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Actually what she said was;"Your mugs are TOO BIG.'She said it about three times. She said;"You can't even see the bottom of them."

I ignored her. The mugs were walking off the shelves. People requested a bigger size mug. They are one pound. A regular size, not too huge. Why do people come into my studio and feel that it is O.K. to complain, to criticize, to find fault? Why didn't she say;"Your eyes are too blue? Or your hair is too wavy?"

I am not going to change my work for her. Why say anything if you can't be positive?

Do you have a sales experience where the person felt it was O.K to find fault? Let's here your stories. Try to err on the positive side if possible.

TJR.

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TJR,


     If I make a childrens cup, its 1.5 lbs.  $20.


A reg. coffee mug ranges from 2 - 2 1/2 lbs. $20 - 25


Steins are 3 - 3 1/2 lbs.  $30 - $50.


 


I don't make many childrens cups


 


Coffee mugs are large enough to accommodate copious amounts of sugar and cream.  How do I like my coffee,


its like a liquid candy bar!!!!


 


The interior is seldom a dark color so people who prefer black coffee can see the level of their drink.  Otherwise,


its a guessing game with every sip.  (I've been there).


 


See ya,


Alabama


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TJR,

     If I make a childrens cup, its 1.5 lbs.  $20.

A reg. coffee mug ranges from 2 - 2 1/2 lbs. $20 - 25

Steins are 3 - 3 1/2 lbs.  $30 - $50.

 

I don't make many childrens cups

 

Coffee mugs are large enough to accommodate copious amounts of sugar and cream.  How do I like my coffee,

its like a liquid candy bar!!!!

 

The interior is seldom a dark color so people who prefer black coffee can see the level of their drink.  Otherwise,

its a guessing game with every sip.  (I've been there).

 

See ya,

Alabama

 

Maybe I throw thinner than you. My cups are all one pound. The insides are glazed the same as the outside. Some are white some purple, some Celadon, some Shino.

The point of the post was that "customers" come in and think that it's O.K. to find fault. Verbally and loudly so that everyone heard. I've heard it before, as I've been doing it a while. Last year a woman in my studio criticized me very having my eave troughs [gutters] directed toward the house. I collect rainwater for my garden. What does that have to do with my studio product?

T.

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Dealing with the public is like having a fruit tree-now and then a few are rotten

.I have had my share of them.More than I can to tallk about.

Just last weekend at 3 day show I had a few ask for pie in the sky stuff.  Most are good and solid but there are always a few bubble heads.

Mark

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     If I make a childrens cup, its 1.5 lbs.  $20.

A reg. coffee mug ranges from 2 - 2 1/2 lbs. $20 - 25

Steins are 3 - 3 1/2 lbs.  $30 - $50.

 

 

 

This just shows how differently we all work. I make mugs from 1.25 pounds, and they hold 12oz. I've made as large as 22oz., and for those I use 2 pounds.

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SMile sweetly and just say'"It's nice to hear another point of view. Thank you for your input" Kill with niceness and courtesy.. the lady is carrying a big load on her back,  prob needs a jug of sweet tea hourly.

Then go home and hug a loved one, you don't have to live with that one. You're blessed. :)

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No one has to fill the cup up. For a travelling mug i adore over sized , because i dont over fill. That way it doesnt slop all over the place. i want heavy stoneware, just more comfortable when out and about. i like a larger 12 oz porcelain, light weight at home.

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SMile sweetly and just say'"It's nice to hear another point of view. Thank you for your input" Kill with niceness and courtesy.. the lady is carrying a big load on her back,  prob needs a jug of sweet tea hourly.

Then go home and hug a loved one, you don't have to live with that one. You're blessed. :)

Thanks for your kind words Babs. It's not about the size of the mug. It's about her feeling O.K. to openly put me down in my own studio.I would like to give her more than a cup of hot sweet tea! But then, I will never see her again.

I will see her sister next year, commenting on something else I am doing wrong.

T.

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at the pottery studio where I belonged to a guild I overheard a fellow potter tell another potter that 'handbuilding' isn't REAL pottery like something made on the wheel. :/

 

Those are usually the people who tried handbuilding but could not make it, so they moved over to wheel classes. 

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TJR,

I thought Canadians would be more polite than that. The responses to that situation that went through my head were not kind or good for business kind of responses.  It would be interesting to follow such people back to their place of employment and do the same thing to them. 

 

PS..I love a big mug. It reminds you of Sunday, siting in a comfy chair in your PJs with no set schedule.  

Good luck.

Marc

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Sadly, not all Canadians are polite.

 

I had an encounter last summer where I was vending at a night market, and in the process of selling, I got pulled into standing by the front corner of my tent in a position that didn't scream out that I was the Maker. A friend who was helping me was standing behind the main display table, further adding to the image that I was myself a shopper. A guy from the crowd approaches the front of the tent where I have a smaller display set up of soup sized bowls that were quite cylindrical, and heavy on the throwing marks. He picks one up, shows it to me, and says with scorn "Now hard do you think that is to make, *really*?"

 

I smile, raise an eyebrow and think to myself, okay, let's play along a bit.

 

I say "Reasonaby. Why?"

 

"Well look at it! It's crooked! Totally sloppy. I mean, have you done this? Because my friend does this."

 

"As a matter of fact, I DO do this, " chuckling and indicating the tent.

 

Somewhat oblivious, he continues on to extol the virtues of his friend's pottery making prowess, and what an appalling piece of crap this bowl is. I inform him that I was the maker of the pieces in this tent. He sort of stops, but then keeps pointing out "flaws." I let him keep digging his own hole.

The friend in question who "does this" has meanwhile come up and joined the conversation, and catches this last comment of mine, blushes somewhat and mumbles "I've really only taken one class. Your things are lovely."

Guy is now starting to realize his error, and blusters a bit.

I completely change the conversation, thank her for the compliment and chat this embarrassed friend up, asking where her classes were, and how she enjoyed them, and what was her favourite part. I gave her some encouraging words and asked if they'd had a chance to see the street performer down the way. They bowed out with as much dignity as possible.

 

I should state here that I had no particular attachment to this bowl, and I found the whole exchange kind of entertaining. (Maybe I'm mean.) This bowl wasn't anything special but there really wasn't anything wrong with it, other than it not being this guys' taste.

 

And my sincere condolences to everyone who has had idiot customer run-ins. Some people say the most appalling things in a retail setting.

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Customer comes into my tent and sees my lazy susan set. It was a lazy susan with a sign on it saying "Lazy Susan" so people knew it wasn't just a platter. She very loudly said "Well, how do you think that would make Susan feel?" She was super indignant and stomped away in a huff.

 

I've told this one before but it's still my favourite goofy customer comment.

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I don't have a pottery story but I did own a retail decor store and I always did the home shows. Some of my displays were pretty off the wall just to get attention, I had one that had a arm reaching over and painting more pattern on the other wall.  We got many comments on it but my favorite was by a lady who was dressed like a cat, she even had ears on, it wasn't a costume.  She said "who in the world would like this, I like Victorian" my friends working the booth nearly rolled on the floor from laughter as she walked away.    Denice

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I have heard this more than once, unfortunately-- although I started laughing at it after about the third time:

 

"Oh, pottery.  I did that is High School.  I was pretty good . ( insert 20 min. description of first bowl thrown on wheel here.)  Gave it up, you know, to focus on something where you could make money."

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my friend susan is a potter who apprenticed with charles counts and made beautiful pots.  once she and her husband, a civil engineer with the army, were in a fair somewhere on the eastern shore of maryland.  he was sitting behind the table in the booth when two ladies came in, looked around, and whispered (loudly as only old ladies can) "that man is wearing a Fordham university ring.  you would think he could get a real job with that education."

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I feel that I have to comment here since I started this post. Not all Canadians are polite. This is a difficult stereotype to live up to. Not all Americans carry guns either.

The point of the post was to say that people come into my home studio and feel that they can be rude. Some artists that we want to bring into our studio tour do not want to have people in their homes because of the manners of some people.

I teach high school art. I have a pretty thick skin.

TJR.

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I think I can speak for the rest of us, when we assume all Canadians are polite.  I for one, poke fun at the notion.  A stereotype, does not define a nation.  Though, all things considered, that's not a bad one to have.  When people think of the U.S., they think we are overweight, gun-toting bullies.  

 

I've heard enough of your classroom stories, to know, that there are quite a few Canadians, that are far from polite.  I of course, can relate.  I also work with the same clientele you do.

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benzine, you are too polite to add to the description of those of us in the U.S.  overweight, gun-toting bullies swilling beer and using four letter words (if male) or high-heeled, spandex clothed, screaming, blonde bimbos with very large and expensive handbags that we swing at everyone else trying to convince them that our way is better! 

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I think I can speak for the rest of us, when we assume all Canadians are polite.  I for one, poke fun at the notion.  A stereotype, does not define a nation.  Though, all things considered, that's not a bad one to have.  When people think of the U.S., they think we are overweight, gun-toting bullies.  

 

I've heard enough of your classroom stories, to know, that there are quite a few Canadians, that are far from polite.  I of course, can relate.  I also work with the same clientele you do.

Well said, buddy.

T,

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  • 3 weeks later...

I think everyone runs into the know-it-all customer type, that you mention. I run into them rarely, but when I do, I just nod a long, which in my experience makes them go away faster. They do leave me depressed, however, but usually not longer than until the next customer shows up. 

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