Actually Jerk, I Can't Hear

So I work at a box office.

I sit in an office, behind a desk, behind glass. This makes it hard to hear and can make it hard for our patrons to hear too when taking ticket orders.

Also...I have a hearing loss. I'm like five steps away from needing hearing aids. Yeah I know. Cute, right? I can't hear well when there's a lot of background noise, I can't hear well on the phone. And if I'm in a situation where there's just noise, like traffic or music, I have a really hard time tuning into something. When there's background noise I almost feel like its invading my personal space. I can concentrate on things, just not things that involve hearing. So I can read with noise, I can write, I can do things that just involve me but if I have to listen to someone or something I get really confused. Maybe I'm just crazy.

ANYWAY.

So this guys comes to the box office today and I think he was a little miffed because he had to wait a whole two minutes while I finished up an order with someone I was talking to on the phone. So I get off the phone and start to help him.

I think he got more miffed because the show he wanted seats for didn't have too much left. He was a little unclear about other dates he wanted to check so I was trying to figure out what he wanted.

When I talk to people at the window, I do raise my voice a little.
a) Because I CAN'T HEAR WELL, so I compensate by speaking loudly myself.
b) To make sure the patrons can hear me. Cause, uh, that's important.
AND
c) Because I have to speak up and over a glass window.

So this guy, I'm talking to him and the normal level I speak to people at the window. It's not a ridiculous level. It's a little loud so people can hear me, but I'm certainly not obnoxious about it. I've been doing this job for almost a year, so I have an idea about how loud I need to be. So I'm giving him seating options, telling him what days are open and he says to me suddenly, very nasty: You know I'm right here!

And I'm kind of taken aback, so I pause for a second and continue to talk at a little softer level but not much. And he goes: I'm right here! You don't have to yell!!

SO before I can say anything, Carly, my co-worker jumps in this happens:
CARLY: Actually sir, she's hard of hearing-
MAN: Well I'm not!
CARLY: Well I'm just saying she's not being rude, she just can't hear well.
MAN: Well I am right here and you don't need to yell!!

Then, because he didn't get the seats he wanted for the show he wanted he said he had to go check with his wife about other show dates and left.

You sir are a royal jerk. I don't know his name, but if I did I would warn everyone I know that he is surly toward kind-of-sort-of-deaf-people.

It just makes me feel bad that he would think I was "yelling" at him. I like to think of myself as respectful towards costumers. I think he was just surly...

UPDATE!
So surly man came back!!! Crawling back to order his tickets! He got me and was way overly nice. And it happened that at the time he was there, someone else was at the window next to me that Carly was helping so I HAD to talk loudly. So he was super super nice and as he's leaving says:
"Have a nice day. Don't yell at people."

Thanks. I will have a nice day. You're a jerk.

I mean, really? If I was talking too loudly for you, ask me nicely to lower my voice don't be nasty about it and don't CONTINUE to be nasty when you find out I'M the one with the hearing problem and in no way shape or form am I trying to be rude.

Uh! Sometimes people make me sad. Especially when people think I'm being I'm nasty to them and I'm not.
Really I'm not being mean...
I just want to sell you tickets.
*Makes puppy face*
Please...just let me sell you some tickets.