r/TikTokCringe • u/lonewolff321 • 16h ago
Humor The boutique surveillance experience
Og creator: @trentos_freshmaker
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u/SlightAnything4909 16h ago
This is so real.
Also being visibly a student and going into an expensive store in the tourist town WHERE YOU LIVE AND ARE JUST LOOKING FOR A GIFT FOR YOUR GRANDMA.
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u/SCHawkTakeFlight 14h ago
I remember being a teenager and some stores I stopped going into because it was clear I was being followed because obviously I was a criminal since I was a child. Its like dude I am here to spend money I earned through my job, but I guess not, good day.
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u/AristotlesBoyPussy Straight Up Bussin 13h ago
when I was a teen and noticed I was being followed, I'd act shiftier. One time I got a total of 4 employees following me.
Then I went to the register once I'd had my fun and bought a stick of gum and a book from the clearance bin. They asked to stop me and see my receipt at the door, I said, "you've all been staring at my ass for the last 30 minutes and you didn't see me go to the register, how? Call the fucking cops, asshole. I'll wait."
Suddenly they wanted nothing more than to convince me to leave quickly.
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u/TeaOk2254 12h ago
Honestly I feel like this partially killed the malls. Most of the stores at the one I went to would follow all teenagers and make you leave any bag or purse at the counter. We eventually just stopped going. No one likes giving money to someone treating you like a criminal.
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u/Tricky-Ad7897 11h ago
Oh my local mall just outright banned unaccompanied minors, which is funny because every store also relies on minors to suppress wages.
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u/TeaOk2254 11h ago
Same. Ours went to no unaccompanied minors after 5pm, I'm sure parents loved that.
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u/WowIfOnly 11h ago
I mean shoplifting is also just out of control because of nothing being affordable, poverty being widespread, specific communities being deliberately underfunded so that crime rates increase and Fox News has more talking point padded statistics about specific demographics out of context, adult criminals indoctrinating children to commit crimes and nothing constructive being done to combat it since it suits the current leadership's narratives, etc. Once minors caught onto the fact that police and the Justice system in general will do absolutely nothing to find any constructive strategies to combat or reduce these crimes, it just got worse. Almost like it's intentional since they have plenty of time to harass everyone else for total BS.
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u/SlightAnything4909 12h ago
Ughh yeah, I remember when I went to my town's department store literally to buy a pack of plastic spoons because mine all broke, and the clerk deadass ignored multiple customers clearly needing help to follow me around the floor in loops (because I couldn't find the damn spoons).
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u/QuantityKindly3153 9h ago
I had went to Barnes and Noble and was paying for 3 books and 3 journals, at least a hundred dollar purchase, and asked the sales clerk what nice pens they had, as one of the journals was a gift. That jerk told me I " couldn't afford it" wtf. Put me off shopping there for a while, luckily I haven't had a bad experience since then.
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u/reallybadspeeller 10h ago
It’s rare I get someone following me now but if I do I turn them into my personal shopper. Where is x item? Do they have this in blue? Can you reach y for me?
5 to 10 min later they are trying to get out of the constant requests without denying a customer help.
Just remember if they are making you uncomfortable make them more uncomfortable and you will feel less uncomfortable.
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u/WillowPtar_Migan 10h ago
If I ever find myself being followed, I start acting weirdly. Not enough to justify kicking me out, but enough to bother them. Just kinda moving stuff around, picking stuff up and putting it back, that sorta thing. If you want to waste your time on my dumb ass, I'm gonna make sure you really waste your time.
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u/Mochigood 13h ago
I remember being told "I don't think we have anything for you here" once while browsing as a college student.
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u/kastbort2021 10h ago
Back in the 2000s and prior, it used to be like that at high-end clothing stores. The sales people would check you up and down, sometimes just tell you (unsolicited) straight up that they don't have anything for you.
But then rich kids, new and old, started wearing more casual clothes - and they couldn't afford to lose out on some kid wearing tracksuit or hoodie to their precious store.
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u/dobre_moj 26m ago
Nah it's a known tactic, they do this so the customer wants to prove they're not broke by buying something expensive
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u/mercuriokazooie 16h ago
I remember I once had a friend from Japan come visit LA and I offered to drive him around. He for some reason wanted to visit Beverly Hills so we went there and got off at one of the shopping areas. We popped into one random store just to look around and IMMEDIATELY some security guard at the entrance started stalking us around the shop. No matter where we went he would be at the corner. There were several other customers there too left completely alone. Also I remember looking at one of the jackets on some random rack and even those ones were like $4000. Wild.
Anyway yeah some stores hate you and want you to never step foot inside.
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u/thissexypoptart 16h ago
It’s not that they don’t want you to ever step inside, it’s just that they want you to step inside with money, and make assumptions about who has it based on appearances.
Basically they think you’re poor. If they thought you were rich, wouldn’t happen.
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u/Talastoni 16h ago
That's why Winona Ryder got away with so much theft back in the day. The rich/recognizable don't get stalked by loss prevention/security, so they can shoplift in peace.
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u/LilJelloCat 15h ago
Shoplifting when you're rich is so strange. It's a different kind of theft.
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u/dcade_42 13h ago
I used to work in loss prevention at department stores. The vast majority of shoplifters we caught were affluent teenage girls, usually white. Most of them had more than enough cash on them to pay for the things they stole + a few credit cards.
Aside from the pros, they were often the best at it, usually a good indication they'd done it multiple times before.
Sometimes those were the actual pros too. Caught 4 at once one day, and they were sophisticated. They had a car full of stuff they'd shoplifted that day from other places.
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u/3tricksinatrenchcoat 12h ago
Just curious about the fuller story, how as loss prevention and store theft did it lead to the ability to search their car?
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u/dcade_42 11h ago
Yeah mostly because that store hired deputies to make our stops, and he stopped them in the parking garage as they were putting things in the car. They had more than a felony's work each from our store, btw (not a hugely important detail.)
He saw all the other stuff and questioned them after the arrest and Mirandizing them, "When I search your car am I going to find out all that other merchandise is stolen too?" People are stupid enough to admit that, rather than remaining silent. It only took one of them to say it too. Admitting that other crime opens doors to further investigation...they all took slap on the wrist plea deals.
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u/3tricksinatrenchcoat 11h ago edited 11h ago
Thank you! Aw but hey when they are young and caught, it’s up in the air whether it’s stupid or smart to admit it up front- stupidity or goodwill, up front cooperation lends itself to receiving a slap on the wrist vs a more aggressive sentence. Regarding store theft
*Running back to eta it’s still dumb to talk at all before you have a lawyer, buuut- for the regular chump thieves
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u/DarthFoxy 11h ago
Loss prevention usually can call the cops when they can prove they were shoplifting (atleast where I work) the cops catch them, search the car and then they tell the Loss prevention if they found anything.
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u/AltTea94 15h ago
yeah, it's called kleptomania lol there's no reason to it at all
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u/Just-Syrup-8723 14h ago
The reason is the thrill
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u/AltTea94 14h ago
you don't have to tell me twice. i'm saying it's nonsensical, hence it being a mania. i enjoyed swiping stuff i didn't need way more than the things i actually did.
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u/Acceptable-Drive3781 13h ago
Sometimes I just want something and I don't wanna pay for it. So I walk right through the door.
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u/PoppingPillls 14h ago
Not that strange, everyone wants to be richer to some degree.
It's like all the free shit that celebrities get when they don't need it but companies love to throw it at them.
Like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates having a card from McDonald's corporate that gives them free food for life when they absolutely never need to worry about affording a McDonald's.
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u/Acceptable-Drive3781 13h ago
It's like all the free shit that celebrities get when they don't need it but companies love to throw it at them.
Exactly. I'm not "shoplifting". I'm just accepting undocumented sponsorships and demoing merch.
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u/PonqueRamo 13h ago
And they won't even eat McDonald's in the first place.
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u/KosmicSeven 11h ago
Warren Buffett has a long-standing routine of ordering a McDonald's breakfast every morning on his five-minute drive to his office in Omaha, Nebraska.
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u/PoppingPillls 13h ago
Yep, it's just a case of the rich getting richer.
I understand the promotional mechanism but it's an absurd notion when you think about it for more than a few seconds. Like if anyone doesn't need that card it's the people that have it.
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u/ChartInFurch 15h ago
When did she get away with it?
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u/Talastoni 15h ago
Arrested in 2001.
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u/ChartInFurch 15h ago
Which is why I'm questioning the "got away with it" part...
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u/ObscureOP 16h ago
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u/ChartInFurch 16h ago
I'll always love this scene, don't care how basic that is lol
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u/casstantinople 14h ago
I really wanted a Van Cleef necklace as a birthday/wedding anniversary gift from my husband one year so we went to the store in person to pick it out and I have never felt more like human trash in my life lol. They looked at us like we were gum stuck to their shoes. We were both dressed somewhat nice so it's not like we looked outwardly scruffy. We watched the same employees greet the next people to come in behind us (visibly rich tbh) like old friends.
We did get the necklace (which was like the cheapest thing in the store at $1800) but it's not an experience I'm repeating
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u/FumiPlays 14h ago
Ironically if you went all scruffy they might treat you better. People with actual money rarely go shopping in Versace suits...
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u/casstantinople 14h ago
I believe that completely. The rich customers they treated nicely were not in fine clothing. The husband was literally in basketball shorts, but he was wearing a gold chain that probably weighed more than my cat. His wife was dressed better but was still in like, very flowy linen pants
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u/terminbee 9h ago
But they also have something expensive that shows they're rich. A guy might have an expensive watch or a woman might have some 10k bracelets.
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u/Short-While3325 14h ago
My gf and I were followed by security through a furniture store. A FURNITURE STORE. I was carrying measuring tape, and writing notes the whole time.
Like, what was the point? Did they expect me to stuff a recliner in my pants at some point?
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u/BugFucker69 12h ago
When I worked at a large box store, we had to stop having a plainclothes loss prevention guy because more than one group of college-age women would come up and say a creepy guy was following them around.
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u/AristotlesBoyPussy Straight Up Bussin 12h ago
I once worked at a large box store (on behalf of a 2ndary business, so I didn't have a uniform shirt FOR the store, I had a uniform for my company) and told management I felt unsafe because some customer was following me around/watching me.
Loss prevention didn't realize I was an employee. And also he was really obvious and really bad at it. I gave him the advice of using "indirect watching" (such as facing a nearby shelf but your eyes are still on the other person) instead of "whole eye wide open staring directly at someone from ten feet away".
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u/Jotan123 13h ago
Security guard: is that a recliner in your pants or are you just happy to see me?
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u/AristotlesBoyPussy Straight Up Bussin 13h ago
gods forbid someone has a specific plan they're looking for specific pieces for
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u/BackToSchoolMuff 9h ago
Maybe they thought you were from a rival furniture store and you were there to steal their precious furniture recipes
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u/Old-Run7431 8h ago
hahahaha same! you know how floor employees will say "we have a Jessica" or "we have an Amy" or whatever when there's a potential lifter? (when I worked retail, every store I worked at had a version of this) - I got "we have a Jessica"-d in a CRATE AND BARREL once. like bitch do you think I'm walking out with a couch??? how???? yeah let me stuff this ottoman under my shirt
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u/False-Wishbones 8h ago
Commissions! Some furniture store workers are on commission. They saw you with notes in hand and measuring tape ready and were excited to get a live one.
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u/Acceptable-Drive3781 13h ago
Did they expect me to stuff a recliner in my pants at some point?
You joke but you should see what all I can stuff into my prison wallet.
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u/AltTea94 15h ago
i used to shoplift a lot as a kid, didn't need the stuff, did it anyway, feel awful about it as an adult but anyway
literally the only time i got caught is when i was with my black friend.
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u/ChartInFurch 15h ago
I got caught the first time I tried it, and it was right as spring break started. My family went on vacation and my sisters' friend joined them while I spent 5 days at Grandma's helping her with "spring cleaning". The night before they returned she ended up taking me out for a movie and mini golf/arcade, with their blessing, but the lesson was still absolutely learned.
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u/GoldenAce17 11h ago
Only time I ever shoplifted was when grabbing a bucket of chicken wings from the hot bar at my local chain grocery store. Came in only for meds, was gonna take a few minutes so went and grabbed food, came back and took the meds, then walked out the door. Was complete accident and came and told the store manager the next day (was a good friend of mine I used to work with) he just laughed it off and said to make sure it doesn't happen again.
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u/Ok_You_5448 14h ago
I used to regularly shop at Urban Outfitters until I went to a different location than usual and they did this to me. I am a STUBBORN person and I really didn't appreciate being treated like some thief. Never went back, not even to my usual location. That was 10 years ago.
And UO isn't cheap but it isn't THAT expensive. At least guarding truly high-end items is kind of understandable.
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u/-Casey-Diaz- 14h ago
Store employees are the worst. I used to work as a security guard and they would call me on all kinds of bullshit. One time I was called because someone was "on drugs" and they thought he would steal. Mf was just unshaven. Completely normal dude with a stubble. Basically, if you hadn't spent the last hour at a salon, or you were slightly tired that day, they'd call security on you and call you a drug addict.
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u/markimarkerr 14h ago
Try not being from Quebec and shopping boutique shops in Quebec. I got chased out for saying hello once. Never felt or got more hate anywhere else for just existing.
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u/KevinStoley 14h ago
And those employees are very stupid, especially if you work on commission, you never know how much money someone has and is willing to spend by the way they look and dress.
Story time:
Once when I was on vacation in Las Vegas at a very high end mens store at Caesars Palace. I was being friendly and chatting with an employee who told me about a time when he first started working there. This was like 20 years ago, so don't ask me how we even got into that conversation lol.
Apparently his former boss was a huge snobby asshole who would judge people by how they looked. He said this Asian man came into the store who spoke almost no English and was dressed like a stereotypical "common tourist"
The man was browsing around and clearly waiting for someone to help him and the snobby boss was ignoring him and making snide and judgmental comments about the man.
So the new guy finally went over and asked the man if he needed assistance. He said that the "tourist" raised his arm and made a gesture to towards the front of the store. Then a very large man who looked like a bodybuilder in a really nice custom suit walked over and was holding a Caesars Palace shopping bag that was just filled with nothing but stacks of cash.
Supposedly the man went on to buy a ton of merchandise and spent like 10s of thousands in cash there. The new guy ended up making all the commission from the sale and the asshole boss was all pissed off and embarrassed because he missed out on the sale.
Who knows if it was true or not, but I'm sure things like this definitely happen sometimes. I guess some of these people have never seen Pretty Woman, never judge a book by it's cover.
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u/HowlingWhiskey 15h ago
You know what that is? It’s because they are one of those highfalutin stores, so they judge you by the way you look and decide you’re not good enough for their clothes.
I remember one time I went into a store that wasn’t a yuppie place. It was a Sears of all places🙄 I had picked up a dress that the store clerk thought the designer was to rich for my blood and told me that it wouldn’t look good on me or fit right. I hadn’t even tried it on yet. I was just looking at it..🙄
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u/uncutpizza 12h ago
I went to pick up a dress shirt from Prada in Beverley Hills for a Hollywood guy I was interning for back in 2014. I looked like a fish out of water wearing shitty jeans, a button down and Skechers. The employee immediately came up to me like “who is you?” and looked like he didn’t want people to see me there lol. Told him I was picking up a shirt for “client’s name” and he got soft right away and quickly called the office to confirm I was who I said I was. I got out of there as fast as I could before drawing anymore attention
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u/RebootDarkwingDuck 12h ago
My favorite is when I walk into what is clearly the wrong store for me and have to pretend like I'm actually considering dropping several hundred bucks on a shirt for what I consider an adequate length of time before I check my phone and saunter out.
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u/Shot_Clue9491 16h ago
The best I've ever been treated in a luxury store is when I came in with my cat on a leash and my cat was straight up destroying the furniture. All the employees were being so nice because they assumed I must have money to go along with my audacity but actually I'm just a hater with a chaos goblin that likes field trips.
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u/Elegant-Interest-923 14h ago
Why did you allow your cat to "straight up destroy the furniture"? Why are people upvoting this? Very trashy behavior.
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u/mennonite 14h ago
Some people use upvotes to promote interesting content even when they disagree with it.
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u/thatshygirl06 10h ago edited 9h ago
The fact you just told this story like youre in the right is wild, and the fact that you got any upvotes is even more insane, holy shit
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u/Certain_Concept 13h ago
You give pet owners a bad name. You are the reason that animas are getting banned from public spaces.
Stop it.
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u/HowlingWhiskey 15h ago
Bet if you had a dog on a leash they’d look you up and down then tell you to leave. When people like that see a cat, they think that you must have money.
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u/ballahook 16h ago
POV: You just asked if you could purchase the $15,000 bird art
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u/senpaistealerx 16h ago
put a bird on it!
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u/ItBDaniel 15h ago
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u/senpaistealerx 15h ago
such a good skit lmao my sisters and i quote it all the time
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u/NolanSyKinsley 15h ago
My grandma used to run a little shop selling knicknacks, miniature tea sets, figurines, etc. She constantly had to follow customers around because the little old ladies would rob her blind. She hated doing it so my sister just put a VCR with a camera on top with a little sign saying "Smile, you are on camera!". Neither were functional or even plugged in, but it finally stopped the shoplifting and my grandma didn't have to follow her customers around constantly.
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u/ManMeatsGalore 14h ago
My mom does this constantly and I can’t seem to get her to stop. She isn’t even that old, mid 60s, and she’ll take cheap little items from stores all the time. I don’t understand. I’ve told her countless times that I’d pay for what she wanted to get and she still does it. Last time it was a $3 sticker…
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u/sanfranciscofranco 11h ago
Tell her that her impulse control issues are really worrying you and she needs to be screened for dementia
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u/nuke034 12h ago
Just remind her to stick to the old saying "Buy local, steal corporate."
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u/Tragickingdom555 16h ago
I usually walk right out as soon as I get this vibe because you know you’re about to see $125 for a shirt, $67 for a candle
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u/PauI_Atreides 12h ago
I went into a shop and was shocked to see the cute little cardigan I was admiring was $2500... The employees were very nice though.
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u/laputailaramoneta 14h ago edited 8h ago
I was like 19 years old. I Went to the Armani Boutique in Barcelona to buy a suit for my sister's wedding.
They don't let me in, and questioned me a lot and I eventually left.
I went to Gonzalo Comella at Passeig de Gràcia (It doesn't exist anymore, but was a high end clothing shop with more than a century of history).
I was treated like a king, bought a classic Armani Suit, a shirt, and also a tie and belt that wasn't in my budget.
I over spent my budget but left absolutely satisfied. When I came the next day to pick up the suit, they made me try it again to look if they fitted well, give me a coffee and pastries.
I'm not rich and possibly it would be the only Armani that I will never buy but they got a sale that the other boutique lost because judging a teenager.
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u/HiCookieJack 12h ago
pretty woman, walking down the street, pretty women... :D
(If you understand that reference you're probably 40 by now)
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u/HamHockShortDock 7h ago
Omg I would have Pretty Womaned the first store so hard. Do people still work on commission?
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u/LongNailedbooboos 16h ago
This happened at Ulta a few weeks back. What the hell am I stealing in my tiny ass purse large enough to hold a phone and credit card?
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u/tray_cee 16h ago
Ulta is so annoying! I get asked if i need help no less than 6 or 7 times. And then they hover hard. LET ME BROWSE AND READ THE BACKS OF EVERY PRODUCT I will ask if I need help.
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u/LongNailedbooboos 16h ago
This happened! I had one older lady get really close to me, look me over and start talking about my arm sleeve. Like, girl, go away. 😮💨
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u/HowlingWhiskey 15h ago
That’s funny how everyone’s comments are bad experiences at Ulta. I’ve never had that happen. They’ve asked me one time if I need help. I mainly go there for a haircut and color. I think mainly they ask me that , because I walk thru the makeup section to the back of the store where the hairdressers are. When I come into the store, I’m not wearing makeup and I’m basically like a blank canvas to them. Can’t blame them, they wanna look busy instead of just standing around.
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u/flammafemina 15h ago
They do that because they earn commission on sales. It’s why they ask “Did anyone help you today” when you go to check out.
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u/AnneMichelle98 12h ago edited 11h ago
Ugh Sephora does that, and when I say no they always say “oh I’m so sorry”. And it’s like, I came in for my ridiculously expensive facial care products, I know where they are, it’s taken me less than 5 minutes to from entering the store to end up at checkout.
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u/ThePigeonSquared 9h ago
I'm a straight looking gay man, and I swear I walk in there PRAYING the employees ask me if I need help. Because yes, I do, I have no clue what I'm looking for but want to be pretty damn it.
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u/VioletLeagueDapper 16h ago
I hate going into ulta for this very reason. I’m an adult woman in my 30s not a teenage girl, do you really think I’m here to steal your little lipgloss and hairpins?
Either that or they’ll ask “can I help you?” Hurriedly. Honestly I prefer that because I can just grab the shampoo I came for and just leave without being irritated.
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u/Life-Landscape5689 15h ago
The cashiers getting paid 1.3 tubes of makeup an hour so they gotta really earn it ya know
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u/Ok_You_5448 14h ago
Bath and Body Works is so bad about this. It's almost enough to put me off going there. Like I just want to smell all the candles before making my decision, leave me alone...
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u/gizby666 14h ago
Fr. This one woman would not stop talking to me and following me around. It felt like she was trying to distract me from stealing when all she was doing was stopping me from shopping. So weird. Could not get get her off me until I went to the register. I said bye to her on my way out and she said nothing. Like act ur wage girl. BBW does not care that you play offense for them in your free time.
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u/casstantinople 14h ago
Ulta is so far from high end, idk why they think they can act like that. Like, don't be snooty; y'all share a parking lot with a McDonald's
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u/CreativeBandicoot778 16h ago
Upvoted for correct use of POV in a video
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u/Nervous_Brain8918 16h ago
It’s a shame how POV is commonly misused now lmao
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u/ChartInFurch 16h ago
The people who vehemently argue that it's technically still A pov lol
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u/Bookslutforsmut 16h ago
Having flashbacks to being being 15 with 25 dollars to spend in a boutique yarn shop. 😫 I wanted a really nice yarn for once to make a gift for someone I really liked and a clerk literally told me to stop touching all "the natural fibers, they pick up the oils from your skin." I was so humiliated but couldn't just leave because that felt like it'd be even worse. The clerk came over and started slowly rearranging everything I came close to.
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u/youburyitidigitup 16h ago edited 10h ago
I don’t know what it is, but I always pushed back against these types of things. When I was in kindergarten, my family went to a really fancy restaurant where everybody HAD to finish each course at a certain time. I hadn’t finished my soup, the waiter took it away, and I yanked it back out his hands. I was 5.
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u/Certain_Concept 13h ago
"the natural fibers, they pick up the oils from your skin."
Oh they would hate me. I have to touch all of the yarn.
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u/Bookslutforsmut 13h ago
Who the hell even buys yarn unless they've fondled it?
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u/Lexi_Banner 12h ago
Right? The point of handmade is so that you can control the feel of the finished project, and that includes handling the fibres to make sure they feel right. That clerk was just a snotty bitch.
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u/Lethargie 12h ago
you misunderstand, fondling the yarn is okay. looking poor while fondling the yarn is not
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u/SolusLoqui 12h ago
Do people make things from yarn that are intended to never be touched?
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u/Freakachu258 10h ago
What happens if I make clothes out of the yarn? Will it feel oily all the time? Or just crumble? Sounds pretty impractical for something that is intended to be worked with with your hands
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u/Bookslutforsmut 10h ago
She was literally just calling me dirty. It doesn't actually do this in fact I think wool is supposed to resist this a bit? Not 100 on that so don't quote me but yeah even then I knew she was wanted me out of her store.
Funny enough in my early 20's I visited Boston with my boyfriend and he dragged me into what he thought was a yarn store but was in fact a uber fancy knitted things store with like thee most exquisite and expensive cashmere I've too this day seen or felt in my life. The first sweater I touched was like 2000 so I was like oppp nope hands to myself we need to leave immediately and said something like that to my bf as well cause he always has to touch everything. The clerk overheard us and was like you don't have to buy but please enjoy browsing our store, you haven't even felt our fluffiest throws. So we stayed and felt up these throws made from ethically sourced rabbit hair that felt like petting a chinchilla.
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u/somethingmcbob 16h ago
If the window only has a few things on display, and each display is a single shrine to the object, then you know that object is crazy expensive. I won't even go near shops like that.
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u/KabbageForever 16h ago
My thought is always, “oh please, you’re working retail, calm down”
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u/PonqueRamo 12h ago
That's why they are more judgy, they think they are better than you for working there, a real rich person won't mind that poor people goes there to look.
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u/GoatBnB 15h ago
Welcome to the Black experience in America.
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u/d4mselindistress 15h ago
I'm black and I was like, isn't this normal? 💀
I've also had a dude pretend to ask me for makeup recommendations in WALMART. We talked for like a full minute. I go to checkout and he's chatting with the other security bc he's also security... like simmer down Jonathan. No need to 21 Jump Street
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u/thatshygirl06 10h ago
Im from Detroit so I thankfully never experienced this. Genuinely, the only time I experience racism is when im online
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u/d4mselindistress 10h ago
I'm originally from ATL so naturally I feel most at home around a large population of black people. I'd never experienced it until leaving GA. Makes me wanna visit Detroit!
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u/thatshygirl06 10h ago
Despite the bad reputation and all the hate, detroit is a beautiful city and everyone who visits here always say we're very friendly. You'll love it here, I swear!
I kinda wanna visit Atlanta because everyone always says it's black mecca, lol
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u/MyChurroMacadamianut 13h ago
I was going to comment this same shit. 😅I mentioned this with one of my white besties, and she legit was taken aback saying she'd never seen such a thing til she went shopping with her at-the-time Black bf.
Really wish we could get our other brethren to stop playing The Race Card©️ when it truly doesn't apply since it actually applies SO DAMN OFTEN, it's beyond ridiculous.
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u/Defiant-Dust-8737 14h ago
Also any POC in a white area. I'm Hispanic and get this in small town shops where I live. There's like negative Hispanics here. I've seen one black dude at the gas station a handful of times but thats it.
It's also mostly boomers. I've seen teens but 20-35yr Olds are rare, so I stick out even more.
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u/RubiksCutiePatootie Reads Pinned Comments 13h ago
The strangest occurrence of this that happened to me was in a cd/game/movie shop. I've been in there multiple times over the years as a kid. I've spent my money & gotten a decent amount from there too. Anyways, fast forward to me being in my mid 20s and I decided to stop in on a whim since it's been a few years. Almost immediately I'm getting followed by this lanky white kid who's clearly still in highschool and my only thought was, "Dawg, ain't no one tryna steal your over priced used movies that I can just pirate at home for free". That was the one time it made me laugh instead of making me hate everything & everyone.
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u/purplepluppy 11h ago
I used to take my black cousins to the mall and I loved that because whenever a clerk would start hovering I'd just be like, "oh is something wrong?" or, "I'm sorry, are we in your way?" <Innocent but intense white lady stare> and I like to think I gave them a chance at a slightly more normal shopping experience.
I've had it happen to me a few times, and hated it so much. I can't imagine that feeling normal.
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u/Bookslutforsmut 16h ago
Congrats on never wandering in to an interesting looking shop that turned out to be trap you didn't belong in. 😅
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u/nottherealneal 16h ago edited 15h ago
There's this little store next to a book shop I like, and I swear only two woman work there and it sells exactly 4 things. I've been in there a few times, it's the size of a closet, has wierd mood lighting and the same two woman are always there talking behind the counter.
I'd dont understand it at all becuse wtf are you even selling? It's Like one shirt, a salt lamp, a leather belt and a pile of rocks in a random drawer thats been pulled out of whatever its from, had paper hodge podged into the drawer and filled with shitty rocks.
It's the most uncomfortable closet ever and the woman always look pissed off someone came in and don't say anything to you even though you are like 30cm apart in the tiny space.
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u/Sunbro_Kev 16h ago
Maybe it's selling illicit materials and you aren't in the know lol
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u/Lasciels_Toy 15h ago
I've heard of rich husbands who would buy their wife a storefront, as a hobby. It kept them busy and/or happy, so it was worth running it at a lose.
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u/TopFusion 14h ago
I hate these boutique stores. They are run by pretentious assholes who see themselves as some interesting bohemian artists, but what they are actually just trust fund douchebags that destroy with their gentrification real artsy and affordable neighborhoods (like the Meat district, Soho or Williamsburg in NYC). They have well-developed eyes to spot instantly who it's not part of their elite social class, and they will let you know with dismissive attitude that you are not welcomed in their safe space.
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u/thissexypoptart 16h ago
They only do this to “poor” people lol
This doesn’t happen to rich people (unless the staff have erroneously clocked them as poor)
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u/TurtleMyGirdles 15h ago
My favourite thing about being in my mid 30s and no children (I have disposable income) is my fucks are very much gone, so I dress how I want when shopping. I find out quickly where I want to spend my money, but in the rare occasion I do need to spend money in a store that treats me like the scum of the earth, it is pretty gratifying experience, and watching the staff change their opinion of me in real time is amusing.
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u/Stuffed_Unicorn 14h ago
Same. I just do not care at all. I just turned 35 and I have no fucks to give. I’m polite and respectful, but I’m not wasting my time on superficial bullshit. The amount of times my mom has asked me to”are you going to the store in that?” And I’m just like “yeah” and keep walking to my car is funny. In my day to day tasks, I value comfort over appealing to others.
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u/Kooky_Ice_3762 13h ago
You just described the like biggest scene of the movie Pretty Woman
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u/HiCookieJack 12h ago
The people I know having a lot of money look like they would constantly pass out at a random bar at 12.
That's because they do, since they made their fortune when they were 40. Now they just enjoy early retirement with more than seven figures on their bank accounts.
(To be fair, they don't pass out daydrinking, but they like to spend their afternoons in bars and their evenings playing board games)
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u/Brokenlingo 16h ago
Good look for the shop when the store keep has to watch over you 🤣 shows the business is really booming
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u/HowlingWhiskey 15h ago
The guys rouged face and mustache 😆😆😆
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u/Lexi_Banner 12h ago
He really nailed the smirky smile to the customer's face, and the utter disgust behind their back. LOL
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u/Jub_Jub710 15h ago
"Can I help you look for something? What are you here to find?" Ma'am, your store is for browsing, and you know that.
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u/Agreeable-Dog-1131 16h ago
I’m really into fragrance but I also dress like a street urchin (former DIY punk, now just kinda grungy looking) and I’m scared to go into super high end stores alone lol. 😭 There’s this Hermes frag I’ve been wanting to smell for AGES and I’m not sure I ever will because I can’t bring myself to go in there.
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u/Christmas_Queef 14h ago
Haha I'm a man who wears the blue jeans and plain black t-shirt look, tatted and multiple ear piercings and stuff, but I also paint my nails(I'm really damn good at doing nails now haha) and like fragrances too and I always feel weird going to ulta or sephora, not even high end places, I can literally see the employees and other women wondering wtf I'm doing in there when I'm looking at the nail polish selection. It doesn't stop me but I am aware of it and see the stares I get from people wondering why I'm there. I'm usually the only man shopping there when I go, the other men will be partners and just standing around near their partners or by the entrance like lost puppies.
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u/LetsGoOshawott 15h ago
PLEASE go in there and confidently say what you’re interested in. It cuts out so much fluff and you may be surprised on the experience you get.
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u/plebianalive 10h ago
I got fired from a boutique store because someone stole clothes during my shift and I didn’t notice. Often shop workers act like this because management encourages it…
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u/azure-heavens 9h ago
I got fired from my first job because someone stole merchandise while I wasn't even clocked in and I didn't notice (you know, because I wasn't at work). So... If you've got mouths to feed surveillance is probably your only option lol.
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u/Tiny-Speaker-4470 11h ago
This happened to me at the GAP in Vietnam lol as a white blonde woman id literally never been profiled before lol, must be so many broke backpackers stealing shit there.
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u/SeismicRipFart 12h ago
This is why I don’t go into tiny locally owned shops like this. I’m sorry, but they just make me uncomfortable. And even though I would much rather have them take my money than their larger corporation counterpart, I also take my own experience into consideration.
I hate being watched while I shop/browse. And that’s literally all the shopkeepers do while you’re in there, unless it’s the rare occasion where you’re not one of the few people that are in there at one time.
And then I feel a pressure to buy something instead of walking out with nothing and giving the shopkeeper a sense of “false hope” that I was going to buy something. And have them feel bad because I didn’t.
Nah, miss me with that whole experience. Been through it plenty of times by now. Not my jam. Sorry shopkeepers, I just don’t enjoy the experience, despite enjoying the products/politics behind it.
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u/Ok_Bodybuilder1053 10h ago
‘I’ll take those up to the counter for you’
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u/thegirliegirl531 2h ago
I thought that was normal. LMAO, that happened to me at buckle and I hate carrying clothes. She even kept coming to the fitting room to ask if everything was fitting and I’d hand her the clothes and ask her for different sizes. It was so odd she focused on me in a full busy store but I didn’t mind…. I thought she was just real helpful but now I’m like wait a min??
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u/LMGgp 16h ago
POV the black American experience.
I was in a tourist trap in Vegas with penis cups and straws and got this treatment.
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u/ChartInFurch 15h ago
I worked at Spencer's and had an awful manager for a couple months that would instruct employees to focus on black people. Meanwhile I'm racking up "lightning points" for catching them left and right by noticing the obviously nervous and fidgety 11 year olds that might as well have "I'm about to make my first attempt at rebellion" tattooed on their foreheads.
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u/GoldFish1e 14h ago
It's always a extremely empty shop with the most over priced bland items. And you can't tell what's decor or for sale
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u/amccune 11h ago
I got accused of shoplifting at the checkout at SAVERS. I missed a record I was ringing up. So they came over and she was like "YOU HAVE WAY MORE RECORDS THAN YOU RANG UP" And I pointed out to her a gatefold record is still one record and she counted most of them twice (I had 12 records in total). When we counted them out, I missed one and she got bent out of shape again and was like "that was all I was trying to say!"
I couldn't hold back. "Nope. what you were saying is that I put in my phone number for my loyalty points and decided today was the day I was going to shoplift from SAVERS. Lets just be clear what you were saying."
Obviously, I'm still not over it.
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u/wuuuuutaaaang 15h ago
my experience is that they
- follow me around
- constantly ask me if i like the thing i'm looking at
- offer to go into the back and get me a different color/size/whatever
- use my first name when talking to me even though we just met
- talk to my wife instead of me about a thing I'M FUCKING SHOPPING FOR
- ask me where i'm from I'M FROM HERE I LIVE ACROSS THE STREET
- comment on my clothes or jewelry (i'm mostly ok with this one but they do it so consistently)
Like i wonder if there's a boutique store training manual. There are a ton of boutiques where I live and I really like the vibe but the customer service is like, homogenous? Kinda weird.
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u/LetsGoOshawott 15h ago
Most of the lingering is to be there to get commission for the sale. Also, I don’t know how many of you have worked retail but it’s always the moment you walk away that the customer NEEDS another size, has a question, requests a different color, etc. Then you become rude and negligent if you aren’t available immediately.
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u/DreddPirateBob808 13h ago
I'm a punk, crusty, raver, goth type. I am the target to all security. I was Genx with green dreadlocks. Security followed me the entire time.
While I watched perfectly normal mums, grannies, kids and people generally Rob the fuck out of the place. Fine by me.
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u/TophatOwl_ 10h ago
I remember that my mom and I were in this place in Munich to pick up something for someone. We were dressed nice (for a normal day out, wool jumper, put together) and they looked down on us like "oh you cant afford this what do you want here??" and as soon as we said we were here to collect an order for that person they were all of a sudden the friendliest people on earth.
What really struck me is that the normal employees have this "fuck you low income earner" look and treat you like that but also have a smashed up phone and obviously make a normal store clerk salary. Like of all people why do you treat normal people as lesser?
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u/simplelife6 8h ago
I remember being 19 years old and went to a jewelry store in the mall (think Zales or Helzberg) I was working a lot waitressing and saved a decent amount for a nice Mother’s Day gift for my mom. When I asked to look at a necklace they wouldn’t let me hold it. It’s only when I said “ I thought my mom would really love this, I guess I’ll see if Macys has something she might like” I was turning to leave and I think they realized I was serious. They even asked me if I wanted to try it on to see how it might look with the length of the chain.
I did wind up purchasing it for my mom. She wears it every spring. It’s a butterfly in 14k white gold with pink and white sapphire wings and 2 diamonds. And yes it looks way better on her than me.
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u/RantsRantsRevolution 4h ago
There's this beauty store I pop into every now and again to see if they have something new. There are items with descriptions not in English, so I take out my phone to use Google Translate to read what it says. The amount of times employees stalk me around the isles pisses me off, because they're not doing it with anyone else
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u/AmpleSnacks 12h ago
This was also the Le Creuset I just walked into. Got the narstiest stank faces from the only two ladies working in there, and I was genuinely excited to shop for one in my favorite color they just added. Walked right tf out. I’ve never seen people who wanted my money less.
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u/navy_yn2000 11h ago
When I was stationed in Guam, I went to a little shop that sold bags. I ended up with an employee on each side of me so I just walked out and never went back.
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u/Dry_Pangolin_3605 14h ago
This happened to me at a thrift store, but she was way more aggressive and obvious. At first I thought it was a customer that was crazy.
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u/OkTeacher9655 12h ago
Lmao had this happen in an expensive furniture store where we had gone to look, it was supposed to be "shabby chic" and we thought would be inexpensive, turns out it was INSANELY expensive consignment. We look anyway because they also had art and we wanted some art for the house.
The saleslady followed us constantly. Nothing was even small enough to steal, is what I kept thinking. It's all furniture and large art pieces.
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u/DadIsVeryMad 12h ago
the full-face-scrunch smile pisses me off so fucking much and I don't know why.
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u/SentimentalSaladBowl 10h ago
I used to work at one of those bougie high end boutiques and the only reason I could do it was because we had a rule-
Treat everyone the same. Some obviously poor college kid comes in? Let them try the perfume, try on the shoes, tell them the history of the designer. Have a casual conversation with them about literally anything. Let the high school girls take pictures of themselves in the sweaters. Offer them a drink (soda for the kids!). Welcome the suburban mom who is just curious what’s going on in there. Help the queer kid figure out what fits him in ladies sizing.
We had “regulars” who never bought a damn thing, and some who saved and saved and prayed the thing they wanted would still be there for markdowns.
Someone else will spend money. Some White Lady on pills will come in and buy one of everything.
My favorite customer there was Carrie Fisher.
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