I Put A Customer In Her Place!

[Canadian In Maine]

I have been blessed recently with my fourth round of a facial paralysis called Bell's Palsy. Having this makes me look like I've had a stroke because the one side of my face droops. I am unable to eat properly (I drool), can't sleep because I can't close my eye on that side of my face, and most importantly when one is in the service industry, I am unable to smile.

So one customer this past week asked me if I was having a bad day and I said "No, why do you ask?"

Her response: "Then why do you look so miserable?"

I said: "Oh, that would be because I have a facial paralysis which makes me unable to sleep so I'm tired, unable to eat easily so I'm hungry, and unable to smile because my face is numb. Oh, and it's very painful too. Thank you for asking."

She just blinked and walked away. I hope the fleas of a thousand camels infest her armpits and she NEVER has to go through something like that herself.

The only bright light is that I know it will get better (weeks or months, nobody really knows) and things will return to relative normalcy eventually.

[South Texan]

So one customer this past week asked me if I was having a bad day and I said "No, why do you ask?"

Her response: "Then why do you look so miserable?"

Ugh. The type who thinks everyone should walk around with vacuous facial expressions of happiness, and presumes to tell others - especially those in retail or customer service - to smile.

I think your response to her was perfect!

[MelindaJoy77]

Awesome for you! My sis-in-law had Bell's Palsy a couple of years ago when she was pregnant with my nephew. It was a scary experience for her but luckily she hasn't had an episode since then. I'm glad you were able to stick it to the customer - just goes to show that you never know what someone else is going through! I hope you're better soon

[Evannah]

She blinked and walked away? No apology? *shakes head*

Hope you are better soon *hugs*

[Jay 2K Winger]

She blinked and walked away? No apology? *shakes head*

TBF, in some cases, I believe they actually feel something approximating shame (or the Sucktomer equivalent) and don't trust themselves not to say something stupid.

Although in others (and I unfortunately believe this to be the majority), they walk away because a Retail Drone has shown they still have a spine, and they don't know how to deal with Drones still equipped with such things.

[greek_jester]

*hugs op* that sucks At least you managed to give the customer a very polite verbal smack-down.

Just a note; my friend's mum had a stroke and lost all movement in the left side of her face. She kept waking up because her left eye would get opened by the pillow, then the eyeball would get glued to it. She solved this by using a strip of surgical tape to hold the eyelids shut at night, then carefully peeled it off in the morning. She rubbed a little Vaseline into her eyelashes and eyebrow to help keep them from getting ripped out, and the tape stretched from just under her hairline to around about level with her nose. Don't know if it'll help, but it might be something worth trying.

[Shalom]

My father had Bell's Palsy back around 1982. When he tried to smile, only one side of his face went up. He's got back most of the function over the years, but to this day the lines on his forehead only go halfway across.

(That was when he started wearing cowboy hats, which kinda look out of place in Brooklyn. His reasoning was, one, it kept the sun out of his eye when he couldn't blink properly on that side, and two, it gave people something else to look at besides his face.)

So right about then, my older brother graduated high school, and we all attended the commencement exercise. All afternoon, kids were coming up to me and asking, "Um, how come your father is sneering?"

[Canadian In Maine]

Thanks for all the well wishes and suggestions. I invested in an eye patch but it doesn't stay on; I've managed to get some sleep by mashing that side of my face into my pillow; not ideal but so far it's manageable.

I had another snippy comment today from another miserable old goat: "You sure look like you enjoy your job."

The first time I got it I recovered fully. Each time after that there was some residual effect, slight numbness, watery eyes, etc. The big difference with this bout is the pain: I don't recall it hurting like this before. I am thankful that my mother had some percosets left over from a recent surgery.

Like Shalom's father the right side of my face didn't fully recover and I do look like I'm sneering sometime. I'm just afraid that now it's back for the third time on the same side I'll get even less recovery.

[Seshat]

When I had that horrible eye infection, the pharmacist sold us some eye patches that you tape on. They worked great, but were expensive.

Then we figured out that Bast's makeup remover pads work just as well. Round cotton pads, covered with a lint-protective outer liner. Medical tape to hold it on. The pad is large enough to cover the eyebrow as well, so you don't end up with tape on any of the hair.

Just make sure you don't tape the exact same place every night, or you'll end up with raw patches of skin.

[downforit2008]

I once heard a customer mocking a cashier because she had a speech impediment. I had speech problems as a kid before my voice and speech improved after a couple of grades. I remembered the kids teasing me for it, and now seeing full-grown adults with less maturity than their children doing the same hateful thing, I just lost it.

I walked up and snarled at the woman, "I guess you grew up all PERFECT and UNBLEMISHED as well, didn't you? Don't you EVER make fun of her like that!!!"

The SC left the store looking red in the face without another word. The cashier became one of my best friends, and my manager high-fived me when he heard about it. I smile and remember how I told off that customer whenever I hear about stories on customers being PWNED by employee staff. Like the recent one about the waiter who refused to serve a table with a couple that was making fun of another couple's little boy, who just so happened to have Down Syndrome.

[AccountingDrone]

Thanks for all the well wishes and suggestions. I invested in an eye patch but it doesn't stay on; I've managed to get some sleep by mashing that side of my face into my pillow; not ideal but so far it's manageable.

.

Layering. Gauze patch, cotton ball, eye patch and then a sports sweat headband worn on the diagonal over the eyepatch.

I had my lathe catastrophically screw me over and needed alloy b bronze shards removed from my eye socket. Plenty of practice rigging that side of my face for bed.

[Legacy_of_Torment]

Well done you! I can't stand it when someone tells someone else to "Smile" for any reason. If we all walked around with stupid grins on our faces we would look creepy as heck. Never mind that if you quite literally can't smile, asking someone to force their happiness to the surface isn't just rude it's inconsiderate. What a moron, maybe she'll think twice next time.

[Food Lady]

Well done you! I can't stand it when someone tells someone else to "Smile" for any reason. If we all walked around with stupid grins on our faces we would look creepy as heck.

I know! Yesterday I got, "Well, you look like you're having fun." I should've let loose with "Yeah, brain injuries are a barrel of monkeys." I'm ashamed I didn't, but I didn't want to endure all the resulting queries; I just don't want to discuss it with people I don't know, and shouldn't have to!

[AccountingDrone]

Well done you! I can't stand it when someone tells someone else to "Smile" for any reason. If we all walked around with stupid grins on our faces we would look creepy as heck. Never mind that if you quite literally can't smile, asking someone to force their happiness to the surface isn't just rude it's inconsiderate. What a moron, maybe she'll think twice next time.

Enzyte Bob ...

[Lace Neil Singer]

I know it's nowhere near the same thing, but I find smiling difficult cuz I have Aspergers and it just feels completely abnormal to me. I try to keep my voice cheery instead and it works with most people. I just hate it when people tell me to smile or say I'm feeling miserable. -.- Mind your own damn business!