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 like to shop, but I hate going to those fancy stores in midtown. They treat me like I don’t have any money. 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.. " pic.twitter.com/fqLaaxwCIa
— Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) July 9, 2018
“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.
— Sonia Mari (@sonia9mari) July 9, 2018
Good one! It serves that silly little clerk right, all piled up with clothes and probably unable to see a REAL, SEASONED thief stealing in another aisle 🤣🤣🤣
— Rhiannon ❄ (@Coeur_de_Creme) July 10, 2018
THIS is “going high.”’ https://t.co/dLLR4c2pWi
— Jamilah Lemieux (@JamilahLemieux) July 10, 2018
— Myear (@Missmyear) July 10, 2018
You are another heroine❤❤❤🌻
— SBinTucson (@tucson_s) July 10, 2018
While the woman’s response was awesome, some folks pointed out that she may have perpetuated stereotypes the clerk already had of her.
Yup, I was thinking the same. She did great, served them right, but it might have just sparked more stereotyping and have given them confidence in their assumptions.
— Tayebe (@tizadis) July 10, 2018
