(I have dyscalculia. I think I’m doing a pretty good job dealing with money, though, until one day, I get a handful of cheap items and end up with forty dollars on my screen.)
Me: *flags down attendant* This doesn’t look right.
Attendant: …Well, I have a calculator. *pulls it out and adds it up again*
Me: …I have dyscalculia. Sorry about that.
Attendant: Don’t worry about it. Have a great day!
(At least he was nice about it!)
(I’m a customer in line for a midnight premiere showing of a movie featuring a lot of violence. The movie has some notoriety because a little girl says a particularly bad word in one scene. The movie features superheroes, however, and one family has mistaken it for a kid-friendly movie.)
Cashier: “Ma’am, I can’t recommend you seeing this movie with your kids.” *gestures to two kids in superhero Halloween costumes* “It’s rated R, and isn’t appropriate for them.”
Mom: “I raise my kids right. I pay your salary. They’ll see what we want. It’s just pretend superheroes, like Spider-Man and s***!”
Me: “Ma’am, I’ve read the comic book; it’s really gory and bloody. You might want to look it up first, just in case.”
Mom: “F*** you!”
(In the opening scene of the movie, a deranged man in a bird costume jumped from a roof, and splatted into the ground. This woman immediately stood up and paraded her kids and husband out. Over an hour-and-a-half later as we left, she was still yelling at the ticket guy. Poor ticket guy.)
A friend of mine had never stayed in a hotel before, so she didn’t know how everything worked. Instead of calling the front desk, she stopped an employee in the hall to ask him a question.
Friend: Hey, who do you call to order room service?
Employee: … Room Service.
Me: *gives standard greeting* “How may I direct your call?”
Customer: “Hello, do you sell tampons? My dog is bleeding everywhere.”
Me: “If your dog is bleeding that badly, maybe you should take her to the vet?”
Customer: “She’s fine; she’s just in heat. Now, do you sell tampons or not?”
Me: “Well, yes, w—”
Customer: *cuts me off* “All right! I’ll be there in a bit! Thanks!” *hangs up*
(I am a business professional, and I am a woman. I am sent to a business conference in Reno, Nevada. I am not much of a gambler, but I wander around the casino while others gamble. We are all dressed for the conference, in suits and professional clothing. I decide to play some slots just a little to pass the time, and I need cash. I go to the teller window to cash a check. This is our conversation:)
Me: “Hello. I’d like to cash a check for $40 please.”
Teller: “Tell me you’re a housewife.”
Me: “Why would I tell you that I’m a housewife, when I am not?”
Teller: “Because you’re a woman. If you tell me you’re a housewife, I will assume your husband will cover this check.”
Me: “…”
Teller: “If you don’t tell me you are a housewife, I will have to ask for all kinds of ID to make sure you can cover the check.”
Me: “So, this casino would trust a fictitious husband to cover this check, but not the professional woman who is here in person.”
Teller: “Yes.”
Me: “…”
