Who pissed in your cornflakes?

[allniter]

What I can't understand is why other customers who witness this, and therefore cannot suffer any damage whatsoever financialy, don't step in and take the side of the employee. They're so timid and pathetic they just roll over and let it be someone else's problem. Well I hope when their car overturns in the ditch that the next person who comes along says "I don't want none of that" and keeps on headin down the road to safety and judicial obscurity.

Anyone who cowtows to the SC's is as pathetic as them.

Myself, I turn all the bitchy customer's attention on me. Go ahead and let them take out their rage on me, at least it's no longer on an employee who can't fight back anymore. And I CAN fight back! I'll post a few stories sometimes of some of these encounters. I know some of you won't agree with me, but how often have you wished a good hearted customer would stand up for you when the chips were turned against you. If you're answer is never, THEN feel free to criticize me.

Thank you

[Knifeman]

the first amendment DOES NOT PROTECT HATE SPEECH!!!

actually, it does. But this belongs in Flogging.

[Broomjockey]

But this belongs in Flogging.

Do you mean Fratching?

Interesting note though, whether Hate Speech is protected under the first amendment or not, it isn't in Canada.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech#Canada

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

Personally, I would have gone off on this lady. But in my own, personal, heavily sarcastic way, something like "Ma'am, I was unaware of your visual impairment! You should have asked for assistance! I'm so sorry! What? Your sight's fine? Well, then are you illiterate? Very sad in today's society... Huh? You CAN read? Then how the heck did you miss that very visible notice stating that my co-worker is indeed deaf? Apologize now, or I'm voiding your transaction. Have a nice day."

[Becks]

It would be easy for me to say, like others, that what the OP told the SC could've been said in a nicer way. However, I tend to have a temper, so I might've done exactly what the OP did.

Its understandable that someone might lose it once in a while and say something they shouldn't to a customer. I think if it ever happened to me, I'd see getting fired as a blessing; it would be a clear sign that I needed a vacation anyway.

Same here.

[evilhomer]

It would be easy for me to say, like others, that what the OP told the SC could've been said in a nicer way. However, I tend to have a temper, so I might've done exactly what the OP did.

I've got to agree there. In the light of day, it's easy to come up with the perfect way to handle it but I usually find myself so angry in these situations that verbal assault is the only words my brain will come up with.

[MystyGlyttyr]

I've got to agree there. In the light of day, it's easy to come up with the perfect way to handle it but I usually find myself so angry in these situations that verbal assault is the only words my brain will come up with.

And it's still better than my brain, which skips the verbal portion of the exam and goes straight to the physical. My dad is mostly deaf and if someone insulted him over it...well, I think everyone pretty well knows what I would do...When you're with Mysty, any activity could possibly lead to a police record.

[South Texan]

It would be easy for me to say, like others, that what the OP told the SC could've been said in a nicer way. However, I tend to have a temper, so I might've done exactly what the OP did.

I've got to agree there. In the light of day, it's easy to come up with the perfect way to handle it but I usually find myself so angry in these situations that verbal assault is the only words my brain will come up with.

Hey, don’t get me wrong. I empathize greatly with the OP and the anger the hag’s outburst caused. My intent was to show how a snappy comeback could be used rather than sinking to the level of the SC.

It is only after many years of storing up snappy comebacks that I got to the point of keeping my temper in control and giving a snappy reply that comes off as sounding polite yet at the same time gets my point across to the other party of exactly how I feel about him or her.

[BookstoreEscapee]

SH- I think not! She should use sign language or something.

What good would that do? She was bagging the groceries, she still wouldn't have seen the customer talking to her...

And I also agree with everyone, I can totally see why she was fired but I don't blame her a bit for her reaction; it's easy to come up with the perfect response after the fact but in the moment, it's so easy to just say the first thing that comes to you, whether it helps or not...

[Ackee]

Swear at staff-Get a discount

SH - DAMNIT! I SAID PLASTIC! ARE YOU F'k'n DEAF OR SOMETHING!!!
To make an already long story from becoming alarmingly long... My manager was so furious with me, that he gave that hag a discount. I promptly got fired and I didn't care

This just makes me want to cry

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Yeah, what you said kind of was grounds for firing. However, how your manager reacted proved that you didn't need to be working for that asshat anyway.

Sometimes, the price you pay for doing the right thing can be a badge of honor. Good for you.

[Gabrielle Proctor]

Unfortunately, for those who work corporate jobs, asshat managers come with it.

After reading your story, I realized how lucky I am to have 2 great employers. One owns her own company. If it had been a retail environment like yours, she probably would have done the same thing that you did.

My other employer owns the hobbyshop I work at. It IS a retail environment, and he still would have done the same thing you did. Infact, so would I. And neither of my bosses would have given a rat's ass about keeping that lady's business.

Good managers still exist out there! We should appreciate it more before everything gets bought out by large corporations.

[Lehk]

Not to quibble, but among other things, "fighting words" (written or spoken words, generally expressed to incite hatred or violence and to place the targets of the words in danger of harm. So says Wikipedia) are NOT protected under the first amendment. So - hypothetically speaking - you wouldn't likely not be able to use freedom of speech as a defense in a lawsuit over an issue like this (assuming it even got that far).

"fighting words" is very specific.

"i'm going to beat your ass"

or

"beat that n******'s ass" would be fighting words. being rude or an asshole doesn't qualify as fighting words.

[Lehk]

the first amendment DOES NOT PROTECT HATE SPEECH!!!

yes it does.

[BusyBee]

I'm with BookstoreEscapee - what the heck good would it have done for the deaf girl to use sign language (as the customer had demanded)? She wasn't trying to communicate anything to anyone, so she did not need to sign... In any case I highly doubt the bitchface would've known sign language.
And, as BookstoreEscapee said, if someone had been signing to the deaf girl it wouldn't have helped either because she was not looking up, which is why she didn't read the woman's lips in the first place!

Bah, I hate stupid people logic.

[AFpheonix]

....I sincerely doubt that the customer was fluent in sign language, so again, why she would want her to is beyond me.