Office Depot I was discriminated against Dallas, Texas
I was browsing around at this Office Depot in Dallas, TX and felt as if a couple of employees there were treating me as if I was not welcome. One employee kept walking by me while I was browsing. He walked passed me at least 3 times. Another employee who seemed to be the manager rudely asked "Can I HELP you," upon which I replied "No i'm just browsing," Thank You. Now, the reason I felt uncomfortable there is because the employee who was walking passed me seemed to be going out of his way to walk past me. He would walk from the front of the store passed where I was then across the store. At first it didn't seem weird until I was leaving the store and instead of taking the same route to the same destination he was going to, he seemed to make sure to walk past me as I exited the front of the store as if to prepare to chase me in case the anti theft alert alarm went off. This is not the first time I have felt uncomfortable in an Office Depot store, but I can guarantee it will be the last as I will never (EVER) shop there again.
P.S. I am an African American Business Owner so I did have a reason to be there. Last year in 2009 I purchased a $700 Toshiba Laptop from this exact location. So why they would seem to expect me to steal I have no idea.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
NJel
V-Town,USA
A Reason, but not Race
#3UPDATE Employee
Thu, January 13, 2011
Office Depot stores have what's called "Depot Time" in which case they do not work on tasks and spend their ENTIRE time assisting other customers. Associates are taught to utilize excessive customer service as a means of deterring shoplifters; now, this isn't presupposing we think someone is a shoplifter, but if our WHOLE job is to assist customers, we will come back to certain "Just looking" customers on purpose to ensure they're still doing okay, and, yes, to make sure they're up to no mischief.
Stores get hit pretty hard with shoplifters. The ones that are usually guilty of it are "Just looking" customers, because they want to be left alone, and don't want any attention, so we make bee-lines around them to make sure they've either been helped, are still just browsing, and to make sure they're not up to anything. This isn't racial profiling, because I've done it myself to plenty of people being hispanic myself.
Also, no amount of money spent in the store is going to make you "auto-green" in terms of suspicious activity; in fact, we may even watch you a little closer because you know us better. Trust me, sometimes the ones who steal are those who want to be friendliest, and spend the most money with us.
There was nothing bad about what happened to you. Sorry it made you feel uncomfortable, but we're just doing our jobs. I don't work at your store's location btw, if that's what you're thinking, but what you're describing sounds like you came in during Depot Time when associates' only job is to tend to customers, and since you were "Just Looking" they spent a little extra attention on you just in case you needed help later, or were looking for any five-finger discounts lol
anonymous
United States of AmericaRace card? Really?
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, October 05, 2010
Is it really necessary to pull the race card? How do you know that they don't treat other customers of other races, in the same manner? I have no affiliation with Office Depot but find it absurd that you would assert that they treated you "poorly" due to your race. I am Caucasian and have been treated in the same manner at Office Depot. I was browsing the store while waiting for a friend to make his purchase. However, did I make a stink about my mistreatment? No. I realized that sometimes employees are just doing what they are told. Has it occurred to you that, because theft is rampant right now due to the economy, employees of such stores have been told to be wary of customers who are "just browsing"? Next time you are victim to a perceived injustice, forget about your race for a second and think about some alternative explanations rather than rely on the fact that you're African American.