1. I have a lot to learn about yarn and crafting with it.
2. Knitters are serious about their yarn
3. I am not cut out for retail, I will never be pushy enough.
4. Specialty yarn is super expensive.
To be honest I have learned a lot more but that is for a different post. What I really wanted to talk about is how many similarities I see in yarn customers and students coming in for academic advising.
Just as there are many different customers there are many different students. Let me introduce you to a few of them...
-The pro: The pro has been doing this for years. They come in knowing exactly what they want and they really just view you as the gate keeper. They just need you to ring up their purchase or sign off on their classes.
-The undecided: They have so many ideas but they just can't make up their mind. Should they double major or try the new hand-painted yarn? They can see their options laid out for them but they need someone to help them talk it out. Most of the time they actually know what they want they just need someone else to approve of their decision.
- The mess: I say this in a loving sort of way. These are the people that come in with no plan in mind what-so-ever. You have no clue if what you are saying is even making a difference. They are just at a loss of what to do. With these, you try your best, you give them all their options and hope that when they walk out they are satisfied with their decision. This group is particularly interesting because interactions with them could really go either way. Sometimes they are just looking for some advice and are ok with walking out empty handed. Other times they come in looking for a direction and can get upset when you cannot provide that for them. Tread cautiously and try to gauge them before you get in too deep.
- The outsider: This person is often not directly involved. It may be someone looking to buy a gift of yarn for a friend or a parent coming into an advising session. Either way, while they may be the one paying for they are not going to be the ones up all night struggling with decisions that were made for them.
- The agreer: Sometimes these people are great if you need an ego boost. No matter what you say, you are the expert and they will believe you. They are entrusting you with their future (or at least hours of their life dedicated to a project). You have a great amount of responsibility when working with this group because they will hang on your every word. No matter how hard you try to get them to make a decision they will ultimately revert back to whatever you say is best for them. I had one customer who was looking for yarn to make a hat for a baby boy. She has the pattern and had made one previously for a girl but was looking for "boy colored" yarn. Everything that I suggested became her new favorite. Eventually we had a huge pile of yarn out on the table and in the end she asked me which one would I use.
- The never pleased: Whether they can't find the right yarn or the right major this group is never satisfied. On of my favorite stories from the store is that on my first day a lady came in an I spend probably 30 minutes pulling every black and grey yarn in the store, making sure to check that it was not wool as she was allergic. After 30 minutes of her rudely rejecting every option she proceeded to look for yarn for other projects besides the black scarf she originally intended on shopping for. She then decided on some ribbon style yarn for herself and just as I was about to ring her up she decided instead to purchase a kit for making fish shaped wash cloths. It really would not have mattered if every single yarn we had was black she was just not passionate about that project (it was for her son's girlfriend) so there was never going to be anything to suit her. It is important when dealing with this group to not feel guilty for not being able to help them. Sometimes people don't actually want to be helped. They are just going through the motions. If you can help them get to the root of the problem, great, if not, don't dwell on it.
I guess at the end of the day, with time comes experience and it will be easier to help both students and customers but for now I am still learning every day and unexpected ways.
