CABIN ATTENDANT ON A FULL B757-200 REPORTS MULTIPLE PASSENGER SAFETY BOARDING VIOLATIONS FOR WHICH INADEQUATE STAFFING WAS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.

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WE TOOK A DELAY CHKING LAST MINUTE BAGS BEFORE CLOSING THE DOOR IN ORD. MANY PAX WERE UPSET. I WAS IN THE AISLE ASSISTING MOVING BAGS ETC. LATER DURING FLT WE REALIZED THAT PEOPLE HAD SHOVED BAGS INTO BINS PLACARDED FOR EMER EQUIP ONLY. THIS WAS DONE IN NUMEROUS BINS. THERE WERE BAGS ON TOP OF OXYGEN BOTTLES IN FRONT OF LIFE VESTS AND ON TOP OF AND IN FRONT OF THE ELT/MIKE. I SUGGESTED TO THE FLT ATTENDANT WORKING IN THE BACK THAT THESE ITEMS NEEDED TO BE MOVED. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO PLACE TO MOVE THEM AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIND OUT WHO THE ITEMS BELONGED TO. I AGAIN STATED THEY NEEDED TO BE MOVED BUT I AM NOT ABLE TO RPT WHETHER THEY WERE OR NOT. HAD THERE BEEN 5 WORKING FLT ATTENDANTS INSTEAD OF 4 PERHAPS THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT AND DEALT WITH. THERE IS SIMPLY TOO MUCH WORK TO BE DONE FOR ONLY 4 FLT ATTENDANTS ON A FULL B757. I DON'T FEEL THAT WITH 4 FLT ATTENDANTS WE ARE DOING A SUFFICIENT JOB WATCHING FOR POSSIBLE SAFETY ISSUES. SINCE STAFFING WITH 4 FLT ATTENDANTS BEGAN RECENTLY THERE HAS BEEN A MARKED DETERIORATION OF FLT ATTENDANT PRESENCE IN THE AISLE AND BEING ABLE TO ASSIST AS WE SHOULD DURING BOARDING. IT'S NOT SAFE; NOT GOOD CUSTOMER SVC; AND IT GOES AGAINST STAYING VIGILANT AFTER THE HORROR OF 9-11. ALSO ON THIS FLT AFTER TKOF WE REALIZED THAT THERE WAS A DEAF PAX ON BOARD YET WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED BY THE AGENT AND NO SPECIAL BRIEFING WAS CONDUCTED.