Okay, I just got bit for the second time and I was wondering if this
is a fluke or something that happens often enough that it should be
planned for.

Twice I've bought Minwax Helmsman finish, gotten it home, applied it
to a wood project only to discover the can was mislabeled.
Specifically I bought satin and what was in the can was semi gloss or
gloss.

It's a royal pain to correct. Seems to me that you pretty much have
to sand back down to wood and start over with the staining.

Was I just unlucky to get mislabeled product from them twice (not
sequentially)? Should I always do a couple of test runs on scrap wood
and expect a couple return trips to the hardware store first?

Thanks
Mark