why I was closing down???? My jaw must have dropped to the floor as she then said "Oh! Are you not closing?"
I was so shocked that I had to say "No I am not closing down! I am just having a good sale with real reductions!"

WTF, can a store not have an actual sale with proper reductions without people thinking I am either:

1. Closing down
2. Losing my mind and not aware of the prices (one lady whispered all the prices to her friend, I think it was in case I heard and changed them!!)

Am I just taking things a little to much to heart this week??

Just To Stress Me Out.

I am sure that is the sole purpose of my local council!!! As I mentioned in
Things A Boutique Owner Sees: Slow Saturday.
we are getting new street lights, that is all very well. I am glad that my shop is in an area that is well looked after, but imagine my surprise when I came to work to find this on my door step (literally).






How are my customers to get into my lovely shop?? Also just to add to my frustrations and stress, the workmen do not speak any english!!!!!

Easter Event.

I have decided that I am going to hold off on the advertising for now (it is was too expensive) but I have another plan......
I am holding a 3 day Easter Event! Basically 3 days where I will be taking 10% off of every item in my shop!
I feel that it is worth a try.

I took myself along to the local printer and gave him the details of what I wanted put on a poster to put in my shop window. He does all of my printing for me, so he knows what font, colours etc, etc, etc. I left my poster in his very capable hands........

Fast forward 3 days, I get a call from the printer to say that my layout is ready.....
Clueless, I ask what I layout is? Does he mean my poster?
He kindly explains that they are unable to do a poster in the size that I want, so he has come up with a design and put it on a disc for me to take to another printer!!!!!
Why oh why did he take the job?

I have had to pay for the layout and I am now 3 days behind with my poster (which is my advertising).
Will I try and save myself money in the future??

Aarrgghh!!

It is really all that I have to say on the matter of customer returns! I am aware that customer has the right to return any goods that are unsatisfactory in standard, faulty or do not do the job that they are intended to do. But what most people do not know is that, by law, retailers are only required to refund or exchange goods that are proven to be faulty.

So today in strolls a customer with one of the tell tale carrier bags (one from my shop). She explained that after getting the item home she has decided that she no longer needs or even wants it! I usually always exchange goods or offer a credit note as a jesture of good will. As I am still building a name for myself and my shop!
However, I ask that goods are returned within 14 days of the purchase date, they still have all of the tags attached and that the sales receipt is provided.

Of course the said customer had removed the tags before she decided that she did not want the garment! This lead to some disscussion back and forth and with her claiming that she was going to report me to trading standards! Thankfully, I am aware of my rights (I had a far uglier situation some months before) and was able to show her from the booklet that I received that I was in fact doing nothing wrong.

It would be nice to have a waste budget to absorb loses and keep customers happy.......
But, really that is never going to happen is it??