Clawed! Yikes! Long ago when I worked in the fabric dept. of a Chicago dept. store (yeah, it was a looong time ago), I had an impatient customer throw a spool of thread at me because she didn't like waiting in line while I helped an elderly nun. Then she went upstairs and told management that I'd thrown the spool at her! Fortunately for me, I had lots of witnesses (coworkers), or I would have lost my job.
As for talking to strangers, I used to be very shy when I was young, and always amazed at how my mom could strike up a conversation with anybody, anytime. Now I'm the same way, but I'm sensitive enough to read "cues" that they don't want to talk, and I leave them alone then. I love bringing a smile to someone's face through a brief comment.
And I've been on both sides of the fence with fabric. When I sewed only clothes (and the occasional set of curtains or whatever), I bought only a fraction beyond the yardage I needed for a particular project, but then, I didn't have much money to spend either. I still have fabric that I bought for certain uses that I never used, and now I look at it with repurposing in mind. I used to see fabric that I loved, but when I realized I could never imagine wearing it, in whatever form, I would pass on it. Now I'm afraid because I can see that fabric--as quilts! I'm in more danger than ever before! LOL! And I've also noticed lately that I see patterns in the world and start wondering what sort of block they'd make...