I was on a business trip with a co-worker, and we had some downtime in between meetings. She wanted to hit the local stores, so I tagged along. The shops were more of the high end variety, so in each one, she cruised the clearance rack. She was a lovely older woman who had recently lost a lot of weight, and in one store, the sales person decided to bring her clothes to try on, and not from the clearance rack. My co-worker obliged her, and when she came out of the fitting room, I could see she was uncomfortable, b/c this outfit was skin tight, extremely short, and really something inclined for a much younger person to wear. Not to mention way out of her budget, but she had some self esteem issues, so she probably would have bought the outfit just to not be rude!
Not w/me around. I complimented her on how great her shape looks, and how I (at least 25 years younger), could never pull that off, go you! She smiled, and whispered that she didn't know what she'd wear it to. I conceded the point and said that perhaps she should look at something that she felt more comfortable in. I saw the look of relief come over her face, when the sales person stepped in and said she'd find something to wear it to, she really should buy it! I looked around, and of course, we were the only people in the store. I told the sales person that it was my co-worker's choice, and she wanted to look at something else, thank you. The sales person sneered at me, and said that my fashion advice wasn't helping her. I was shocked, and I called her out on it. EXCUSE ME? You are being very RUDE! She asked my opinion and I gave it to her. It's none of your business. The sales person continued on w/this horrible sales tactic, informing me that she used to design clothes for a living, and that my simple, floral dress was way too long for my frame (it was knee length), and commented on the elastic at the sleeves were horrible design, b/c they cut off my arms. I laughed, b/c this is one of those dresses that I always got complimented on every time I wore it. She continued on w/her tirade of criticism, and I finally cut her off and said that I don't think she'll be earning any commissions if her strategy is to insult people and what they are wearing. She sneered and said something about all the sales she makes, and I looked around at the still empty store and said I could see that, given by the line of people out the door to see her.
My poor co-worker was horrified, so she quickly changed back into her regular clothes, and we left that store, and had a good laugh about it. Not shockingly, by the time we went back there for another trip 6 months later, the store was out of business.