Is the first thing you think of, when people won’t do what you want them to do, to make a new rule they must obey in order to patronize your business?
If so you have a Napoleon complex.
You know: Submit to me or I’ll kill your husbands and trample your crops.
Example: If we find out you’ve been hiding that missing button from us, we’re going to take that item away from you. You cheated on our rules, so it’s only right that I can throw your blouse away, or keep it for myself.
Example: We don’t care if dropping your stuff off at 5:15 on your way home from work, works best for you. We’re setting a new rule. We will not accept consignments after 5, because we close at 6. After all, we have families too.
Now, of course this whining and defensiveness is not explicitly stated in your “new policies”… but it’s heard.
I’d show you some blatant examples of Napoleon complexes by resalers (Oh, like !!!NO GARBAGE BAGS!!!) but I don’t want to embarrass anyone who might have a cutlass strapped to her waist. But tell you what… I might emigrate to friendlier territory.
So, if I don’t suggest you make more rules to force people to do as you say, what can you do? Perhaps examining your assumptions will work (hey, if she finds it best to drop-&-run on the way home from work, why are you assuming you have to process that batch before running home to put the stew on?) Or maybe you just didn’t say it good, so she understands (In order to preserve your pressing job, items must come in on hangers.)
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
We have tried to cover all of these bases right from the beginning so there would be no “rule changing”. But when we do find an issue that causes concern, mostly in the area of hygiene, we try to ease our customers into it. We create a rule, teach our employees, then slowly teach our customers, who, so far, have been wonderful. My basic rule is to treat people how you would wish to be treated.
Hi Gail and welcome to AuntieKate the blog!
I wasn’t commenting so much on “ruleCHANGING” as I was on an abundance of rules. But you bring up a good point: consistency.
I just see SO many “rules” equivalent to those we laugh at such as “In Town X it is illegal to tie your pig to a parking meter without paying the parking fee.”…. the kind of rules which cover a situation that happened once.
Rules to benefit you not only make it harder on your customers, they make it very difficult for employees to explain. And they are the ones who catch the brunt of unhappiness from customers. When I worked for a retailer years ago, we had so many rules that it was hard to stay out of hot water with management. Customers hated them. We have a few rules at my store but my employees have the power to make exceptions, especially where it makes common sense to both the employee and the customer.
It is so hard not to take things personally. If we have an unfortunate turn of events, the first thing that springs to mind is ~ lets make a rule ~ so this never happens again. I’m going to print this post and hang it in the break room. It all boils down to WIIFM right? At least from the customers point of view, which is the only view that matters since they pay my salary every day.