The customer stood there with her mouth half open. You could almost see the steam coming out of her ears.
Words are powerful.
They can hurt or soothe. Some combination of words creates an immediate negative reaction or image for the receiver of the communication. When my brother and I would be throwing verbal volleys at each other, my mother would frequently remind us of Thumper's comment to Flower in Bambi. If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all. We can hurt our customers and potential customers or have them walk away happy and glad they came into our establishment simply by using words with a positive twist.