Horrific Mortified Embarrassment

[sparksals]

 

Last night, I went with some girlfriends to an improv type event at a downtown location.  The setup in the 'theatre' is stadium like seating curving around the room, with a couple rows of tables at the front near the stage.  We were sitting in the last row of the stadium seating.  Directly in front of each stadium seating is a table that curves with the seating.  Each 'table' has a ledge/lip about 1" high in front and back.   Programmes were set in front of each seat, but it was also obvious the tables were to be used for drinks as well.

I was talking to my friend next to me and reached to put down my wine glass.  I missed the table part, and hit the ledge.  The wine and glass spilled all over the guy in front of me!!  I have NEVER been so embarrassed in my life!  It was one of those "NNNnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooo" slow motion things that still happened too fast to prevent.  It was completely by accident and our first concern was the broken glass - luckily large pieces and no small chards we could see.  The 2nd concern was the back of his shirt was covered in red wine.  *sigh*

I apologized over and over and over and over again. I was so shocked.  Nothing like that has ever happened to me before.  I have been the spillee before, nothing so major as this, but never the spiller.  I bought him a double white russian and offered to pay for his shirt, which he happened to have bought at TJ Maxx that day for $20.  Paid him for that and continued to apologize and thanked him for being so nice.   T

I still feel very badly even though he was VERY nice about it.  I know that it would not have turned out well with most people understanding it was an unfortunate accident - like the lady on the other side who had the same thing happen to her by someone else.  She was not quite so nice as this guy.

It appears it happened to three different people.  They probably put the 'ledge' on to prevent spills, but it appears to cause more spills and accidents. 

At any rate, I was VERY lucky the guy was so nice.  He was there for his 26th birthday with his parents and I joked after the intermission when his mom sat in front of me if she wanted a tye dye shirt too. 

I don't know if there was anything else I could have offered to do to make it right....well as right as it could be given the situation.

[O'Dell]

Oh dear! 

I don't think there was anything more you could have done. I'm glad he was nice about it. Too bad the other patrons didn't take a lesson from him!

I've been the spilled-on person too. Many times.  Stuff happens.

If you are so inclined, you might contact the manager and complain about the ledge. That's crazy. There should be a barrier there to prevent accidents like that.

[guihong]

Essentially, I agree with O'Dell.  You were gracious and even funny with his mother  .  At least it wasn't an expensive shirt, and can be a work shirt for things around the house now.  I also agree with contacting management if it's a place you frequent.

[Bijou]

Absolutely complain about the ledge.  and don't forget to tell the manager "Thank heavens it was not a hot drink and that no one was injured by flying glass... and by the way you owe me for the White Russian and the shirt!" How foolish can this place be to have a set up like that?  There shouldn't be tables overhanging the patrons below!

[emwithme]

He was just glad he wasn't this guy

(This may also have a place in the gross-out thread  )

[Deetee]

Ok it's nice that you apologized and bought him a drink and paid for the shirt. That's great. But somehow I felt a little bit squirmy reading your description. It was an accident. You did what you could to make up for it and then I think you need to leave it alone.

I don't know how this actually took place, but I know that after someone does something to me and apologises and I accept that, I don't want to be reminded of that or make the apologee uncomfortable.  I basically want the person to forget it.

[gramma dishes]

I have had wine spilled on me or I've spilled a drop or two on myself and it has always washed out very easily.   Seems much better that it was a shirt, not a dry clean only item like a suit.

The worst part for him was probably the discomfort of having to sit through an event with a thoroughly drenched, slightly sticky shirt.   I really think you went above and beyond.  Now just forget about it, unless you want to talk with the manager of the venue.

[Surianne]

I agree that you did everything you needed to, and like Deetee said, it's probably best to not dwell on it too much or your apology will be more annoying that the original wine spill    Glad to hear the guy took it well!

I'm having trouble picturing what's wrong with the table setup, but if you do think it's unsafe (you mentioned a few other spills at nearby tables -- are the tables very narrow or uneven, maybe?) I think it's worth giving management a heads up. 

[QueenofAllThings]

Look at it this way - you gave him a funny story to tell.

[Ceallach]

I think you did everything you could in an awkward situation.   I'm glad he was nice and didn't get mad at you!     

If it helps, I also had a mortifying situation on Saturday, so I'll share too!     Not quite as bad though.

I was shopping in a homeware store, and looking at some baking trays.    Next to me a shop assistant was standing talking to a couple who sounded like mad keen bakers/chefs based on what type of products etc they were discussing (not eavesdropping but it was hard not to overhear).     The female customer was crouched down with her back to me looking through some items, while her male companion was standing opposite facing me as the three conversed.    I had taken some trays off the shelf to look at, decided they weren't suitable, and put them back on the shelf - exactly where I'd gotten them from.  Unfortunately for me, it turns out that they'd actually been on the edge of a shelf e.g. hanging off the edge so were only half supported.

So as I placed them onto the shelf, the pile of heavy baking trays fell off the shelf and onto the head of the other customer!   I tried to grab them but wasn't fast enough.   This poor lady had a pile of trays rain down onto her head without warning (remember her back was to me!) as myself, the male customer and shop assistant scrambled to grab them.    I was terrified she'd been hurt but fortunately it was no harm done.   Her partner ended up making a joke to lighten the situation and we all moved on after extensive apologising on my part, and the shop assistant decided those trays would be better stored on the bottom shelf.    They were heavy trays, and although I had no way of knowing they'd been put in a terrible location, I felt quite guilty about it.  Thank goodness they were nice!!  (Just to note, I hadn't reached over the ladies head to get the trays, I was standing in front of the shelf, but the edge they were hanging off was towards her meaning when they fell they fell directly onto her even though I hadn't reached over her head).    Ick.  These things just happen sometimes, all we can hope for is that people are understanding. 

[RegionMom]

Hey, you can spill wine on me if you will re-buy my shirt and buy me a nice drink!

[sparksals]

I agree that you did everything you needed to, and like Deetee said, it's probably best to not dwell on it too much or your apology will be more annoying that the original wine spill    Glad to hear the guy took it well!

I'm having trouble picturing what's wrong with the table setup, but if you do think it's unsafe (you mentioned a few other spills at nearby tables -- are the tables very narrow or uneven, maybe?) I think it's worth giving management a heads up.

Think of a semi-circle with three rows of seating, much like an outdoor amphitheatre, with the stage in front.  Wait!  I found a pic:





The seating is behind these two people.  The red are the 'tables'.  Not really able to tell, but on front and back of the red is a lip or a ledge about an inch high, presumably to prevent drinks from sliding off.  Instead, they get tripped by both the ledges. 

[BeagleMommy]

Ugh, fortunately the only time I've seen this happen was at home when DS was holding a bowl of whipped cream over DH's head.  He had seen this done with whipped egg whites and thought it would remain in the bowl.  It didn't and hilarity ensued.

OP I think you did everything right.  You apologized, paid to replace the shirt and bought him a drink.  If you want, since you mentioned other spills, you might write to the venue management and tell them about what happened.

[O'Dell]

Yeah that's just asking for trouble. The one club I was in that had seating like that had a rail on the ledge to keep drinks from falling off.

[RegionMom]

Sparksals,

thanks for the photo, but now I keep looking at the guy who sprouted pale alien ear wings!  lol