I don’t know if it’s just my imagination but I seem to remember at one time fabric was always torn by staff in fabric shops.
Now I’ve noticed that when I buy from a general fabric shop the fabric will be cut with scissors or rotary cutter - and is rarely straight. As I tend to buy small pieces - sometimes just half or quarter yard/metre this can be very frustrating. Occasionally the assistant will give a generous measurement, knowing that they are not cutting straight, but not always.
However, when I buy from a quilting fabric shop it’s a very different experience. One (pricey) shop I sometimes go to sells fabric by the inch. It is very carefully measured and cut using a rotary cutter and ruler.