The Rumor About Macy's is True

I don't know for a certainty that Macy's is racially profiling but ive
found that they are classiest based on presentation. I recieve lots of
positive attention when dressed up but also get treated like a second
class citizen when I'm in gym clothes. I like to shop without getting
too gussied up so I go to Nordstroms where they have enough sense to
treat everyone like royalty even when they look like a hot mess.

As far as all of these people who commented below. Wow, we all know
rasicm is a very real thing and happens frequently. Just because you
can't prove it doesn't mean it didn't happen. You should almost assume
that it was racism because I can assume that if a well dressed
caucasian women the same issue it would have been handled completely
different.

Bottem line, Macy's need to have stricter custumer service Policies.
Whether or not the treatment was racially motivated, there should be
no room for dispute.

Get over it! Come-on...where the heck have you been shopping?
Couldn't sleep>>whatever. U switched the tag!

I have news for you. It isn't racial profiling - Macy's has just plain
gone downhill in the area of customer service. I, too, have been
shopping at Macy's for many years, starting in NYC in 1976. I now shop
at the Macy's in Eatontown, NJ, & have seen customer service go from
excellent to the worst in the past few years. I frequently shop in the
juniors departments because of my size & young look (including the
dept that sells hip-hop clothing), & the service in those is the worst
of the worst. I have been ignored, sighed at when I've asked a
question, told "f- you" when I asked a sales rep to tone down her
extremely loud highy personal conversation, & had more mistakes than I
can count at the register. Oddly enough, most of the sales personnel
there is African American & I am Caucasian. My guess is it's not
racism, but just untrained personnel giving me stinking service. You
need to get the chip off your shoulder & deal with what it really is.
Otherwise, you will never get what you want.

"I was so distraught over this incident that I was unable to sleep,
and I feel victimized solely because of my race, as it is rumored that
this particular Macys engages in racial profiling to address matters
related to shoplifting. The fact that the sales associate is Caucasian
leads me to believe that this is not just a rumor, but absolutely
true. "

Once you throw this nonsense in there, the vast majority of people on
here will stop listening, even if this began as a valid complaint.
This was poor customer service, but unless you delete these lines and
try again, you aren't going to get a favorable response. Stop being
dramatic, and do not pull the race card unless race is verbally
brought into the situation by the clerk, and grow up.

If you've been shopping at Macy's since the last century and they've
never noticed you're not white before, then the rumor isn't true,
unless the rumor is that there is one asshole working in their Florida
store. Get over it.

I had a sensor left on a CD and the alarms went off and the bars at
the door locked after I had spent ten minutes discussing the new alarm
system with the manager (I was waiting for the rain to stop.) I
suppose the clerk left the tag on in front of the manager because I'm
a big fat Irish guy and wanted to humiliate me. On the other hand, it
may have been a mistake.

Get over it.

I've been accused of shoplifting three times, one because a cashier
forgot to disable the tag on a shirt and twice because the employees
somehow got the opinion that I was stealing something. I seriously
doubt it was because of my race. It might have been because I'm a
teenager, or maybe it's just bad luck.

This really just sounds like one big mistake, and if it gets you this
upset, I think you may have some underlying problems.

Something tells me making a blanket statement that Macy's encourages
racial profiling and discriminates against certain groups of customers
is not going to result in the compensation you appear to be seeking.

YOU FORGOT TO TELL PEOPLE YOU ARE A TICKET SWITCHER AND YOU PUT THAT
TAG ON THE GARMET YOURSELF.

THEN YOU YELL RACIAL PROFILING.

Mirror Mirror on the wall it is what it is...your a crook!

I think they should just ban you from their stores...all of them coast
to coast.

well your credibility just went down the crapper when you raised the
"race card". You are being just as prejudicial as the rumor you
"heard" by ASSuming the white employee's bad service is solely based
on the fact that you were of another race or nationality. So do you
KNOW this person? Have you observed them interact with other customer
of another race in a similar situation? No of course not, you're a
"victim" and you "deserve compensation" over a business dispute.

So let me get this straight anytime a store clerk leaves a Sensormatic
tag on an item, it's a conspiracy against my race. Oh my God, I guess
all the black folks at the local WalMart have it in for my evil white
self because I can't count how many times they've left the security
tags on items I paid for. Maybe I should sue because they are all
"racist".

I think this has less to do with racism and more of throwing a fit at
the end of the day.

I think probably everyone has experienced bad customer service before.
Once, I walked into a store and the employees practically avoided me
like the plague. I left, but returned a few weeks later. This time,
the salesperson was very nice. The difference? Different employees. I
hadn't changed.

What I'm saying, is that there are people out there who don't
understand customer service and are rude. That's a valid complaint.
However, when you automatically assume it's racial, it clouds the
complaint. I'm not saying that it couldn't be, but in a letter like
this it's far better just to state what happened then to list possible
motives. That way, your complaint is clear.

Good luck to you.

I refuse to shop at the Macy's store at Great Lakes Mall in Mentor, it
is very dirty and advertised items are never in stock.

Try to buy a pair of womens shoes size 10! I go at the start of the
season when the new shoes come out, and that size is never in stock.
That is why I shop at Dillards or Reyers...all the way in Sharon, PA.

Always playing the race card, yet accusing Macy's of being racist.
What a concept!

The rumor about me is true also.

I really do rock harder than the law should allow.

I'm close to albino myself, but a lot of my friends aren't. The
original poster might have been sensing something that wasn't there
... rude idiots come in all colors and they're pandemic... but it can
and does happen. Minorities, people with disabilities, and those who
don't fit the media's ideal physical standards can all experience bias
in retail locations. I've even seen it a few times in places where
the so-called minorities are the majority. It may not have happened
here, but having no evidence to the contrary I'm more than willing to
accept that it could have.

Although the situation sounds as if it COULD have been racial
profiling, it was most likely no more than one woman acting completely
inappropriately. No employee of any retail establishment should have
acted this way. I lived in Broward County just a few years ago and
visited this location. I can assure you that there are plenty of
Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians, and so forth and so on that go into
this location. Broward County is a huge melting pot, it would be
nearly impossible to racially profile everyone walking through the
door.

I read Macy's mission statement and the very last line said, "oh yeah,
and we hate black people".
I think you have a valiant complaint, but every time you play the race
card an angel loses her wings so stop it already.

You have no proof your race is the reason why you were treated like
dirt. It's probably because the girl was rude. If I were in a store
and some young African-American female clerk disrespected me, I'll
complain but I would not say she disrespected me because I am a white
man in my 30s.

knock it off with the "it's because of my race" garbage. if she was
rude, it's because she's rude, not because of your race. once i saw
that, i just couldn't take anything else you said seriously.

Never play the race card, it cheapens your complaint and makes you
look like a stereotypical mooch looking for a scapegoat.

My husband is Irish, which is one shade
darker than an albino, and he has has a very similar incident happen
to him in the past. He shrugged it off, and went on his merry way.

If you are that easily disturbed might I suggest you take to a
professional.

I thought the rumor about Macy's was that the merchandise was
generally overpriced. That is what I have found, but I don't really
shop enough to confirm the rumor.

You had a valid complaint until you played the race card. You have no
proof this was racially motivated and the simple fact that she was
caucasian does not necessarily mean this was racial. She seems like
she was just a rude person to all, no matter what race.

When I worked in Macy's and there was a price discrepancy, we would do
a couple of things. If it was a regular price item, with a regular
price tag on it, you got it for the price on the tag. We then had a
form to fill out to note the price discrepancy.

If it was a sale item, for example, all Chaps shirts 50% off, we went
over to the sign to verify that the item the customer had was included
in the sale and, if it was, made the price adjustment. If it was not,
we explained to the customer that the particular item was in the wrong
place and was not a sale item. If they insisted, we then called a
manager to settle it.

Clearance items were the toughest. Most of them had orange stickers
on them with the clearance price. If it rang up higher, we tried to
find another of the same item on the clearance rack. The reason for
this is that many people switched the orange stickers to try and get
something cheaper. I'm not saying anything like that happened here
but it did happen often.

If all the other like items rang up at, say, $5.98, and the tag on
their item said $2.98, we could do a few things. We had some
discretion to give the customer the one item at $2.98 but all the
others would be $5.98. If it was a huge difference, say it rang up at
$15.98 and the orange tag said $2.98, we would explain that the tag
was in error and the item was indeed $15.98. Most people understood
that tags get switched and were fine with it, they either still wanted
the item or decided against it. Others would get mad and then we
would call the manager. It was up to her and, with our manager, she
rarely gave it to them if it was a big difference.

This associate was poorly trained or poorly supervised. Her behavior
would not have been tolerated in our store. Although I can honestly
say I've left some security tags on items in error, I do think she
left it there on purpose.

Unable to sleep and racism..that's too much drama than this situation
called for. I think a call to the store manager the next day would
have been appropiate and all the floor managers report to him/her.

But how much do they charge for their cookie recipe?

I don't see this as an incident of racial profiling so much as a case
of the the cashier being rude and sadly lacking in customer service
skills. If racial profiling were a factor, you would have been
followed around the store so that security could make sure you didn't
slip any merchandise into your purse. You would have been stopped at
the door without the alarm sounding. You would have been escorted to
security and asked to empty your purse/shopping bags. Sounds to me
like the only unpleasant person was the original cashier. Of course,
the salesperson from the Mens' department would have to search your
bag. After she found the item with the sensor on it, did she act like
you had stolen it? You didn't say anything about that. The standard
procedure would have been for that salesperson to inspect your bag &
look at your receipt. When she found the offending item, she would
compare it to your receipt, find that you had indeed paid for the
shirt & remove the security tag. It sounds like you made the scene
even more embarrassing for yourself than it needed to be.

I would just like to point out that Macy's bought Kaufmann's.

I would also like to point out that I'm slightly inebriated and will
drunk dial anyone who revives that train wreck.

Thank you and have a nice weekend. :D

After all, if it is rumoured to be a store with racial profiling then
I can see why she thought it was a race issue. But saying she lost
sleep over what happened is kind of dramatic. Anyways she is being
dramatic, but if she were being overdramatic she would say that the
store was surrounded by the S.W.A.T and police helicopters. She did
not say that so she is just being a bit dramatic.

My teenage son had a wallet that set off security alarms at random
stores. We were in Barnes & Noble, and when we entered the separate
section where the CDs and DVDs are sold, I took the wallet from him
because I didn't want him to be the one to set off the alarm. Since
he's a teenager, I was afraid he would be easily accused of taking
something. So I had the wallet in my pocket, and sure enough the alarm
went off. Everyone was looking at me, including all the employees. I
had a coat on and could have easily had something under my coat or in
my pockets. I was not searched, but I did have to explain about the
wallet. It was a terrible feeling, even though I had done nothing
wrong.

I didn't lose any sleep over the incident, but I think what happened
to the letter writer was much worse. Who am I to say how upset she
was? Everyone handles things differently. Some people are more
sensitive than others.

First of all jessica is wrong, it is not stealing if you pay the price
that is marked on the clothes. Also she purposely left them on to
make purposely humilated you. If security did stop you for paying the
price that was on the sticker then you can show them the proof of the
price. (That is if she did not rip them off. I think she was just
trying to scare your nephew and make him cry that his Aunt was going
to get in trouble. She ripped the prices off so you had no proof. She
knew she was wrong and you were right and she had nothing to arrest
you on. I think that threat of you being stopped by security was to
scare your nephew so you would pay $20, but it has nothing to do with
your race, she's just being a bitch.

You know what your letter was great, you had a great complaint but you
sort of ruined it by accusing the cashier of racism without proof.
Also you said that this is a race issue because the lady was
Caucasian. I think the real racist is you because you believe that
based on the fact that the asssoicate was caucasian that the race
rumour was true. Also another way you spoiled this letter was by
exgarrating.I have have told people on planetfeedback a million times
to stop exgarrating:D I doubt that you lost sleep over this, and if
you did well good luck if you face a real life problem.

Oh no! Not the race card again!

Sharon,

While I agree wholeheartedly that the issue with the shirt definitely
requires attention (and discipline for the clerk) whipping out the
race card and insisting that you shop at stores of a higher caliber
than Macy's is just wrong!

Did they mistreat you - Yes. At no time should a clerk play games
like that. But do I (or anyone else here) think its because you are
not white - NO!

I hope they resolve this for you and apologize for this clerk's
ignorant behavior, but I also hope that you never pull out the race
card as an explanation for just plain crappy service.

not being able to sleep? Cut the drama out of the letter. Stick to the
point of the letter.

This associate should be reprimanded, at the least, for her treatment
of you. I agree with your decision to escalate in the form of this
letter, even after talking to the manager. She should have called a
manager for you the first time you asked and then this would probably
all have been avoided - at least the part about the sensor being left
on.

However, I wonder if you would be making the same race allegations if
the associate hadn't been Caucasian. If there were comments made or
another indicator that her behavior was race related I apologize, but
your recount leaves that out, except for your perception that her
behavior was a characteristic of her race.

I was all in support of Sharon's complaint and was hoping Macy's took
action against the cashier. Then Sharon played the Race Card without
ANY fact to indicate her race had anything to do with how the cashier
acted.

It is the overuse of race and bigotry allegations that makes those who
truly are the victims of such things to be taken less than seriously.

Macy's in NY is famous for having the worst sales people on the
planet. And I, as a white person, have had the security tag left on
something I purchased at Macy's - Was I humiliated - no - was I
annoyed, yes because I had to go back to the department to get the tag
taken off.

Yes, I know racial profiling does take place - and yes, the sales
person should have given you the price on the tag - but that was just
a salesperson who was wrong. Not everything is racial profiling -
lately, I'm finding lots of folks on this site claiming that - which
only belittles the real cases of racial profiling

How were they rude, inconsiderate and totally unprofessional? Did they
throw you to the ground or against the wall? Did you have guns drawn
on you?

The alarm went off. What did you expect them to do, send you on your
way with a pleasent good night?

Provide details on how they were rude, etc.

Wow, Sharon, as a white person from the midwest, I can't imagine what
it's like to feel that someone is mistreating you based on something
as your skin color. I don't blame you for reacting the way you did
and I don't think you overreacted at all. I think this employee
deserves a serious reprimand. What a little brat. Her little trick
about taking the tag off and trying to charge you $20--I would say
that justifies firing, based on her apparent motives behind doing so.

I hope you hear from them.

First, I agree that the store should've sold you the item at the lower
price, without hassle. And I agree that Jessica probably left the
sensor on the garment on purpose. The treatment you received was
horrible, and I do think Macy's should address this.

However, I just don't think this is enough evidence of "racial
profiling." Jessica could just be a really b*tchy Macy's employee.

But I will say this, I have worked at retail stores that I know for a
fact targeted people of a certain skin color for theft. It can and
does happen.

Based on your account of the incident, I suspect Jessica did leave the
tag on the garment purposely.

However I don't see how the color of you skin had anything to do with
it. Did you witness her sell the same shirt to someone who is
Caucasian and not give them a hassle about the price?

I honestly don't see how this had anything to do with racial
profiling.