Had that happened to me, I would have immediately put down anything I had planned to purchase and left the store - AND then mentioned the bad service to my friends. I am not a prolific quilter, and as far as creativity goes, I have very little - so when I go to quilt shops , I am often doing it for inspiration as much as material. If I see something made up, I want to take a picture to inspire me to make it later on, an and I always buy something in these stores.
I understand the problems in local small shops, but you have to make customers want to come back - not run them out the door.