This is the design of the shirt I will be wearing for the Autism Walk on Sunday, courtesy of my Photoshop tutor and expert, youngest sister Jasmine.

I had two shirts made for Alex and myself last Saturday night at Fax Parcel ‘N Print (FPNP) at SM City North Edsa. When I went inside the shop at The Block, there were three employees there that early evening- a woman and two men. I wanted to wait for the printing but the employee  at the shop said that it’ll take a while so I might as well pick it up the next day. It was just past six in the evening and the mall doesn’t close till nine, but I thought they’d work better without me hovering over them.

I was wrong.

When I picked up my shirts the next day, not only were they improperly printed (misaligned and smudgy), the shirts had stains at the back. And to think that those were new shirts I bought that very same day inside the mall (because they didn’t have shirts in my size).

I didn’t really want to complain. Normally, I don’t like to make a fuss and make myself an object of attention. I am a patient person and I can excuse almost anything, even horribly poor service, if the persons involved are apologetic. I was peeved, however, when one of the employees (who was there both Saturday and Sunday) simply shrugged it off and said “Ganyan po talaga“ (”That’s how it really is.”) to seemingly excuse his co-employee’s sloppy work. 

The fellow who worked on my shirts wasn’t there that day; neither was the female clerk. There was just this one man from Saturday night who kept an impassive, disinterested face and gave me that crappy remark which made me only angrier. The others in the shop were employees who worked only on Sundays, I think.

One of them, sensing my increasing irritation, apologized and decided to make a call to someone, I don’t exactly know who. The result was that he printed two extra shirts to give to me, as ordered by the person he spoke with on the phone. I accepted the shirts and I thanked the man for his concern. Yes, I will continue to do business with FPNP, if only for their gesture of peace; nevertheless, I am wary about doing business with them on a Saturday, when that sloppy employee takes his turn at the t-shirt press again.

I had the same pattern printed at another shop inside the mall. ArtRock is more expensive (PhP400 to FPNP’s PhP250 per t-shirt) but the workmanship is precise and clean. Besides, the employees are also very accommodating and polite.

Alex will have to wear one of the stained shirts (the new shirts don’t fit) because I don’t know when I’ll have the time to go back to the mall this week. I hope the chilly weather stays till Sunday; that way he can cover up the stains with a hoodie.

By the way, here are my sister’s original designs for the t-shirts.