I struggle with service settings as well! I think for me it’s because of a couple things. A big thing is that customer service settings seem to be the main place where I face discrimination now that I’m out of school, in a supportive job, etc. The last couple times I’ve had someone laugh at my stutter have been in customer service settings. I find that saying “I have a stutter, it might take me a minute!” or something like that helps defuse the situation: I feel like pressure to speak fluently and quickly, and the customer service person knows what’s going on and (for the most part) patiently waits till I’m done. A lot of the time their laughter is just from a place of misunderstanding; they feel uncomfortable with my unfamiliar way of speaking and awkwardly laugh in hopes of making it feel less awkward for them and for me. Another issue is my feeling that customer service settings require that I be quick and to the point: I know that these people aren’t making a ton of money and are likely just as stressed out as I am, so I don’t want to be a “bother” and hold things up in any way. But, again, saying that I have a stutter usually explains to them that I need to take a bit longer. I’ve only had a couple customer service people be true jerks to me after I’ve said I have a stutter. One Starbucks barista found it absolutely hilarious for some reason. Once I got out of there, I reported her to Starbucks head office and got a $25 gift card, so all’s well that ends well I guess? but that interaction definitely still haunts me (even though I realize that her behaviour says more about her as a human than me!). All this to say: I think being open and honest in customer service settings helps immensely. 9 times out of 10, once I say I have a stutter I feel that the pressure is off. I stutter less because I feel less stressed out and rushed, and the clerk feels less awkward and more likely to be patient!