Kindness goes a long way. Sadly, this Reddit user encountered an entitled mom and her son that could benefit from this lesson.
“I used to work at McDonald’s when I was a teenager. I’m also deaf, but I read lips. I developed bacterial meningitis and became fully deaf at the age of 12. I can still speak since I learned to speak before I became deaf and most of the customers I got there were very understanding, except one.
I was working front counter that day as I usually did so I was basically in charge of inside customers. This was the easiest position for me as I could see the customers and read their lips. A middle-aged lady (Entitled Mom) and her 9 or 10-year-old son walk in and I say…
Me: ‘Hi, welcome to McDonald’s.’
I say this while signing it at the same time. She doesn’t look up and is looking down at her phone, so I can’t see her lips and I can’t understand what she’s saying. So I explain…
Me: ‘Excuse me ma’am I’m deaf, but I read lips! Can you look up for me please?’
She rolls her eyes and I clearly see she says.
Entitled Mom: ‘Why would they let a dummy work the front counter?’
I am appalled by her behavior but just try to pretend like I didn’t see it. I smile and say…
Me: ‘What can I get started for you today?’
She starts to patronize me by speaking very, very slowly, which fun fact actually makes it 1000x harder to understand what you’re saying.
Entitled Mom: ‘I pause want pause a pause DIET pause COKE.’
Me: ‘Okay is that all?’
Entitled Mom: ‘And a Happy Meal toy’
Now all of our drinks are a dollar no matter the size, but you have to PAY for a happy meal toy. We don’t just give them out for free. I ring her up and she’s shocked. She demands to know why I’m discriminating against her son and forcing them to pay for a happy meal toy. I really don’t want to cause any trouble and I wish I could say I told her where she could shove it, but I ended up just giving her the toy for free.
I thought I had avoided conflict, BUT OH BOY WAS I WRONG.
I told her the total was $1.06 and after she paid I handed her a large cup and motioned for the guy behind her to move forward. She waves a hand in my face and points to the drink cup
Me: ‘Yes ma’am?’
Entitled Mom: ‘You never gave me my drink!’
I just thought she didn’t see the machines behind her, so I pointed to drink machine and said…
Me: ‘Oh there’s a drink station behind you where you can fill up your drink.’
I kid you not, word for word, she said, ‘That’s your job, do I look like I work for McDonald’s?’
My jaw hit the floor. I had never had someone be so rude in my entire life. I ended up telling her that when you come inside you fill up your own drinks because of sanitary reasons, but when she kept on pushing at me I ended up just using our drive thru drink machine to give her the DIET coke. While I’m making the drink, my coworker taps me on the shoulder. I see her son making fun of me to his mom by pretending to sign and just in general being a bully. His mom didn’t punish him or tell him off, instead she encouraged him and started to make fun of me with him. I went to the back and ended up bawling my eyes out. I felt incredibly embarrassed and like I had made a fool of myself by having a disability. I turned in my two weeks notice about a week later and haven’t worked in fast food since.
To everyone reading this, please be kind to people especially your fast food workers. It’s a tough job, even if you don’t have any disability. And if you see people who have disabilities working and trying to make a living, please be patient and help us out by just letting us do our thing and make us feel welcome. Thank you.”
