This is an interesting thread. Several years ago I had a clerk at a LQS jump me for taking a picture of a quilt. It was an idea for my small group as a project and we would have purchased patterns, fabric and so on for six people. Every year we would pick a technique or two to work on and make a quilt with that technique. We always brought in project ideas before narrowing down our choice. The quilt in question was perfect for what we wanted to do, so I knew it would be picked. The clerk in question absolutely blasted me in front of a number of other customers. I was totally humiliated and totally innocent of wrongdoing. I left my cart with several bolts and patterns and walked out. Never returned and our group found the pattern elsewhere and purchased there. To my knowledge the others stopped shopping in this particular shop too. To this day I cannot forget how I was treated. I do have sympathy for shop owners who struggle to stay afloat, but if they can't do so without hurting potential customers maybe they are in the wrong line of work. If you are kind, cheerful and generous to others you probably will be treated in the same way.