Oprah Got Snubbed By A "Classy" Store!

I've worked in retail for years...I wouldn't care if it was God if he showed up 15 minutes late or right at closing time. Don't forget then there will still be the time she shops, gets rung up, ect., added to that time. The employees have plenty to do to get the hell outta there after the store closes and get on with our own lives. The hours are posted and if theres an exception for her, hell, why not anyone else? Is she better than others because she's famous or more money?

 

I hadn't heard anything about this either....I need to come out from under my rock more often
I looked it up though,and watched an interview about it. The point being,both Hermes and Oprah agree that nothing was ever said about African costumers. That is an "internet rumor" and both sides agree that it's completely falsified. I thought that was interesting,since it's considered fact by most online sources. Just goes to show how things get twisted. I doubt anyone will ever know the true story,because Oprah will say one thing,while Hermes will say another thing...neither having any real evidence to prove anything.

 

No,she certainly shouldn't be considered better than anyone else. That's the sad fact of our society though(all throughout the world). Money talks and it also opens doors. But not this time

 

LOL! Well, I dunno either but I've watched far too many people that complained about customer service when the fact of the matter was they just weren't getting their ass kissed in the manner the felt it should be. Being in retail for eons and the fact that it was in France I doubt she was snubbed for being black...American maybe,lolol.... She needs to get over it, not everything is a racial agenda.

 

Finally, the voice of reason. At last! LOL. Yeah, it seems like there is a lot of hype about this on the internet right now. And it's gonna be ironic if all this boils down to is a simple case of a store being closed, and a customer (albeit famous) not being very happy about that. However, (as you so brilliantly stated) some good really can still come out of all of this. Because racial profiling is very real, and a lot of folks never get to hear about it. So this misunderstanding with Oprah has at least brought this important issue out in the open, and perhaps more people will become aware of how often this sort of thing really does happen to minorities, and more folks need to speak out against it.

For example, I have noticed that the security guards at Safeway are 10 times more likely to follow a black person around the store (especially a male) than a white person. And the same thing goes for homeless folks. I actually once got up the nerve to ask a guard why he wasn't paying so much attention to the white folks, and he actually told me that black men and the homeless are the types that are more likely to shoplift. So he wasn't as worried about somebody white trying to steal something. WTF? It amazes me that people can still think like that in this day and age.

I have worked with the homeless, and they are not all just a bunch of dishonest thieves. In fact, many of them are severely mentally ill, and have been all but abandoned by the American system. Then on top of that, they get treated like criminals for being so conspicuously poor. And while that security guard was so busy following the token black guy and the homeless around the store, I bet there were one or two white folks with sticky fingers that left the store with fat pockets. Because middle class white people don't steal? Anyway, I am glad this incident with Oprah is helping to bring this sorry issue out in the open, and perhaps a little public awareness might bring us that much closer to treating each other with more dignity and fairness.

Peace,

PD

 

I've had stores not let me in because they were about to close. Nobody offered an apology. It was time for the store to close, so I didn't get to go in. Is Oprah better than me?

I just went back to my car, and came back the next day. <shrug>

 

If they didn't know it was Oprah, and didn't let her in, but would have let her in had they have known, you are talking about class discrimination, NOT racial discrimination!

I work retail. When we close, we close. . . and thats it. It is a HUGE security risk to let ANYONE in after closing, whether you know them or not. After having a gun pressed up against the flesh on your head while you are forced to give away your entire earnings for a whole day of work. . . your attitude quickly changes. NO ONE comes in my store after closing. Period.

 

this white guy is more worried about how i act when i get discriminated against for bein hispanic than i am. chill out with that shit, you dont know how it is. im not gonna make a scene just because i should or however youre thinking unless im pissed off to begin with. and for the last time, get a fuckin life. comin on here defendin oprah, thats fucking sad. i hate that bitch
"since you obviously think the best approach to dealing with bigotry is to just to walk around with your head stuck up you ass." this has to be the stupidest thing ive ever read. you think you have me all figured out from what i wrote dont you? youre not even a minority are you? dont fuckin tell me how to deal with bigotry until you become one and actually know how it is to be looked down on because of your color. i dont give a fuck what your friends say or what you read or what you think, you dont know how it is and never will

 

The problem is simply that she was AMERICAN and the location was FRANCE and the French are almost always 100% of the time rude to Americans no matter what.

 

LOL @ this post. It made me laugh a little. I travel a bit and I was in another country one time, and while in the store I was followed around in a very obvious way (outside of the U.S. political correctness is not as strong). The lady was just following me from lane to lane in the grocery store. I just wanted some snacks to eat. Maybe it was my ethnicity, which was distinct from that of the country I visited. I was a relatively wealthy, clean-cut kid and I was followed in a more obvious way than most Black kids will have to endure, although it was temporary. I got over it, but if it were something I more commonly experienced it would definitely bug me. It's like you are accused of being a thief when you are probably wealthier and better educated than those following you.

 

RE: dont fuckin tell me how to deal with bigotry until you become one and actually know how it is to be looked down on because of your color

Don't assume anything. I live close to all-black neighbourhoods, and believe me, they not only don't like white people but are very vocal about it.

 

I wouldn't care who it was, though. Just because someone has some money doesn't mean they can't wait till tomorrow to shop...

 

when was i even talkin to you?

 

im sorry to hear about that horrible experience

 

OK this is just stupid. This is not about a black person not being allowed in a store. This is about rich and arrogant "celebrity" not getting her way and whining about it. Making noise because you think it's racism makes you sound stupid. Making a big deal about it makes you look stupid. Caring about the entire situation certifies that you ARE stupid.

If you have nothing better to do at whatever time Oprah comes on, PM me, I'll find you a job and teach you how not to be stupid. No really.

 

I'm reminded of when I was working at the mall. Too many bored kids hanging out, being obnoxiously loud and rude, blocking store doorways and so loud you have to shout at your customer to be heard sometimes...if I chased away a group of white kids they would heap age related and other verbal abuse, if I chased off a group of black kids, I was a racist along with other verbal abuse as well. Hopefully one day, people will just stop constantly judging people by race, gender and age. Judge not lest ye be judged. All people in all catagories are guilty of the same behaviors, good and bad. Also thanks IronGoth, for pointing out the fact that even people that discriminated against alot can also be guilty of racism. It also makes that point loudly that all people in all catagories are guilty of the same behaviors, good and bad. Maybe one day we will stop judging people in those kind of groups. All black, whites, hispanics, men, women, kids, old people, hippies, punks, white collar, blue collar (ect) are.....

 

So Oprah didn't get special treatment? Big deal. Were any white people being allowed in instead of her?

The fact that Oprah is Oprah shouldn't have made a difference.

 

RE: when was i even talkin to you?

When you stated in a public forum you needed to be a visible minority to understand racism.

I wasn't being antagonistic to you, just pointing out that nobody's got a monopoly on bigotry.

But if you're gonna be like that about it...

 

I still believe if there was any bigotry here it was probably because she is American. That would have been extremely obvious as soon as she opened her mouth and lets face it, American tourists are snubbed quite often in France for various reasons. During the dark ages here in America, female black entertainers often went to Paris and were the toast of the town there when they were treated like crap here.

 

its because shes an american... not only is she an american, she's a tool for the american government... good for france.