Why is it customers can't get orders together and THEN come in

[mk162]

Instead of saving time, they feel it necessary to sit in the office and put together all of their sizes and quantities.  Seriously, figure this stuff out at home or wherever and then come in.  Get all of the details together, and then drop by with your order.  PITA.

Is there a polite way of saying, "hey, you need to get your stuff together beforehand, I am not your babysitter."

[Frog]

All of the time!.
Just last week had some jerk (jerkette actually) start making phone calls to establish sizing and quantities while sitting in my reception area making an order.
I excused myself and told her that I had some things to do and I would be back in a few minutes. Gave me time to play here a while. 

[Fresh Baked Printing]

I especially like when a customers shirt quantity and sizes are updated and spread though 6 emails. I have asked customers to gather up all the order details and present them to me in a spread sheet. Not a big deal and they seem to understand.

[mk162]

No joke, and then they get ticked when their order is wrong.

I had a customer that wanted plain tees with a brown print, then changed it to a jersey, but failed to tell me they wanted pink on the jersey instead.  They got brown.  I am not a mind reader.  The nice thing was it was all through email, so I had proof I was never told of the changes.

[inkbrigade]

haha.. this happens every order. I hate when people say "What sizes do you recommend?"

[GraphicDisorder]

Put up black curtains saying deliveries only.  It works for me.  LOL. 

[mk162]

"What sizes do you recommend?"

I recommend wearing a shirt that fits. 

[ZooCity]

haha.. this happens every order. I hate when people say "What sizes do you recommend?"

Jesus.  Because, you know, I can visualize every member of your extended families bodyshape and/or precisely estimate how many of what size you'll sell at that festival.  Lucky for you I'm effing clairvoyant and using this incredible power to embetter the world by helping distressed citizens like yourself place your gad damn t shirt order quickly and accurately..... 

...but seriously we do help out with that as we retail clothing and have a reasonable idea of what sizes will move for certain style/design.

I always wanted an online size form.  You could upload a pic of the job's mockups and then a link to the shirt's their getting so they could email this to their group and let them punch in their own size.  Takes the responsibility off everyone's shoulders and puts it on the person actually getting the shirt.     

[Scobey Peterman]

I have a customer who wants me to call him when I have slack time and might shift somethings my way.

Someone please tell me how to predict when I will have slack time.

I told him when his goods got here I would put them in the line.  It might be a week to 10 days before I was able to print for him.

I try to go on a first come, first serve system.

[mk162]

I am sure he tells you that so you will charge him less.  Everybody thinks that empty press time equals cheap printing.  Little do they know, there are 40,000 other things that could get done instead.

[ZooCity]

Lord I miss the days when empty press time = time to go fishing.  I don't think we've been caught up on anything for years now.

[Screened Gear]

Put up black curtains saying deliveries only.  It works for me.  LOL. 

I'm with Graphic Disorder. I am appointment only for checking out shirts and seeing the quality of work we do. Then orders are only taken online...(that’s what I say) Then even when they are in the shop room I try to tell them to go home and figure out the sizes they need then email us in the order. If I have to hand take all the orders I would get nothing done. (I do take some orders when they come in.)

[Shawn (EIP)]

this common practice for most of my local customers

[T Shirt1]

 
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..... tell them to go home and figure out the sizes they need then email us in the order.
[/quote]
Same here.  The ones that used to get me were the ones who came in with a handful of order slips and personal checks then expected us to compile them while they chatted on the phone.  Now we steer them towards the net and offer free delivery on prepaid orders of over $300 so they don't 'have to be bothered' with coming back in.  Of course there are some who have always come in and always will but those numbers are thinning.

[virgil427]

2 phone calls 5 emails and3face to face with customer in two weeks over color of shirt waiting for a match chart to come out, then I ask what color ink they want and they tell me what ever I think looks good. I'm thinking royal blue ink on royal blue shirt. Looks great to me