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    Pope AlexanderErin Gloria Ryan
    10/24/13 12:17pm

    When I wore jeans and an oversized sweatshirt into a completely empty Chanel store, looking for a lipstick, I was treated like a criminal. As soon as I decided on a color, the woman who hadn't left my side the whole time took me by the arm to the cash register to make me pay immediately. I actually wanted some eyeshadow, but I guess that was off the menu. My money was worth less than the apparent "shame" of having a fat girl in jeans in their store.

    High-end stores have got to remember that they're in the business of selling shit, not "screening" clients based on appearance, race or presumed financial standing.

    It's one of the weirdest aspects of consumer culture — this idea that somehow the person who looks like they should be shopping there is treated better than the person who doesn't fit the image, yet may actually be willing to spend rather than just window shop.

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      chingachoochooPope Alexander
      10/24/13 12:46pm

      A-freaking-men to that; I posted awhile back about the same thing happening to me in a fucking Lucky Brand jeans store in Vegas. I know that the extra attention that I was getting from the staff was because I was brown and dressed in jeans and my boyfriends oversized plain jacket (hoodrat, amirite). Had they known I was a police officer, perhaps they wouldn't have fucked with me? I don't know.

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      KrippieWPope Alexander
      10/24/13 1:17pm

      I had the same experience at a Gap (a friggin GAP!) store in Chicago. I stopped home on the way back from the beach, so I had a big (but see through) beach bag. This one employee shadowed me really obviouslythe entire time. After I made my purchases and was walking towards the front to leave, I could actually hear someone on their little walkie talkie system say "She's approaching." I still think about that all the time, and really wish I had made a scene of dumping my beach bag contents all over the place so they could look through. I'm not a POC, though, so I only have to deal with it on rare occasions. Can't imagine how frustrating it would be to be treated like that every time I walk in a store.

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    Jan74Erin Gloria Ryan
    10/24/13 11:59am

    Any and all "fraud prevention" needs to be done BEFORE the person completes the transaction and leaves the store.

    Accosting people later and interrogating them? Hell no. No no no.

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      Missy PantsJan74
      10/24/13 12:03pm

      Depends. What are the laws in NY for theft? Where I am they need to leave the premises. Just putting shit in your pocket and wandering around is "shopping", when you leave it's stealing.

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      BekabyMissy Pants
      10/24/13 12:13pm

      Fraud and shoplifting are not the same beast. You're right about stealing, but in these cases the customer has paid for the item, it's not theft.

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    The Other TheronErin Gloria Ryan
    10/24/13 11:54am

    The better question is why would anyone spend $2500 on a handbag?

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      ScobiesThe Other Theron
      10/24/13 11:56am

      Really? A personal choice about what or what not to purchase is a better question than racism??

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      SaveTheWorldKillMeThe Other Theron
      10/24/13 11:57am

      Holy shit! Because they fucking want to.

      People on the internet are such obvious Twats.

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    Airam79Erin Gloria Ryan
    10/24/13 11:57am

    Sitting back for all the posts decrying a person spending $2500 on a bag and not this classic example of racial profiling.

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      ameagaAiram79
      10/24/13 12:00pm

      Things. They don't get them.

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      Patcher PupAiram79
      10/24/13 12:08pm

      Seriously. A store like Barney's is FULL of overpriced shit. Overpriced shit that people apparently buy. Why fixate on that, and not the racial profiling?

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    NomNom83Erin Gloria Ryan
    10/24/13 11:55am

    Not that I am anywhere near the vicinity of Barneys or even have the discretionary funds to shop there, but:

    GIF
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      femi-what?!NomNom83
      10/25/13 3:13am

      I thought of this the moment I read the headline. Kudos to you for the gif. :)

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    MichaelErin Gloria Ryan
    10/24/13 12:04pm

    Their facebook page has been bombarded.

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      isner-mahutMichael
      10/24/13 12:09pm

      This is great. Every luxury item they post has comments like, "If I buy this will I be arrested?" As someone who is forced to do pointless social media marketing, this fills me with glee.

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      VeryBadGoodMichael
      10/24/13 12:19pm

      Not seen such an appropriate usage of the word bombarded since Ken Burns: The War.

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    recidiviciousErin Gloria Ryan
    10/24/13 12:02pm

    If a nameless debit card was such a problem why wasn't it brought up at the point of purchase? It seems pretty counterproductive to go ahead and ring it up anyway.

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      Mary Tyler Moore cookies, please.recidivicious
      10/24/13 1:14pm

      That's what I was thinking! I can honestly see a nameless debit card being suspicious on such a large purchase.. perhaps they should have asked for ID or verified the card before completing the transaction?

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      CatMcCrecidivicious
      10/24/13 1:19pm

      Because the clerk thinks they are some sort of deputy police inspector and wants the transaction to go through so they can be part of "catching the perp?" I don't understand how Barney's can claim no responsibility when it's their staff CALLING THE COPS ON PAYING CUSTOMERS.

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    AriaheadErin Gloria Ryan
    10/24/13 11:57am

    It's already started. Complaining about the price of things instead of being upset about the injustice of being considered a criminal and then treated as such because of the color of your skin. Can we not today?

    You know what I can't believe? That people still treat people like shit even though they should be more evolved in this day and age. When statistics show that the very people that they should be following and arresting are getting away with crimes because they are too busy profiling black people.

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      RenissaraAriahead
      10/24/13 12:00pm

      But complaining about poor people (obviously they're poor, they're black) spending too much money is how Americans feel better about themselves!

      Where's your American spirit?

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      Scarlett O'HereticAriahead
      10/24/13 12:09pm

      There are like, 3 comments complaining about the price and about 10 comments complaining about "all those comments." So... you win?

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    intothefrayErin Gloria Ryan
    10/24/13 1:46pm

    I said it on the last post, I'll say it on this one. Young people don't usually have that much money to drop in expensive department stores. For a 19 year old to buy a $300 belt and a 21 to buy a $2500 purse is extremely suspicious. My first instinct is to jump on age discrimination rather than racism.

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      recidiviciousintothefray
      10/24/13 2:51pm

      It really depends. When I was a teenager and only had a part time job I had a lot more disposable income than I do now working full time, because I lived with my family and didn't use most of my monthly paycheck for rent/utilities or groceries like I do now.

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      Thaagrecidivicious
      10/24/13 3:35pm

      This. My kids earn less than I do but they are capable of going out and getting new clothes, flying out of state, buying cars, etc. (The girls live together.) I have to save up to buy a sack of potatoes to eat on a weekend.

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    Ken Yadiggit, AdiosErin Gloria Ryan
    10/24/13 11:52am

    black white man woman gay straight...I still CANNOT fathom spending $2500 on a purse.

    Mind boggling.

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      Pope AlexanderKen Yadiggit, Adios
      10/24/13 12:22pm
      GIF
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      vivrant thingPope Alexander
      10/24/13 12:47pm

      this gif. it's everything.

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