Client Says Shirts Are “Out of Spec” by a Millimeter, Demands a Deep Discount

I had a customer once measure the left chest and back for an order for 300 one-color shirts in millimeters. They sent a spreadsheet to me detailing how many shirts for the order were “out of spec” with the millimeter total of how far left or right they were different. They wanted a deep discount, which they did not receive as I showed how shirts were hand-loaded onto the automatic press and there was an industry tolerance of a half-inch or so either way. Listening to them and then subsequently educating them on the process solved the problem. By the way, this was for a plumbing company. — Marshall Atkinson, Atkinson Consulting, Mesa, Arizona