I work behind the customer service desk, aka control center, at work and I generally stay pretty busy. During this time, I usually come across several stupid people at any given time. One day, a lady comes up to the desk and tells me she needs me to call her a cab. At the time, I was finishing something up, so I politely tell her that we have a phone that customers may use, and I will provide her a phonebook so she can call the cab and not have to wait for me. As I am walking to get the phonebook, she begins her little rant.
"Oh, I see. Is this a new service Kroger is offering where customers can call their own cabs?"
I figure, this can go either way and I respond with a simple, "yes, ma'am."
"Well," she says, "I am going to need to speak with a manager about this 'new service' Kroger is offering where a customer has to call her own cab."
At this point, the manager-on-duty walks behind the desk on his phone.
"Is this the manager? I am going to need to speak with this manager," she tells me.
I, again, say "yes, ma'am," and turn to get his attention as he is hanging up his phone. I then proceed to tell him that this customer would like to speak with him. This is how that plays out:
"Excuse me, yes, I need to speak with you about this 'new service' Kroger is offering their customers. I walked up to ask this lady to call me a cab. She hands me a phonebook and tells me to call my own cab."
My manager responds: "Well, ma'am, we usually hold our customers responsible for calling their own cabs. We have this phone here that most of our customers know they can use freely for such matters."
"Well, I am legally blind, but my medical history is none of this young lady's business. I cannot see that phonebook. That young lady is just standing there. Look at her, she is not doing anything. She could be calling me a cab."
My manager responds: "Ok, ma'am. I will call you a cab. Did you have a specific cab service you would prefer?"
My manager then proceeds to call this woman a cab. He walks away, after which coming back and telling me "not to worry about it. How was anyone supposed to know she was blind? She was reading a book!" (when she walked up to the desk, she had a notebook with her that she was flipping through, and sunglasses on her face. nothing about these sunglasses say that she is blind; i simply thought she was weird wearing sunglasses indoors- people do that, you know!)
The woman, however, goes to stand near the door to get something out of her purse, at which point a young man who is with her, and with whom I have already spoken to about his job application and I know for sure that he is perfectly capable of calling a cab for the two of them, walks up and together, they proceed outside to wait for the cab she wanted me, the white girl, to call for her.
The Freedom To Write
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Today is Veteran's Day.
All across the country, in small towns and villages, at American Legion
Halls and VFW's, at Arlington and a million other ce...
9 years ago
3 comments:
You should be nice to blind people. Shame.
I like what you did with the space. The flower/cupcake with your name is really great. And I like your thoughts. Good job!
thanks daddy!
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