The holiday to do list is long. Gifts to buy, groceries to pick up, packages to mail, prescriptions to refill. For many people around Augusta, December means a lot of time in busy stores, crowded checkout lines, and noisy parking lots.
For anyone with hearing loss, all that running around can be surprisingly stressful. The cashier asks a question you cannot quite catch. The pharmacist explains something over the noise of the store. The drive through speaker sounds like static. And by the end of the day, you feel more worn out than the errands should explain.
Here is why holiday shopping with hearing loss can be so tiring, and some simple ways to make errands easier this season.
Why Stores Are Hard to Hear In
During the holidays, stores turn up almost every kind of background noise:
- Holiday music playing over the speakers
- Long lines and lots of conversations
- Beeping registers and scanners
- Announcements over the intercom
- Plastic shields at checkout counters that can muffle voices
For someone with hearing loss, that noise covers up the soft, high pitched sounds that make speech clear. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, age related hearing loss most often affects high pitched sounds first. Cleveland Clinic notes that people with this type of hearing loss often struggle to understand speech in noisy places.
Tips for Easier Holiday Errands
Shop at quieter times
Weekday mornings are usually much calmer than evenings and weekends. Fewer shoppers means less noise and more time for staff to help.
Use self checkout or online ordering
Self checkout lanes, curbside pickup, and online ordering can take a lot of the guesswork out of busy checkout lines.
Ask for written information
At the pharmacy, ask for instructions in writing or on the label. At the post office or customer service, it is completely fine to ask, “Could you write that down for me?”
Let people know
A simple, “I have a little trouble hearing in here, could you face me?” helps most cashiers and clerks adjust right away.
Watch the screen
Many registers show your total and questions on a screen. Glancing at it can help fill in what you missed.
Skip the drive through speaker when you can
Ordering ahead on an app or going inside can be easier than trying to hear through a crackly speaker.
Tips for Phone Calls and Deliveries
The holidays also bring more phone calls, from delivery updates to appointment reminders.
- Sign up for text or email alerts instead of phone calls when possible.
- Turn on live captions on your smartphone if it offers them.
- Ask callers to slow down or spell out important details.
Save Energy for the Good Stuff
Listening in noise takes effort. If you spend your energy straining through errands, you may have less left for the gatherings you actually want to enjoy. Spreading errands out, shopping online, and taking breaks can help you save your energy for family and friends.
When those gatherings arrive, the Hearing Loss Association of America suggests sitting with a wall behind you, away from a busy kitchen, and toward the middle of the table so you can see more faces.
Why It Matters
When everyday tasks feel exhausting, some people start avoiding them, or avoiding going out altogether. A 2020 systematic review found that most studies linked hearing loss to a higher risk of loneliness and social isolation in older adults.
Addressing hearing loss can help. In the ACHIEVE clinical trial, published in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2025, older adults who received hearing care kept on average one more person in their social network over three years compared with a control group.
Signs It Is Time for a Hearing Check
- You often miss what cashiers or clerks say
- You avoid stores or phone calls when you can
- Errands leave you more tired than they used to
- People seem to mumble, especially in noisy places
- The TV is louder than others in your home prefer
At Capital Hearing Wellness Center, a hearing evaluation measures how well you hear across different pitches and how well you understand speech in quiet and in background noise. Then we explain your results and talk through options that fit your life.
Make This Season Easier
The holidays should be about the people you love, not about straining to hear at the checkout line. Capital Hearing Wellness Center serves Augusta and the surrounding Kennebec Valley communities.
Call us at 207.803.3277 to schedule your hearing evaluation before the holiday rush.
Sources
- Hearing Loss Association of America: Holiday Hints
- Shukla et al., Hearing Loss, Loneliness, and Social Isolation: A Systematic Review (2020)
- JAMA Internal Medicine: Hearing Intervention, Social Isolation, and Loneliness (ACHIEVE, 2025)
- Johns Hopkins Medicine: Age Related Hearing Loss (Presbycusis)
- Cleveland Clinic: Presbycusis (Age Related Hearing Loss)