Oprah Winfrey Accuses Trois Pommes Clerk of Discrimination, Brand Rep Denies It

[Karistiona]

And rightly so if she's discriminating against customers. I've been mulling this over, it's annoyed me quite a bit. I know a few very wealthy (white) people and because they're country folk they dress like bloody hobos. They've always got doggie poo bags hanging out of their (holey) gilet pockets and muddy wellies and those insane fleeces with farmyard animals on them. I wonder what the clerk's reaction would be to them if they were to walk into her shop?

[karat]

So I know Americans can sometimes be racist too but it seems that racism is a bit more rampant in Europe? Or just more socially acceptable? When I go to the big cities even, a la London/Paris, I can feel the difference in the way people look and talk to me. And since I'm a minority, they speak very slowly to me, as if I can't understand English if spoken at a normal rate...Certainly does not happen to me here in the US.

[Lalique]

So I know Americans can sometimes be racist too but it seems that racism is a bit more rampant in Europe? Or just more socially acceptable? When I go to the big cities even, a la London/Paris, I can feel the difference in the way people look and talk to me. And since I'm a minority, they speak very slowly to me, as if I can't understand English if spoken at a normal rate...Certainly does not happen to me here in the US.

My friend, who is African-American, told me the worst racism she has ever experienced was in Spain. And she grew up in Alabama. My guess is that racism is alive and well all over the world.

I'm with Twitchy. I would have thrown a fit, talked to the manager, and made sure a different person got the commission .

[Kat Scorp]

(Ironically, both Winfrey and Goetz were guests at Tina Turner's wedding celebration that same weekend.)

Read more: Oprah Winfrey Accuses Store of Racism, Trois Pommes Rep Denies It - UsMagazine.com

Fucking illiterate writers... And fucking Alanis for good measure.

[ribbit]

It's kind of hard to ever take her seriously when she's whining about not being able to see a $35,000.00 bag. She was in a Donna Karan skirt, not Givenchy or Yves St. Laurent. It could have been a total misunderstanding. But I'm loving that Oprah keeps getting constant reminders in Europe that she is not the be all end all that she seems to think she is.

[Sylkyn]

I haven't read the thread all the way through yet, but another instance of this is mentioned in Kitty Kelly's book on Oprah. A Hermes store in I think German supposedly did the same thing many years ago. Reading this, I wonder if she doesn't think errybody's out to get her or possibly she was being rude (as she was at Hermes, showing up at closing time, demanding to be let in and browse) and they just weren't kissing her ass like she thought they should.

Gonna go read the thread now.

[A*O]

Switzerland. Nuff said.

If this has happened before Im willing to bet she was being a rude, entitled diva on both occasions.

[HWBL]

So I know Americans can sometimes be racist too but it seems that racism is a bit more rampant in Europe? Or just more socially acceptable? When I go to the big cities even, a la London/Paris, I can feel the difference in the way people look and talk to me. And since I'm a minority, they speak very slowly to me, as if I can't understand English if spoken at a normal rate...Certainly does not happen to me here in the US.

Nope. Speaking from experience: in some places in the US it's about as bad as in some places elsewhere in the world. There are assholes all over the place.

[Rachel]

Ridiculous! This clerk should be let go immediately!

Clichés didn't come about to be simply to annoy us; most of them are true. "Don't judge a book by its cover." "Give the customer what s/he wants."

[Kittylady]

And rightly so if she's discriminating against customers. I've been mulling this over, it's annoyed me quite a bit. I know a few very wealthy (white) people and because they're country folk they dress like bloody hobos. They've always got doggie poo bags hanging out of their (holey) gilet pockets and muddy wellies and those insane fleeces with farmyard animals on them. I wonder what the clerk's reaction would be to them if they were to walk into her shop?

My stepdad's brother was verrry wealthy (sold a chain of electrical shops, went to live in Andorra) but you wouldn't have known it to look at him.

Also when I did the big food shop today I was dogged all around Tesco by a security guy, most likely because of the way I was dressed (battered DM's, ankle length black skirt, black t-shirt) and because I was hanging about the male toiletries section for ages (I was trying to find the shaving gel). I just got on with what I was doing and even threw him the occasional smile and wave as he kept furtively appearing at the end of the aisles. I'm used to it and try not to let it fuss me any more. In fact, the one time I was stopped and had to empty my bags was at a different supermarket. The alarms went off as I left the shop and security jumped on me and went through my stuff, all while I tried to tell them (and was ignored) about the guy in the nice suit who'd left at the same time as me and who was hotfooting it across the carpark with a load of security tagged clothes over his arm.

[Dorahacky]

Ugh, Oprah is so fucking annoying. The store clerk was obviously in the wrong no matter how they try to spin it, but the way Oprah describes her experience is eye-roll inducing and makes me despise her even more.

^This. If it went down the way Oprah says, then the clerk was clearly wrong. But why does Oprah have to be so fucking precious and entitled when recounting it?

Also, I'm not particularly convinced it happened like Oprah's version states. She doesn't perceive reality like you and me, and I would imagine that any of us little people that don't thoroughly kowtow and suck her diva ass are seen as rude and uppity and vulgar by her Majesty. She is absolutely by-God convinced that she is the cat's ass and deserves nothing but the most obsequious, servile treatment imaginable.

[BBDSP]

My sister worked on Rodeo Drive in retail and she said that everyone who works in high-end retail knows that you can't tell from the outside who has the big bucks. So anyone who is looking to make their living on commission needs to put that shit aside. One of the joys of being rich is that you get to do what you want, including dressing however you want. I guess it's still not OK in some places to be black, though.

[A*O]

A famously scruffy Melbourne trucking magnate went into a Mercedes dealer to buy lots of sparkly new trucks/vans for his large fleet. The snotty young sales rep took one look at the oily boots, saggy jeans and tatty teeshirt and ignored him. After a few minutes the trucker walked over the road to the Isuzu dealership and was greeted with a smile so he placed his $1+ million order there instead. He then went back to Mercedes and waved the order under the nose of the manager. I don't know what happened to the sales rep.

[Kathie_Moffett]

If I'm on commission, I'm going to attempt to sell you the MOST expensive crap in the store, not discourage you from whipping out your Black Card.

Totally. In all my years in retail hell, I NEVER tried to discourage any fool from buying the most expensive crap in the store. And I didn't even get a commission.

just stop it right there. you were not wearing a 'little' donna karan skirt.

Drunken White Oprah begs to differ!

"I could have had the big blowup thing and thrown down the black card and all that stuff," Winfrey said, "but why do that?"

Why not do that? Why wait and then whine in interviews? Be direct and deal with it right then and there or shut the hell up.

Start making calls. Get the owner of the company. Watch him/her phone the clerk in a panic. Enjoy.

Ooooh, I hate Oprah but I wish I'd been there. Tearing that clerk twelve new assholes would be a memory to enjoy for a lifetime.

Cause she didn't want to give the clerk commission, but wanted to reserve the right to bitch. And I would have too.

Hey, a fired clerk collects no commission.

Um, the store is called Dress Barn. WTF does the clerk even have to be snotty about?

Right!!! I mean, Barn implies cows, implies plenty of plus sizes....another reason not to shop at the utterly insultingly named Dress Barn. What genius came up with that shit, anyway? And Greys' story sounds like condescension towards plus size women on top of racism....a killin' offense in my book.

Way to inflate her ego even more. I'm sure the clerk will or has lost her job.

Hope so!

My friend, who is African-American, told me the worst racism she has ever experienced was in Spain. And she grew up in Alabama. My guess is that racism is alive and well all over the world.

I'm with Twitchy. I would have thrown a fit, talked to the manager, and made sure a different person got the commission .

Refreshing to hear people discuss this. Where I live, the party line is that only white Americans are racist, and everyone else is perfect. JFC, Berkeley liberals are insane. In some ways. I support them on the tree-hugging issue.

I remain of the opinion that most (not all, but most) humans suck. And many-to-most are racist/culturist/xenophobic in some way or other. I know, that's a depressing viewpoint...sorry.

It's kind of hard to ever take her seriously when she's whining about not being able to see a $35,000.00 bag. She was in a Donna Karan skirt, not Givenchy or Yves St. Laurent. It could have been a total misunderstanding. But I'm loving that Oprah keeps getting constant reminders in Europe that she is not the be all end all that she seems to think she is.

Heh. True. Thing is, if she'd just been rejected for her PERSONALITY, not her skin color, this would have been magnificent. "Sorry, Big O, you're just too much of a passive-aggressive, egotistical twit to buy our purse. The entire world did not just fly out of your asshole. Bye."

[Novice]

And rightly so if she's discriminating against customers. I've been mulling this over, it's annoyed me quite a bit. I know a few very wealthy (white) people and because they're country folk they dress like bloody hobos. They've always got doggie poo bags hanging out of their (holey) gilet pockets and muddy wellies and those insane fleeces with farmyard animals on them. I wonder what the clerk's reaction would be to them if they were to walk into her shop?

Haha! Damned right! I know a few incredibly wealth people (we're talking multi-millions) & they dress like shit. Its the upwardly mobile middle classes that wear the Boudin, the Joules, the DKNY etc.

So I know Americans can sometimes be racist too but it seems that racism is a bit more rampant in Europe? Or just more socially acceptable? When I go to the big cities even, a la London/Paris, I can feel the difference in the way people look and talk to me. And since I'm a minority, they speak very slowly to me, as if I can't understand English if spoken at a normal rate...Certainly does not happen to me here in the US.

........ you're American? Right???

My stepdad's brother was verrry wealthy (sold a chain of electrical shops, went to live in Andorra) but you wouldn't have known it to look at him.

Also when I did the big food shop today I was dogged all around Tesco by a security guy, most likely because of the way I was dressed (battered DM's, ankle length black skirt, black t-shirt) and because I was hanging about the male toiletries section for ages (I was trying to find the shaving gel). I just got on with what I was doing and even threw him the occasional smile and wave as he kept furtively appearing at the end of the aisles. I'm used to it and try not to let it fuss me any more. In fact, the one time I was stopped and had to empty my bags was at a different supermarket. The alarms went off as I left the shop and security jumped on me and went through my stuff, all while I tried to tell them (and was ignored) about the guy in the nice suit who'd left at the same time as me and who was hotfooting it across the carpark with a load of security tagged clothes over his arm.

I have never been followed by as security guard.

My sister worked on Rodeo Drive in retail and she said that everyone who works in high-end retail knows that you can't tell from the outside who has the big bucks. So anyone who is looking to make their living on commission needs to put that shit aside. One of the joys of being rich is that you get to do what you want, including dressing however you want. I guess it's still not OK in some places to be black, though.

The best customer service I've rec'd was on Rodea drive, plus the worse, in Tiffany's.