Shopping While Black: Woman’s Response to Clerk Following Her Around Clothing Store Has Folks Raving

Humans of New York

This New York woman didn’t take too kindly to being racially profiled in a midtown clothing store. (Humans of New York / Instagram)

Black folks’ shopping experience can quickly turn sour when they find themselves the target of overly-helpful clerks who follow them around the store, hovering and sticking around to watch their every move.

A New York woman didn’t take too kindly to being treated like a suspected thief, however, and shared a hilarious story of one of her recent shopping trips in town.

“I like to shop, but I hate going to those fancy stores in midtown. They treat me like I don’t have any money,” the woman told popular series Humans of New York. ” … They’re always telling me prices when I didn’t ask. Either that, or they figure I’m coming in to steal.”

“I went to one store recently, and as soon as I walked in the door, I saw the manager lean in to the clerk and say, ‘Watch her,'” she remembered. “And so this girl starts following me around — real close. She was acting like she wanted to help. If I picked up an item, she’d say: ‘Let me hold onto that for you.’ So I thought to myself: ‘I’ll give you something to hold.’ ”

“I walked around that entire store,” she continued. “I went on a real spree. By the time we were finished, she was holding 25 dresses. You could barely see her face. Then I led her up to the cash register and said, ‘You know what? I changed my mind. I think I’ll shop somewhere else.’”

Twitter users wasted no time applauding the woman for her classy handling of the situation.

While the woman’s response was awesome, some folks pointed out that she may have perpetuated stereotypes the clerk already had of her.

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