> Beards and thick facial hair severely compromises the effectiveness of an N95.

Yes. A little stubble, less so. (I'd wager it's still fairly effective at keeping the wearer's germs in, though.)

> When I was an EMT we got fitted for them in case we had to transport patients with tuberculosis or other aliments.

Sure, but as with the oil worker example, that's a slightly different scenario than a member of the general public going to the grocery store.

This has been studied. A beard does compromise the seal, but to a lesser extent on n95s than in other masks:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34006963/