Gucci Scarf Is Cause for Grumble!

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Audrey Levins

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Apr 9, 2001
Posts
545
Loc
San Antonio, TX
Hey Grumblers!

Had an older lady come in Sunday, dripping with gold, very finely dressed--obviously just left church--with a 36X36 Gucci scarf she wanted to frame. She wanted an estimate.

I worked up our least expensive option with a sew mount, and it came out to about $160.

She all but fainted at the price, insisted that there "MUST be some cheaper way!" and started asking me about readymade poster frames, those sectional metals they sell at Michael's, etc., etc. I told her it wouldn't fit into the largest readymade poster frame, and that if she used metal sectionals she'd still need glass, backing, and a way to stretch or adhere the scarf....she asked how much glass and backing was, and then threw a fit about THAT. Said she could "get glass MUCH cheaper!"

I spent an HOUR with this woman, trying to explain to her that there was only one right way to frame her scarf, and that if she wanted to go the cheaper route, I wouldn't be able to help her. (She wanted basically to bring me the metal sectionals and her "cheaper glass," use our backing, and have me put it together for her for free...and she could NOT understand why I wouldn't do it.)

Have you ever strangled a customer?

I feel much better after having Grumbled all that away.
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Seriously, I don't mind when someone wants an estimate--most people who are looking for the $30 solution will just go away--but this woman took up over an hour of my time, trying to make me come up with a way for her to do this without actually "custom framing" it...

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!

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I don't care what color your sofa is.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Audrey Levins:
She all but fainted at the price, insisted that there "MUST be some cheaper way!" and started<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Audrey,

That's when you say, "There is!"......reach behind the counter and pull out the 2x2inch square of foam board with four Moore Push Pins stuck into it.....priced at $1.99

John

(What we'd all like to do at least once in this lifetime!
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)
 
Reminds me of the lady who is responsible for my "no estimates on the phone" policy. She called for a price on a scarf which she swore was 12" x 12" - I asked her if she was SURE that was the size and she said she measured it. I gave her a ballpark figure and she brought it in the next day.

It was one of those expensive "horsey" scarves, and it measured 36" x 36." The price she ended up paying was 5 times my quote, and she was very embarassed about her little measuring mistake. Actually, I think she must have measured it in "hands."

Now whenever anyone wants a price quote on the phone I quote them this story and they laugh and bring the work in for me to measure.
 
Probably we've all had one of those.

A woman called wanting an estimate to frame a piece of needlework. I asked her how big it was and she said 3 x 4.

I foolishly assumed she meant INCHES

How was I to know she had managed to crochet a life-sized representation of the Last Supper???

Audrey - you could have strangled her with the scarf

Kit

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Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana

[This message has been edited by Kit aka emrr (edited August 21, 2001).]
 
I had a lady that wanted me to do the fitting and she was going to buy the mat at one framer, the frame at another and the glass at the hardware store. I told her she can't buy the parts for a tune-up at the auto parts store for her Lexus. Last I saw of her. Some of the really ignorant ones you just have to give it to them straight.

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curlyframer, CPF
 
Curly, when I have someone want to bring in their supplies that they bought at other stores, I tell them "No problem, I'll be glad to put in in the frame for you." Then I happily charge them a double fit up, to cover all the thing I will have to do to get the sucker to fit. I also will charge them for anything that I have to change; acid free backing, acid free mat, chipped glass, etc...

They next time they seem to be very happy to have me do the entire job.
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Sue May, TBF
 
I'm still trying to figure out how you could do it for $150 and not lose money. . .

People amaze me. I wonder how much the same lady spends a month getting her hair and nails done.
 
Framechick--

Whenever someone comes in for what they call "just an estimate," to save myself time and give them what I fondly call a "ballpark" figure, I measure their piece and work up a price with our cheapest metal.

That's how I arrived at the $160 figure; most people who don't choke on that figure end up picking a far more expensive frame, but it gives the really cheap people, like my Gucci woman, no where to go. (And lt's face it--a Gucci scarf would look REALLY AWFUL in a black metal frame. *chuckle*)

I realize that a lot of you will suggest that an estimate is a good time to get the customers' eyes all huge for big moulding and pretty fabric mats, so that they'll end up spending money they didn't want to spend, but I've tried that and usually it means I waste an hour or two of design time just for them to leave as soon as I work up the price. I like to give people who want an estimate a "no cheaper than this" price first, because most people who wander around getting estimates all day rarely justify the time they waste. (Either that, or they want me to "write everything down" for them so they can go to another shop and get it done more cheaply.)

ANYWAY, I can't help but wonder what level of success Ms. Gucci is experiencing at home.
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I don't care what color your sofa is.
 
I guess I find myself wondering how often the best design first doesn't work and the customer walks out without exploring other options. "Okay fine do it." Are we leaving money on the table??

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Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.
 
Best design first usually seems to work and if not then the next thing I show them doesn't seem so expensive. Of course, there are always those people who are just price shopping. Just part of the job.
 
Apropos to this, I just worked up a design for two mated photos. Did what I and the customer thought was the best, then gave them the price. The workup included a fillet and AR glass. They balked at the price per piece, but came back and compromised: kept the fillet (in place of the paper gold mat I showed them second), but dropped the AR. A good time was had by me, money is still to be made; and best of all, I get to work with an LJ fillet!
 
What I've noticed over the years is that whenever there is a slow down in business, the nickle and dimers come out of the woodwork. They seem to know when it's slow.

I haven't had a slow down in about four years, we just had a heat wave and a slow down to go with it.

I swear, it was ridicules, for about a week ALL we got was cheapskates like Audries. I had forgotten what it was like dealing with those people. During that week I think I had to " write down" just about every quote I gave, 8"X 10" piece of glass, $3.50, " could you write that down for me?" Unbelievable.

HOW do these people know? Do they have a cheapskate club that sends them a secret signal when it's time to go out and shop?

After they leave my store, I wonder if they go down to 7-11 and ask them to write down their prices as well. How much is this can of brand X beer? Could you write that down, oh, and could I have a glass of water for free while your doing that, could you put some ice in it and maybe a little squirt of that flavoring for me? Is that price on the brand X beer MY price?

Thank God they only show up during slow downs.

John
 
For anyone interested, and I assume if you're in this thread you are, we're running a story on framing oversized scarves in the October 2001 issue of DECOR. Check it out!

John Taff
Editor
DECOR
 
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