Monique T.
Yelp
BE PREPARED FOR A RACIST ENCOUNTER.
After reviewing comments of other yelpers it is apparent this isn't the first time your customer base has complained about the prejudiced experiences in your store from your employees--it's 2019: DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
It is regretful that I should have to rate this place a 1 star after a horrible and unjust experience this past weekend.
I'd love to hear back from the management with their answer as to why their company continues to tolerate overtly racist employees after much feedback complaining of the same.
I was visiting the shop with my husband, as we often do, this being one of our favorite options for western wear, boots ect. As a the breadwinner in the home, I have often been the one doing the purchasing or at least the one with the military discount for my husband (I am in my second enlistment with the United States Air Force).
As I was perusing the store for any new in stock items, I came across the Bed:Stu purses--I'm a huge fan of the company and immediately fell in love with one of the items. I had no sooner arrived at the location when this elderly woman/employee with the vest and dark brown/with grays, short curly hair approached me saying hi and if i needed help she would be available to assist. She had walked all the way over from the corner of the store, to the right of the entrance, just to tell me this. I thanked her.
I proceeded to examine which color would be my purchase for the day--hands down I was going to buy this purse it was a matter of which color.
I noticed that this woman was hovering behind me but I didn't pay much attention as I was busily choosing which purse I'd be buying.
After a few minutes, I hear her speak up again, "if you need any help, let us know and we can assist you."
I looked up at her puzzled...and paused out of shock--"was this woman targeting me as a thief?" I looked at her obviously perplexed as to why she's asking again so soon, like a matter of 2 minutes.
Again she repeats, "if you need help with any of this," she motioned in circles with her hands over the purses and then to the entire jewelry section about 3 feet behind me, "we can assist you."
So now it was clear as day--this woman is trying to tell me she's worried I'm going to steal.
I sharply responded "i will" with an agitated look because if i needed help, i was quite capable of asking.
I had never even approached the jewelry section...i don't even buy jewelry here because the materials aren't genuine enough for my sensitive skin. I never looked up from my objective--picking out a purse--but she found it necessary to call my attention away from what i was doing, and essentially imply that i might steal jewelry and by any loss prevention standard, at the very least let me know she was watching me.
This is beyond insulting.
From the color of my skin she decided it was necessary to double up on security--there was already a woman/employee in the jewelry section by the way.
And that's when I decided I would not purchase a purse that day.
Granted, they don't need my $120 to survive but it's the principle of the matter.
While my husband and I proceeded to check out with the cashier, I noticed a white lady/customer looking at the purses exactly where I had been standing, I was approached in a matter of seconds--the white woman...never approached by this bigot employee. Not once did she let this white woman know she could "assist" her.
Not once.
So what is that? Is your business watching from cameras and targeting by race? Or is that woman simply racist of her own? Why make sure that I knew I was being watched but not the white customer?
Treat your whites like you do your browns if you're going to do all that or else SHAME ON YOU.
SHAME on that grown woman who feels the need to belittle another woman because of the color of her skin.
Before leaving the store with my (white) husband, I walked over to her and said, "ma'am," she ignored me.."ma'am... you should probably go help out that customer over there, the one checking out purses like I was." She said that she would and then thanked me for my military service (yeah she walked over and eaves dropped on our transaction) with a smile that can only be described as menacingly cheeky.
The fact that your company employs bigots makes me hesitant to walk into your store again.
Why would I subject myself to shop somewhere that labels me a criminal strictly off the basis of skin color?