This happened to me years ago when I worked at ASDA, the UK brand of Walmart. The town had a high percentage of polish and Portuguese immigrants, which is a key factor in this story.

We had a worker in our section (let’s call him J) who was deaf and was practically mute except for the occasional mumble. He mostly communicated with us using hand signals and we had it down.

If a customer approached him, he could usually understand what they needed through lip reading and hearing aids and lead them to the product and point at it. If he couldn’t understand the customer, or felt they needed more verbal interaction he’d lead them to one of us and tap our shoulder.

So this day, I get a tap from J. I acknowledge him and address the customer.

Customer: “bless him, I suppose he’s probably foreign and can’t understand me (laughs)”

Me: “actually madam he’s deaf and cant talk back to you, so he’s brought you to me for further help”

Customer’s face drains… she feels embarrassed she’s made a potentially xenophobic comment and actually it was someone with a disability. Double hit.

Customer:” oh my god… I didn’t mean it to sound that way, I just presumed…”

I assured her it was fine, I was just making her sweat – she clearly wasn’t actually xenophobic, she was just making conversation with me and chose her icebreaker poorly. We had a good chuckle and I sent her on her way with what she needed (and a smile!)

I use a cane to get around and i attend a rather competitive program. But, I’m also poor. Because food takes priority over guuchi jackets and hand bags, I wear the same things I have worn since high school. While things will be looking up soon, I have to finish to get free of poverty.

I’m sitting in an area of campus with a coffee shop and seating. I usually study here. The coffee shop employees know me well since I always sit there to study and chat and get caffeine.

On this day the janitor is doing a once through of the place and we were chatting. He gets a call from his boss and he leaves his stuff on my table with permission. I’m drinking coffee reading.

Some freshmen comes in with clearly “daddy bought me my life I earned” Clothing. Despite the actual wet floor sign being there she ignores it, almost slips, drops her iPhone.

She immediately is furious. Looks right at me. “Maybe you should finish before you take a break and dry the floor.” And just walks passed me in a huff.

“I’m all for hiring special needs people but holy shit at least make sure they do the job and are not taking advantage of the generosity”.

She says it loud enough that all the employees here it.

When she gets up to the counter she says “can you believe that?! Is he new?!”

Employee: that’s not our employee . That’s a student. Leave you are not getting coffee.

Her: oh come on I can’t deal with this today just give me “coffee with express”.

Employee: apologize to them right now.

Her: excuse me?! Who do you think you are!? Give me my dam coffee.

Employee: no you are banned. Get out.if you don’t I’ll call the campus police

Her: this is just a big misunderstanding, let me talk to the owner or the manager

Employee: no. Apologize or leave. Last chance.

Her: how was I suppose to know any of this I’m new ?! I just started, can you please give me my coffee .

She was banned for the next 4 years she was at the school. The BOSS that she was talking to gave me a free coffee. “I apologize on behalf of my gender that she exists”.

This is the only coffee shop the school Has on campus. The other one near the school is about a 10 min walk. It’s also not on the main road coming to the school.

The dealership I work for is part of a network across two states that are owned by the same guy. One of our sister stores was hacked, so internet security has been beefed up for everyone. In addition to limiting what websites employees can access, they have also disabled the guest Wi-Fi.

Most customers are understanding when we say the Wi-Fi isn’t working. The employee Wi-Fi is supposed to be for the salesmen only and you have to ask a sales manager for that password.

A customer is in early in the morning getting work done on his car. Sales is not yet open, only service and parts are open right now. He approaches me.

Customer: “What’s the Wi-Fi password?”

Me: “Oh, the Wi-Fi isn’t working right now.”

Customer: “What about the employee Wi-Fi?”

Me: “I can’t give you the employee Wi-Fi password.”

Customer: “Sure you can. Just find the right supervisor. I need to work, so give me the password.”

Me: “I don’t know the employee password.”

The customer huffs into the service area and speaks to the service manager.

Manager: “Oh, I don’t know the sales password, and all of our computers are plugged into the internet connection, so we don’t ever need the Wi-Fi password.”

(It is Halloween, and even though I’m 14, I want to go trick or treating. Before, my mom has allowed me, but now she said no.)

Me: “But Mom! Free candy!”

Mom: “No, there are full of perverts out there, looking to prey on a young girl.”

Me: “You always say that. But it’s never true!”

(It’s true, we live in a town where the most awful thing is a car being broke into. However my mom insists that I’m not allowed, and I whine and cry about it. Later, I’m mad…until I check the news. Turns out, there had been a serial rapist prowling in our town and had gotten caught! He raped a young teen who’d been trick or treating while her horrified friend watched. Her friend managed to get away and get help. I never whined again.)

(I’m a nursing student who is a non-traditional student. I often get mistaken for being MUCH younger than I am. I’m doing a rotation at the hospital for my schooling, and a patient’s husband request I get an “actual adult” to help care for his wife. I realize he believes I am one of the younger students, but in reality, I’m the oldest in my group.)

Me: Sir, I am an actual adult. I’m almost 40 years old.

He looks at me very skeptically.

The husband: No way, you can’t be more than 18, if that. I want an adult.

The patient: Honey, she has been great…just hush.

The CNA comes in to check on everything and the man repeats this to her and asks her to help his wife. She looked at him and tells him she’d be happy to, but for the record I was old enough to be her mother.