What if Oprah wants to shop while Puff Daddy is in the store?
Oprah leads a march of angry millionaires:
Posted on 06/29/2005 4:48:44 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
Whether Oprah Winfrey was turned away from a bit of after-hours shopping in Paris because of a racist employee or a special event, news of the confrontation outside a luxury store has evoked empathy and anger from many American minorities who say they are routinely treated poorly -- and sometimes with outright suspicion -- by sales staffs in this country.
The Winfrey case has sparked discussion of what many see as a chronic problem for minorities -- particularly in high-end stores -- no matter how educated, wealthy or accomplished the customer.
''The presumption in America is that if you have the wealth, you'll get equality -- but where's Oprah's equality?'' asked Bruce D. Haynes, a sociologist at the University of California-Davis.
The incident occurred when Winfrey stopped by Hermes in Paris on June 14 to buy a watch minutes after the boutique closed. Though she and three friends said they saw shoppers inside, neither a sales clerk nor manager would let them in.
Winfrey's friend, Gayle King, who was there, told "Entertainment Tonight," ''Oprah describes it as 'one of the most humiliating moments of her life.''' Harpo says Winfrey plans to discuss the incident in the context of race relations on her show this fall.
Hermes said in a statement it ''regrets not having been able to welcome'' Winfrey to the store, but that ''a private public relations event was being prepared inside.''
'Clearly bigoted'
Many companies fail to grasp that big-spending customers now come from every background imaginable, said Luke Visconti, co-founder of DiversityInc, a New Jersey-based business that advises companies on diversity issues.
Hermes, in its treatment of Winfrey and its response, ''blew it to a degree that's hard to imagine,'' he said. ''It's clearly bigoted. ... Think about what this did to their business. Think about all those people who have been oppressed [by this kind of behavior] who are going to be sympathetic to Oprah and not go back there.''
Emil Wilbiken, former editor of Vibe magazine, said it's not uncommon for black celebrities to receive poor treatment at high-end stores. Sean ''P. Diddy'' Combs has devised a tactic to avoid poor treatment, he said.
''Puffy sends his people ahead to stores and shuts them down so he can shop privately, so this kind of thing doesn't happen,'' Wilbiken said. AP
If true... then: what a sheltered, pampered little media princess!
Yup, sounds like the poor woman was profiled.
Maybe, just maybe there really was a private public-relations event taking place there, just like they said.
If someone - or a company - had paid big money to rent a store for a PR event after it was already closed and then a rich-person who happens to be a celebrity comes strolling by, without calling beforehand and demands to be let it, why is this such a big deal?
Are Oprah's ratings slipping? Does she need an excuse to look for some additioal PR here? Maybe its sweeps week coming up. There is more to this story and Hermes is going to suffer so Oprah gets some more viewers for a while.
But, I am glad that rich minorities are paying to this issue rather than something boring like genocide in Darfur.
If she were muslim this would have never happened.
Rich & powerful Oprah is used to locked doors being opened for her, so when they aren't, that's racism.
I remember when COSTCO wouldn't let me in because they were closing. There were people still inside too! I was never so humiliated in all my life.
No doubt the shop wouldn't have re-opened for me either. Must be because I'm a woman.
luv the media. I actually thought she was profiled in paris. Now I see it probably wasn't the case.
It was France. Maybe they didn't let her in because she's American. Just a thought.
The media is trying to turn a French racism problem into an American problem. Next it will be Bush's fault. The MSM is flipping this from the hypocrisy of those who opposed our response to 9/11 to our own alleged racism.
LOL
I often get stopped at the door, on my way to Tiffany's. The clerks tell me it's because of my meager bank account, but I know it's because I'm black!
What if Oprah wants to shop while Puff Daddy is in the store?
Oprah leads a march of angry millionaires:
"DiversityInc."
RETCH!!!
This was certainly true in Japan when I was last there in the late 1960s. There were plenty of restaurants and stores displaying signs saying "No Americans".
Wow, imaging what would happen if all of Oprah's lackeys stopped supporting upscale boutiques.
THEY DON'T SHOP THERE.
Recently I became irritated that a Subway had closed at 8 PM, alegedly for workers high school graduation, rather than 10 PM. I was left outside with my wife annoyed we couldn't grab a sand wich. So using Oprah's logic they must have premptively closed in a racist response to the fact my wife is Russian right?
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