How would you have dealt with this?

[tennesseeflags]

I am still embarrassed. Went out with DH and DCs to ikea and decided to have lunch there. One very loaded heavy tray (inc. drinks) and v crowded restaurant, DH went to get cutlery leaving me to find a table and I fell over a stray child mine.

Tripped, tray flew out of my hands and smashed on the floor. Complete mess of food: cottage pie everywhere, desserts, coke, the lot. Noisy, packed restaurant went SILENT (no joke) apart from my wailing kids.

What would you have done?

I used to work in IKEA- trust me when I say staff there have seen it all and will not be phased. For example, I once found that someone had 'used' the toilet in one of the living room roomsets. Lovely.

What you should have said was "sorry, sorry, sorry" to everyone and no one in particular (in a sort of fumbling, deeply embarrassed Hugh Grant Four Weddings and a Funeral way) and asked the nearest member of staff for something to clear it up with.

What nearest member of staff should then immediately have done (if they hadn't already) is steer you away from the carnage (you'll only make it worse )and clear it up. Management really don't want you to start clearing up broken crockery and glass.

I vividly remember slipping in the school dining hall 30 years ago aged 12 and landing in a twisted heap with my dinner all over me. Even more shaming than feeling all eyes were on me was that my favourite young male teacher who I had a crush on was the one who came to my aid . For some reason I can't quite explain I felt the need to rub my ankle and feign a limp . I was steered straight to the front of the queue for a replacement dinner and I assume the dinner ladies /caretaker cleared up.

Did I tell you this was 30 years ago and I can remember the awful embarrassment as clear as anything!

Not that I am saying you'll remember this is 30 years time OP oh yes you will

have some

and never go there again

I didn't have food at the time, but as a student I worked in a supermarket, and after close we would wheel the recyclable waste to the warehouse in a big container to the compacting machine. I remember leaning on the container the wrong way whilst pushing it, going right over it and literally lying there amongst the recyclables, legs straight up in the air. The only people around were the guys who worked in the warehouse, and to their credit every one of them rushed over to help me up... and I couldn't even move because I was in absolute hysterics at my own stupidity. That was probably worse than the actual event itself!

In future though, have a laugh about it if you can. These things happen so may as well get some amusement out of it, no matter how embarrassed you are!

I do this stuff all the time. I would have calmly found the nearest member of staff and asked for help and apologised. Then got more food. You just brazen it out. Accidents happen and most people understand that. People lose interest when they realise you don't give a shit what they think!!

I used to work in IKEA- trust me when I say staff there have seen it all and will not be phased. For example, I once found that someone had 'used' the toilet in one of the living room roomsets. Lovely.

What the actual fuck??

Hopefully you got security cameras so you could plaster them on the doors to shame them.

Yes, DH works in the food industry and can tell some grim bathroom stories.