Regular Readers Will Know,

last week we were in Jermyn Street,

buying a suit, where I tried one on and bought it, after some alterations, I picked it up a few days time, but how would I have felt if the shop charged 15 euros for me to try the suit on? I must stress that this did not happen to me, but a tailoring shop in the Spanish city of Bilbao has sparked a heated debate online after it was reported that it started charging people to try on suits, “Many people visit all the local shops in the business, come in several times, by themselves, with their mother, with their grandmother, their friends… They ask for advice in styles, models, accessories, and then go elsewhere to buy,” Camino Pascual told El Correo newspaper, adding that some patrons are even worse – using all the advice they receive in the shop to buy a cheaper suit on the internet, “Each appointment can last an average of two hours, and we already know that nobody can guarantee us a sale, but this way at least we know that the people who come in are really motivated by the value what we are offering,” the shop owner added, suits at Pascual Bilbao can range between 800 and 1,500 euros, so the shop owners are confident that whoever really wants to buy one of their creations isn’t going to be put off by the 15-euro tax. Besides, for the people who end up making a purchase at the shop, the tax is deducted from their bill, so they end up paying just for the clothes and/or accessories, “We want to let people know that if we ask for that money here it is because the service we offer is of the highest quality,” Camino Azula Pascual said, adding that the 15-euro tax is also “and act of justice” for “the street trade, which puts all its resources and professionalism at the service of the client and deserves to be recognized”, the news story has gone viral in Spain, sparking a heated debate on social media, Carlos Azula Pascual has posted a lengthy explanation on the Pascual Bilbao Facebook page for anyone eager to learn their reasoning. It’s in Spanish, however Google Translate is your friend, but the question remains, would you be happy to pay 15 euros to try on a suit you might not like?