Hearing people suck (well not really)

Hearing co-workers doesn't suck. They only sucks when you have a problem with them and in any case, it is a few out of millions of people in USA. Anyway, I did have some a little bad experiences at Books A Millions in Sawgrass Mills Mall. I was covering the front desk at the Customer Service and this older lady came up and asked a question. I couldn't hear her and asked her to repeat it. She did and I still couldn't understand the hell she was saying. Mind you, this store was playing some annoying music and I could hear the traffic inside the mall. Anyhow, she had the nerved to yelled at me and I was taken back. I got heated and said, "I don't know", like that was the answer to her question. She walked away and I went about my business. Couple more of this incidents wasn't as bad at this one. I started givig notes and pencils to customers and it helped a lot. Then one day, the phone rang. I looked around and saw that I was the only one on the floor besides the cashier at the register ringing up mad sales with a long line at the front area. So I go ahead and pick it up and forgot what to say but the person went ahead and asked me if this store was Books A Million. I said yeah and asked her what she wants. She wanted to know if her reserved book order was available and I had no idea what to do so I put her on hold and forgot about it because some customers came up to my desk asking for assistance. My boss found out what I did later on and told me that next time the phone rings, transfer the call to her in her office. Umm, like I know how to do that too. I wasn't going to anyway, just let the phone keep ringing like I'm busy with something else. They cannot hold it against me cuz I'm hearing impaired. Eventually, I ended up quitting that place because something came up and I could longer work there.

I used to work at Motorola, Kay Bees Toys, Toy R Us, some cd factory which made dvds and cds, and at a printing company. Out of all those jobs including the ones I didn't mention (because I don't remember them unless I bring up my old resumes and paystubs), all bosses and co-workers didn't treat me any different than the hearing so I was thankful for that. Currently, I'm working in a deaf environment and definitely won't expect any special treatment at my job. Darn it!
 
Hello All

Hello Everyone,

:angel: My name is Michelle Ann. I am hearing. I agree with all of you. Some hearing people do suck. I don't pretend to know what deaf people go thru. I will never know but I have many deaf friends who I love so much. I have had the misfortune to see some of my friends descriminated against. I don't tolerate that! I like that deaf people are different (in a good way) I learn from my deaf freinds about their culture and they learn from me about my hearing culture. I am currently an ASL student at Deltech. I am also involved with my church's sign language choir. One of my school assignments was to put earplugs in my ear and be deaf for 8 hours so that we could get a very small example of what it is like to be deaf. I had people shouting at me thinking I was going to hear better. I experienced the bad looks. I know where you are coming from
 
One of the main reason why I don't work in Retail or anything releate to customer services. But you encounter people like that all the time, that chose to be ignorant. What I do is act stupid and crazy and it's just freak them out. I have a good laugh about it later.
 
pinkster said:
I dont know how many of you know that I work for a bead store, which means i work in retail. I may not work on the sales floor but I am required to go up on it to restock stuff that I process. yada yada yada

*huffs* :D
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I know how you feel. It's pretty same as me. At bright side, I do know plenty customers who are understandable and nice or know basic sign language. Forget about rude customers. Think of them as low fellow. :D
 
Levonian said:
I have a couple of friends who are hearing and fluent in ASL. They like to go into Denny’s and pretend they’re deaf. Some of the comments they get are hilarious - like the little kid who asked his mother "mommy, what are they doing?", and the mother replied "shhh! They’re deaf—don’t stare". Another was a moron trucker who asked the waitress "what the hell are they doing over there?" The waitress replied "I don’t know—I think they’re deaf". And the trucker replied "well, it looks stupid to me".

These are the retarded ones.
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they are very asshole and no respect the world different races or hearing status.
 
knightwolf68 said:
also, one funny story but true story it has happen to me ... I was so :jaw: about these situations ... here is the little story (probaly longer one jk)

one of my friend and I decided drive over to their friends house which that young lady who is 24 years old and live with her parents. She does have a job at Wal Mart but her parents has to come and go pick her up or drop her off ... anyway , I just discovered that her mother is school board for deaf programs in rochester, Mn. somehow, that mother brought up about deaf cultures ... and It make me wonder about her (young lady) and decide to ask her mother why that lady doesn't drive ??? her mother said ohhh She can't drive because she have left eye blind which law said it has to be 20/20. i was like :wtf: and told her that she is totally wrong ... She can drive with one good eye as long as she know what is right or wrong way to do the drive and fellow the law . and She said nono u just misunderstand what i said ... She can't drive with that left eye blind ... i was fed up wit hher and pull out my drive lic and show her and show her my eye that i have one left eye blind too ... and showed her the different size between left and right ... She was like :jaw: and said It is against the law ... I said no no it is legal !!! wanna bet ??? she said no no u sound like serious ... i wouldn't take that bet with u ... I said sure it is free bet then ?? she took deal with it .. and take her daughter to MVD center and they let her take test etc .. and she just pass the test ... and she got permit lic ... she was so happy and look for me and jump and give me a huge hugs and tell me a huge THANKS !!!!! and her mother come and apology to me for not believe my story .. but they said they feel much better to let her drive than having stress and tight schedule with errands etc ... they took me out to the supper ... Glad that everything work out for her ... I told her mother if she have any questions about deaf community ... please feel free to ask round deaf peoples they would be more than happy to answer to ur questions so she did ... and guess what ??? i heard that deaf programs got somewhat improvement due to that aware to be developed !
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I am applused on you suppoort on sweeti girl to become better driver .
 
RosesNY said:
Another thing... I totally hate.... My family always makes me so mad. I have to say... I have like 30 relatives in a house.. Im from a BIG family. When I sit down with my mom and aunts around the table.. I can follow the conversation but sometime 2 people talk at the same time..I'm like Mom, what did she said? Mom would be like "Tell ya later" I'm like NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! :mad: OR She would be tellin me HALF of the story...or like I ask my cousin Sarah what they were talkin about...she'd be like don't worry about it... it's nothing important. So I just leave the room sick of my family of being insensitive. I always felt left out of everybody's conversations. OR Don't you hate it when you are talkin to your hearing relatives or friends about anything, their eyes are lookin at something else.. not directly to your eyes... I don't know about you guys, but It's HARD for me to talk when I know their eyes are elsewhere and it makes me feel they are not listening!!! I get that ALL the time. GGRRRRRR :booty: Kiss my butt!


It Happen to me many many time with my family I give it up not ask them anymore cuz they been do the same thing to me they always telling me that i am NOSY i am not ggeezz that why i don;t ask then amymore and i been not talk to my other family cuz of that. One thing i hate when they make me feel i am a little girl i been not see them for a while oh well
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yeah I do feel same as you, i have alot of experience loacking of communcation with family. they are shitty to me sometimes.
 
in my expereince when I was working with graphic company. Many people always come here in my office while my boss was away, they ask me where is my boss. I told them she is not avaibale for a day and I ask them may I help you? they said never mind and left. what a asshole rude I ever see. I was angry myself but I have ot postive myself.
 
My experince

Pinkster, scuba, others..
I undy how you feel working at a retail place where sometimes customers being rude, it happens to me too. I used to help out at a school store, I do various types of jobs like stocking, cashier, etc.... Sometimes students and parents are being rude like they kept on talking after I pointed my ears, told that I am deaf!!!, if they can't put up with me, I just got my other co workers to deal with them. Sometimes they are nice, willing to write down paper and pad that the store provided. Sometimes I had hard time deal with so many customers like during basketball game and homecoming football game. good thing is that sometimes when store isn't busy, my friends came up and chat to keep me company.

Other time when I work on political campaigns. Sometimes people can be rude, and I was asked to run state fair booth sometimes when I am alone, many people like wanted my attention at once, I gesture like "hold on" or "one moment" sometimes they got impatient and left. I remember when I started working on my friend's US Senate campaign, when they hired a volunteer coordinator, she was really rude and mean. She wouldn't communicate with me, refuse to let me know whats going on, refuse to cooperate with volunteers like me, ignore what we want, acted like a jerk, so I decided to go to her boss, volunteer superviosr, he warned her and had to tell her to be nice to me and everyone. Thank god he did something, if he didn't, I would go to campaign manager and my friend, Norm. I told my volunteer super, if he didn't do anything about that, I would go tell campaign manager and Norm and I would quit and go work for Paul (Norm's opponet), so he gluped, and did what I told him to. Now I and that woman are friend, we apoligized to eachother... sometimes people you work with are mean, later on being friends, depends on people...
 
hehe

:dizzy: sorry you all have so many problems with hearing peopl. I am hearing and know asl. Im in high school and everything, as a joke i went into mars music store and only signed to people. Some one said oh shes stupid, another guy said no shes deaf, then they looked at each other and said whats the difference? i wanted to smack them. But it was ironic because mars music is well for musical instrments and music related stuff, and they had no clue why i was in there. On came to me and tryed a wacky version of sign language which almost made me laugh, he was throwing his arms up pointing to things in the store and acted like i was 5 years old in disneyland. One of my friends came in who is also hearing, and he knows me for how i am ( i like joking) and i signed to him, he signed back, i told him dont talk just sign and watch that guy. we had a blast bugging them, we got them to take a guitar down from a shelf to test it with vibrations and stuff, the guy was so confused. then after we were done having our fun a hour later, we turned to the two guys and said were not deaf, and anyways watch what you say, deaf people are not at all stupid, only you are for saying that. The guys mouths :jaw: dropped open in shock. But i think it was all funny. But i also got the idea of how real deaf people are really treated in stores =/ so i feel you all.


Meemee
 
I love those ‘hearing people playing Deaf’ stories—they always crack me up. Hearing people are so insidiously stupid. When they see two people signing in public, doesn’t it ever occur to them that maybe one of them is Deaf and the other one is their terp?
 
I've had experiences with rude hearing people....

I used to work in a resturant and one of the waitress called off work so my boss asked me if I could waitress the dinning room until he find a replacement for that evening so I stayed overtime and helped out....When I took the table of the two old couples I had a very hard time understanding them because they kept looking down by reading the menu which I'm stand by the table trying to move my head to catch what they're saying so I said to them ' Pardon me, I can't hear you because I'm deaf can you please talk slowly and look up '?....And they end up looking at eachothers and asked me if there was another waitress that they can talk to? And I said in a nice way ' I'm sorry but that person called off and I'm here to take your order '....They just sat there and then a few minutes later , They said ' No Thanks, we are going somewhere else'..They just got up and left the resturant....I just couldn't believe it!...

This is not the first time I've had my share of rude customers or hearing people ....Some places where I go , They just couldn't handle talking to a deaf person...Or have to be soo rude to people who simply can not hear.....

It's sad that people have to be like this way!.....Image them being 'deaf or hard of hearing' How would it feel if it happen to them?...I'm sure they wouldn't like to be treat like this at all.....Either do WE! :roll:
 
dont get mad, but customers are usually rude in general. I have hearing friends that work in mall or restaurants.....they tell me stories.......
 
I started working when I was 16. I had various jobs that allowed me to interact with customers. I never had a problem with hearing people. In my four years of retail, there were only two customers that really got my pulse racing.
One was an oriental man, english was obviously his second language. My manager couldn't understand him at all and she is hearing, so she begged me to take his order. I filled out his order, and gave it to him. He then starts screaming at me ..."N I, N I, N I!!!!" and I was like "What?" and I paused and realized he was saying "No Ice". So I apologized and remade his drink without ice, and proceed to put the whipped cream on, and gave it back to him. He slamed the drink back on the counter and screamed, "N ICK, N ICK!!" I got so frustrated and said, "You ordered an Iced Cappuccino!, next time instead of yelling at me, make a special request to eliminate the ice and whipped cream. Scrape the whipped cream off, because I am NOT making you another one." I didn't give him a chance to respond, I turned around and headed for the back room. My manager burst out laughing, and told me that he treated all our employees that way. Except me, I got the "nice" treatment, because I was the only one that could actually understand his order.

The second incident was an ignorant family. The father placed a large order, but for some reason I just couldn't understand him. I thought it was me, and explained that I was hearing impaired so I would need him to speak up. His nine year old daughter, said "Oh great, a stupid deafie." The father and mother laughed and agreed. I stood there in absolute shock, because it was the first time I ever heard something like that. I could feel my eyes welling up, so I excused myself. I approached "Lisa" another employee and had her take the family's order. My boss, noticed that I seemed upset and came to the staff room to talk to me. I explained what happened, and she said that it wasn't me.. the father had a severe speech impediment, and that "Lisa" was having a hard time too. So I decided to go back and help her. The two of us, together were able to complete their order. When I passed it to him, I said, "I didn't appreciate your daughter's comment, also keep in mind I may be deaf, but at least I can talk." I know that was mean to say, but I was young and very defensive.
 
God, I can relate to those stories too - but I feel as if I have been luckier not to expereince much discrimination. I live in Australia, and most people are all really understanding over here...

My mechanism is like this. Someone says something and I don't hear what they've said - I usually say:

"I'm so sorry, I didn't hear what you said, can you say that again?" but I say it really really nicely, like no matter who they are , I really want to help them, or know what they said.

I usually get it on the second go, but if I dont hear it then, I say "I'm actually quite deaf - I have hearing aids, could you speak a little more clearly?"

More often than not, they are surprised that I am deaf, and say "Really? How interesting: and want to know how I deal with it - I ALWAYS love to tell them what it is like - I try to make it something that starts a conversation.

Usually they are so impressed by the way I can cope without sound, and say "Wow, you do really well,"

I worked in a clothes shop for ages - about three years actaully - and I used to get SO stressed out using the phone, or having to hear in a shop with loud music pumping out of the speakers...

I totally understand where everyone is coming from.

Do you find it interesting though, that we deafies also get really impatient with people who don't speak the way we want them to speak, so that we can hear? I know that if my mum doesnt speak so I can hear her, I ignore her, which pisses her off.

Also, if a customer speaks in a grumbly low, mumbly voice, I would get SO irritated, and would not even try to help them.

Worst thins that ever happened to me was going for a Job trial at a really trendy clothes shop in Sydney, where they had the music pumping and everything. The manager interviewed me, loved me, and said ok, have a trial.

I was ready to go thinking "I can do this - I will just have to ask everyone to repeat themselves.." The music was BLASTING, and she started to give me istrucitons, like "Stay down the front of the store, look out for shoplifters"

I did so, but when a customer asked me for something, I walked back up to ask the manager where it was.

She screamed at me "Didint I tell you to stay at the front of the store?" and then she said something else, but I was so distressed, I wasnt hearing properly, so I didnt know what she was saying, and she yeled at me,

"Are you deaf?" and I was freaking out, I just went back down the front of the store...

Then, she got angry at me again, for something (Im serious I had only been there like 20 minutes), I couldnt understand what she was saying, and she was geting really pissed off - and I felt like crying, and aso I took her out the back, and began to cry as I said to her, "Look I dont think I can do this - I've got hearing aids and the music is too loud and its too stressful".

She looked at me like she couldnt believe it - she was stunned. And she said, well, why didnt you tell me before?

And I said , "well, Im sorry - its not something that I find I have to tell people usually..... I just really need to get out of here."

And I ran out crying, sobbing, weeping, because I felt like I could never get a job. I walked down that main street crying so hard, people were staring at me with pity on their faces, they had no idea what I had just been through. I felt like killing myself.
:cry:

But I am much better now - that was two years ago - I now have a job in a Media Company in the city, much better job than that one was.

Its hard to be deaf in a hearing world, but the pain that comes from it makes me so much more of a good person - I never ever judge anyone. If someone doesnt see me, doesnt hear me, ignores me, acts strangely - I never think "Oh weirdo", I always think - "I wonder why they did that? perhaps deaf, blind, schizophrenic, problems at home, stress?"

There is always a reason for something.

Anyway, thats my story. I feel a bit sad now. :cry:
 
stuntchic said:
There is always a reason for something.

Anyway, thats my story. I feel a bit sad now. :cry:
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:grouphug: I guess everyone learns from situations they go through. It sucks that we have to suffer a little to learn and teach other people what it's like to be us. Dont be sad! :ily:
 
RosesNY said:
Another thing... I totally hate.... My family always makes me so mad. I have to say... I have like 30 relatives in a house.. Im from a BIG family. When I sit down with my mom and aunts around the table.. I can follow the conversation but sometime 2 people talk at the same time..I'm like Mom, what did she said? Mom would be like "Tell ya later" I'm like NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! :mad: OR She would be tellin me HALF of the story...or like I ask my cousin Sarah what they were talkin about...she'd be like don't worry about it... it's nothing important. So I just leave the room sick of my family of being insensitive. I always felt left out of everybody's conversations. OR Don't you hate it when you are talkin to your hearing relatives or friends about anything, their eyes are lookin at something else.. not directly to your eyes... I don't know about you guys, but It's HARD for me to talk when I know their eyes are elsewhere and it makes me feel they are not listening!!! I get that ALL the time. GGRRRRRR :booty: Kiss my butt!


It Happen to me many many time with my family I give it up not ask them anymore cuz they been do the same thing to me they always telling me that i am NOSY i am not ggeezz that why i don;t ask then amymore and i been not talk to my other family cuz of that. One thing i hate when they make me feel i am a little girl i been not see them for a while oh well
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I have been in that kind of situation too. Right now, I'm living with four hearing roommates. One girl always seems irritated when I ask her to repeat. She has said 'nevermind' to me for many times. Of course, roommates leave me out during conversation, unless I ask them what they are talking about. Oh well, that's life..heh.
 
pinkster said:
I dont know how many of you know that I work for a bead store, which means i work in retail. I may not work on the sales floor but I am required to go up on it to restock stuff that I process.

Now, I have been here at my job for a year and almost 4 months. In that period of time I've experienced people being rude to me (for fact that I am deaf) minimally.

Rude customer number 1 - This happened some oh say about 2 or 3 months after i started working. I was putting stuff away as usual, and i didnt realize a customer was standing right next to me (i was sitting down.) I looked up and I said "Oh! Im sorry, Im deaf....." *customer walks away* "if you could repeat what you said while looking at me i may be able to read your lips and eventually help you, but no you had to go and be a bitch and walk away from me." Naturally she was gone by then but I was SO mad.

Rude customer number 2 - Last week a co-worker (Jayne) brought a customer to me, since Jayne didnt know how to answer her question and she knew I would. This lady, was an absolute bitch. Jayne let her know that I am deaf so she'd need to look at me when she talked, and all of the sudden it was as if i was a fucking little kid. She asked me the same question like 3 or 4 times and I gave her the proper answer the first time, and said the exact same thing each other time. Only because what I said was true. "We do not carry this color in that size, only the size you see it as." *huffs* After they left, Jayne came up and apologized, she said she knew the woman was a bitch but didnt think she'd be that bad. She said its stupid that people talk down to me like that, and I told her it happens often, but not to a point where I actually care.

Rude customer(s) number 3 - The same week as rude customer #2, there were 2 ladies in my manager's department looking for stuff, and again, I was restocking. Bad lady number one asked me a question, and I replied with my standard line (i didnt understand her) which is "Im sorry, Im deaf, could you repeat that for me one more time, a little more clearly?" And *bam* I didnt exist to her. It was as if i never said anything, never stood there for 10 mins holding a lot of junk in my hands for the store, or even said anything. I flamed, and then went back to restocking. Bad lady number 2 (who was only like 3 feet away from me when i repeated my standard line) asked me a question, and proceeded to talk around me, not at me. I repeated my line, and she looked at me as if i was retarded. Then she just talked to me as if i was 5 years old. I gave up, walked to the register, got a post-it note and wrote to my co-workers - "those customers over by the seed beads are BITCHES. They were rude to me just because i said im deaf." And then I said i was going to leave my junk there and go downstairs before i blew a fuse and yelled. I came back 10 mins later, and bad lady #1 tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to pull something off the wall for her because she's short. I willingly obliged.

Now, thats the end of that. But dont you hate it when hearing people are like that? I can talk as clearly as the next person, and hell, i work on the sales floor sometimes, but only sporadically. I am an able bodied human, i function well in almost any situation, i can walk, i can interact with other people (with difficulty or not, doesnt matter), I can read, i can write, im NOT RETARDED.

*huffs* :D
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lol.. it happened to me few people don't want my help when tehy see i'm deaf.. when they walk away I wud say something behind their back but really I never let it get to me.. cuz i had been workin at that place for almost 4 years.. :roll: 2nd of all.. I don't understand why some co-workers think I'm stupid when I shop too much but I finally cut down on shopping cuz I realized it's not worth it.. i should save $$$ for something important but sure I won't give up on buying lipsticks mind u jammie heh.. :mrgreen: anyways.. don't let it get to u just act nothing happen but sure I do have some good and bad days but I still show up for work anyways.
 
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They stuck me on the sales floor at Toys R Us last Halloween...I had finished my usual tasks and they were short handed in the Halloween costume section. The manager asked me to help sort the costumes, hang them up, match the stray masks to the appropriate cloths...

Little did I know that a customer was trying to get my attention from across the aisle. She was basically asking questions to the back of my head. I guess my not hearing her pissed her off - because then she got into my face and said, "Excuse me? Do you speak English?"

I was dumbfounded. Pissed off, too. I mean, how nasty can people be? Yeah, I work there and yes, it's my job to help customers, but come on, how many retail store employees purposely ignore customers? But anyways...as pissed as I was, I replied, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I DO. Is there something I could possibly assist you with?"

"Do you have any Batman costumes?" She asks. She did have a slight bit of an attitude, too.

"Well, I'm not sure." I replied, "But there's a nice big pile of mis-matched costumes in that corner behind you. You're more than welcome to dig through there and see what you come up with." (My way of saying :madfawk: bitch!)

Can't let these things get you down...those times that don't kill us only make us stronger. :)

Malfoyish
 
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