Currys successfully applied a reasonable adjustment for me today

Due to the inaccessibility of many shops, I do a lot of my shopping online. Shoes, shirts, jumpers (I’m very lucky in this area) and a lot of electrical goods are very easily bought online saving me the frustration of being excluded from shops. 

But, there are some things I really need to try on before purchasing, such as over-the-ear headphones – to eliminate the excessive noise from my upstairs neighbour I wear headphones for most indoor activities.

So, I popped into Currys in Brixton today to purchase a set of wireless over-the-ear headphones. The headphones I use at the moment are quite heavy and leave my ears quite painful when I wear them for a few hours. Therefore, I was seeking a good quality lightweight set of headphones that wouldn’t bankrupt me.

Commandeering a young salesman, I asked to try a set of Bose headphones. The salesman lifted the phones and handed them to me, but the lead was too short to allow me to try them out.

“Could you release these for me please as I’d like to try them on?”

“Sorry sir, but the lead is glued into the headphones.”

Very politely I suggested he opens the cabinet and releases the headphones. Not possible because the individual companies install their products and the locked display unit.

“You do know that under the Equality Act your company should offer me a reasonable adjustment in this situation” I posed to the young man. Of course, he gawped at me as though I was speaking in tongues. 

Very pissed off with this I gave the headphones a firm tug to see if I could stretch the lead. To my, and the salesman’s, surprise the jack popped out of headphones. Before he could utter a word of complaint I smiled at him and congratulated him on successfully accommodating me with this reasonable adjustment.

This reasonable adjustment worked a further three times before I found a pair that suited my ears and wallet.