To Comment or Not to Comment?
June 30th, 2008
No, I’m not talking about leaving comments on my webpage, though comments are always appreciated. 
Instead, I’m talking about whether or not you would interject in a random person’s conversation if you overheard them talking about something that you knew about?
I’ve always had this thought during the times that I’ve been in stores where the sales person is trying to make a sale and telling the customer all sorts of stuff. Usually, the sales person is it in for themselves, trying to make a sale, with the customer not really knowing what they’re looking for. If you hear the sales person saying something like “Getting this item will really make things better,” and you know that for the most part, that item won’t really do anything to help the customer, do you step in and give advice to the random stranger about to be duped? Or do you just laugh to yourself, and think that you know better, then keep walking?
What if let’s say you’re at a restaurant eating, and you overhear the table next to you and you hear one person tell the person their eating with something that’s completely wrong and you know it’s wrong. The person listening doens’t seem like they know it’s wrong, so they believe what they’re hearing. Do you offer your own comments, of course in a nice manner?
I’ve typically stayed quiet figuring that for the most part it’s not my place to make a comment. But maybe I should be commenting in the future? What do you do? Do you pass on your knowledge or do you keep quiet not knowing the other people? 
Leave a comment and let me know! 
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Commenting is a delicate art. At times, commenting will reward you with a very grateful, better-off-because-of-your-comment person; other times, you may wish you had held your tongue.
I’ve got a big mouth and I don’t always think before I speak. For an indecisive person, I’ve got a lot of opinions. I also like to help people because I know I would be grateful if someone helped me!
For the situations you mention above, I would almost always comment to the customer if the sales person had given bad advice (usually after the sales person steps away). “Actually, those jeans don’t look that great on you, but that shirt does!” (Yeah, I’ve got a lot of gall.) “No, I have some of those _____ at home and I don’t like them because of 1, 2, and 3.”
For the restaurant comment… that depends. If advice is given by their friend, I would be less inclined to offer my two cents unless it is positive. Why would they listen to a stranger more than their friend, whom they trust. If I hear bad advice from the one friend, I would never negate that advice. (Especially if I’ll be sitting at the next table for the next hour.) I might offer another suggestion that I know is great. Also at a restaurant, it is hard to tell since the comment receiver may not be picky about food… or may be very picky about food, which only the friend would know about. Of course, if it is food definitions that you’re talking about, I would interject and correct the definition so both of them would learn something.
It also depends on the weight of the comment you want to make. If there’s big consequence, like wasted money or sickness, etc… I would always make the comment. Why let them go through something if they don’t have to? If there’s little consequence “That’s not spicy, you can eat it.” she may just have to withstand a spicy meal… ick.
As for comments in the vein of compliments, you should ALWAYS offer them. =) I am constantly telling strangers “That’s a nice tie.” or “That shirt looks good on you.” Compliments are always appreciated and brighten people’s days.
Comment by maggie — 7/12/08 @ 2:20 pm