We all have bad sales experiences. It is partly why sales people receive a bad or soured reputation. However, we can learn so much from what people do wrong because it highlights what the right encounter would look like.
One time, I was out to lunch at a medium-priced Italian restaurant. My mom and I had gone up to visit my sister at college, and took her and her roommate out to lunch. We all placed our orders, my mom was excited to try the Eggplant Parmesan.
When the food arrived, my mom was served Chicken Parmesan. Realizing the mistake, she politely called the waitress over to our table to ask for the correct order. Instead of apologizing for the mistake, the waitress essentially berated my mom and told her she filled the right order and tried to tell her she was wrong. It made the whole table feel uncomfortable, and made the waitress look bad. My mom was shocked at the exchange, but remained calm and asked for the Eggplant Parmesan.
The owner of the restaurant ended stopping by the table later to check on us, and essentially apologized for the waitress. My mom, gracious as always, was kind to both the owner and the waitress. However, we do not go back to that restaurant.
Salespeople can make or break your experience. Honoring customers and treating them with respect is the best way to preserve delicate customer relationships. I learned a lesson in that restaurant that day that has stayed with me and shaped the ways in which I interact with people.
testacr22 
Trinity Blank 
Caroline Marie Dawson
It can be so awkward sometimes dealing with those situations. Sometimes when you are in that environment it is easy to get a little agitated with the service and become short with them, I love how your mother kept her cool. The way that your mother reacted to the mistake can hopefully help the waitress in the future when dealing with conflict.
That’s so terrible! Salespeople often make or break experiences that we don’t even think of as traditional sales- like eating at a restaurant. The first rule of service (at a restaurant or elsewhere) is that the customer is always right. Even if you think the customer is wrong, the customer is always right. Hopefully your mother’s graciousness helped the waitress learn how to serve her customers better when a similar situation arises in the future.