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Out of nowhere, I got asked by an old friend which of the things I’ve written of old do I remember quite fondly. I thought hard for several seconds and was surprised, despite my bloated ego, that I could come up with… NOTHING. He said, and I hope I remembered the details correctly, that I wrote one post that made him say, “this guy is not an asshole.” Wow! That felt… no, not awkward, but good, actually. I did not tell him back then but I was totally, WOW, awesomed out!

Only today did I remember to dig up the article in question and here it is as an edition of REMIXED.

PROLOGUE:

Fritz: Sa’n banda rito mga dress socks nyo, miss?
Lady: (gestures to her ID badge that read: “I’M DEAF“)

MAIN:

Their inventory of retail merchandise consist of various stuff including those unlikely to be seen inside your typical “clothes” store like popcorn, gummy bears/worms, candies, and slippers. They, after all, specialize in selling quality/edgy clothes which can cater to almost anyone. That’s Bench to you: the supplier of all my boxer briefs from time immemorial.

One after-work afternoon, I went inside one of their stores looking for “emergency” socks. Mine’s all soiled and I need fresh ones to last me until three days after, the day I get my clothes from the cleaners. I approached one unsuspecting sales person to ask where they put ‘em. The lady, about 5′2 in height, shoulder-length hair, charming and pretty, clean-looking and pleasant, was everything that a helpful sales person ordinarily may look like. She then amicably showed the ID hanging from her neck that read, “I’m Deaf.” Without hesitation and almost instantaneously, I transferred all the articles I’m holding in my right hand to my left and lifted my jeans and pointed at the ankle socks I’m wearing underneath my Chucks. She got what I meant, nodded, and proceeded to guide me through the lined shelves and racks until we finally reached a low hanging wall divider where the socks were arranged neatly. They weren’t easy to find, mind you, and I’m not the type who’d usually ask for directions. I looked in her direction and mouthed a heartfelt “thank you” to which I got a sweet smile and a nod in return before she shuffled her feet to go back to the post where I found her.

As I was standing in line to pay for my stuff, I still can’t get over that fact that Bench was considerate enough to have physically challenged people in their payroll. I wish other stores would pick up this non-example of discrimination. It gives the company character that could warrant a whole different level of respect from the customers who are observant enough to notice.

Admiration aside, I bet I can never live without some of Bench’s stuff. I can’t remember feeling inconvenienced in any of their stores the past several years. If only they would take out their glaring brand in bold font and screaming colors from most of their clothes. Plain is IN, people! pfffft! It’s a bit of a turn off sometimes especially if the writings are as big as half the shirt. Quality, price, and design-wise, their products are still almost always a great enough buy.

It’s been nearly two years since I wrote this and the store still has deaf mutes in their employ. I’m sure you’ve seen some of them because this story is far from made up. Now THAT’S carrying on and following through a great corporate drive!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d have to work on bringing back the “asshole” in my vibe/character. LOL. BRB.