When Retail Relationshops Go Bad

Like all the relationships I've had, my love of fashion has taught me the hard truths about retailers. Some are good, some are not -- and a lot of them have NO CLUE how to treat a customer. And when a retail relationship goes bad -- which happened to me this week -- you have to walk away, no matter how great the merchandise is (sad to say).

I put a deposit on a pair of boots at a boutique where I have been a VERY good paying customer, if you catch my drift. We're talking thousands spent in that establishment over a period of years. As I have recently become more aware of the need to better manage my spending, I put a deposit on the (expensive) boots and was expecting the boutique owner to allow me to pay off the balance over a reasonable amount of time. Two weeks later the owner called me to inquire about settling my bill and, instead of asking me politely whether I still intended to purchase or wanted to put more money down, got snarky about having to call me at all.

I ask you: is this a smart way to run a business? I know that putting a deposit on an item does not mean that a store will hold it for me indefinitely. However I do expect some forebearance as a regular customer and at the very least I would hope to be spoken to without attitude. In this case, it's clear the owner couldn't care less about me and I am so put out by the way I was treated that I am now prepared to forego my deposit and will never set foot in that store again.

Don't give me crap about "store policy". There are so many more impersonal ways to shop these days, that no one should put up with rude store owners. I'm sure those boots will end up on eBay, anyway...