Y’all… can I ask y’all something?

Y’all… can I ask y’all something?

Do y’all ever look at somebody and honestly think, “What is wrong with you?”

And I don’t mean what’s wrong with me. I mean what is wrong with the idiot standing in front of me?

I swear to y’all, I ask myself that at least ten times a day.

I don’t know if it’s my generation. I don’t know if it’s my Type A personality. I don’t know if I’m too controlling. I don’t know what it is… but people absolutely amaze me every single day.

Shoot… even my husband hears me say it all the time.

“What is wrong with you?”

Most of the time people do something dumb, I get aggravated for five minutes, say “What the hell?” and move on with my life.

But every now and then…

Somebody does something so unbelievably ridiculous that it lives rent-free in my brain for days.

This is one of those stories.

I’ve used the same alterations lady forever. Before she even started doing alterations for me, she owned the cleaners I used. We’ve probably known each other close to ten years.

A few years ago, I started having her make my designer blanket jackets. If y’all have followed me for a while, you know I sell a lot of those jackets.

And when I say a lot…

I mean well over a hundred a year.

So I give her a LOT of business.

I pay full price on every jacket I have made for customers. The only thing she ever discounted was my own personal alterations.

Well, eventually I quit taking my personal alterations there because they were never finished on time. I figured since I was getting a discount, I had become the lowest priority.

No hard feelings.

I just started using somebody else for my personal alterations.

But she still made all my jackets.

Now fast forward to Italy.

While we were there, I bought six authentic Hermès blankets. Three were already sold to customers, and I bought three extras because I wanted one for myself.

Y’all…

Those blankets are around TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS.

So before anybody started cutting into one, I wanted to make absolutely sure I loved the design.

We actually made a mock-up using another blanket first. We pinned it, tried it on, changed the pattern, adjusted everything until it was exactly how I wanted it.

Only then did I tell her to cut my real blanket.

And I specifically asked if her husband could sew it because he is incredibly meticulous. I trust his work, and I wanted this one to be perfect.

A few days later she texted me pictures.

The jacket looked beautiful.

Then she sent another text…

She said it was going to cost me an extra SEVENTY DOLLARS because her husband made it.

Y’all…

I just stared at my phone.

I thought…

Surely she is kidding.

This is the exact same jacket y’all make for me all the time.

Same pattern.

Same design.

Same everything.

The ONLY difference is whose hands sewed it together.

So I texted her back and said…

“Are you crazy? I’m not paying another $70.”

Because now my brain is spinning.

Wait a minute…

Are you telling me everybody else there isn’t good enough?

Are you telling me all these jackets y’all have made for me over the years weren’t your best work?

What exactly are you saying?

Even Welton looked at me and said…

“Are they serious?”

And if y’all know my husband, he stays out of my crazy most of the time.

So the next few days this whole thing just stayed in my head.

Y’all know how that goes.

Three days later you’re in the shower and suddenly think…

“OHHH… I should’ve said THIS!”

Well… if I think of it three days later, I’m still gonna say it.

So I texted her again.

I said…

“So basically I’m paying your husband an extra $70 for doing his job?”

And do y’all know what she said?

She said…

“Just consider it a tip.”

A TIP.

Y’all…

That sent me straight into orbit.

So I replied…

“Okay… if I’m tipping him for doing his job, when are y’all taking ME to a nice dinner for bringing your shop tens of thousands of dollars worth of business over the years?”

Crickets.

I haven’t heard another word.

And I still haven’t gone to pick up my jacket because I knew I needed to calm down first.

I’ve tried every single day to make this make sense.

Maybe she was having a bad day.

Maybe there was something I didn’t understand.

I even gave her the opportunity to backtrack.

Instead she doubled down.

Here’s what I don’t understand.

If someone brought MY business tens of thousands of dollars over the years…

I’d probably be looking for ways to THANK them.

I’d be saying…

“Tammy, we appreciate everything you’ve done for our little business.”

Not…

“That’ll be another seventy bucks.”

Maybe it’s just me.

Maybe I’m wired differently.

But I truly believe relationships matter.

Loyal customers matter.

People who support your small business matter.

And sometimes…

People’s brains just go completely on vacation.

So once again…

I found myself asking the same question I ask at least ten times a day…

What is wrong with people?