Oprah refused entry at hermes store

[bagsnthings]

well nobody actually said it WAS to do with her race.......

Prince you have a point there........a shop should be allowed to invite in or not invite in whoever they want......people often misunderstand that shops arent public rights......theyre privately owned

I think that if you open up a shop with merchandise in the window in an area thats available to the average consumer for shopping purposes, you are soliciting and looking to sell your wares to the general public as is 95% of the business establishments that go this route. That scenario is understood my 95% of the consumers that shop worldwide.

If you want to maintain some type of "control" over who is allow to shop in your establishment (aka memberships, etc.) then that should be clearly stated on your front door -"not open to the general public". No need to play games and waste people's time. There are storefront in New York that only sell to business or wholesale license holders and that is clearly marked on their front door, so there is no misunderstanding.

If Hermes has a policy in place as to who they want shopping in their store, they need to make that perfectly clear from the front door. Otherwise they will be caught in situations like this one - blatantly discriminating against shoppers based on their race or what they perceive them to have or not have.

Hermes needs to get it together, cause they messed up big-time!

 

[Eimyria]

I feel like i'm treading in rough waters because I have a differing view on this whole spin. I'm sure many of us have gone up to a store and we're told that, "sorry, we're closed" even though there are people inside. I'm sure you've been inside when they tell you at 10 mins before the hour that they're closing and you see people trying to come in being told the same thing, and I'm sure you've seen them getting ticked off.

I'm also sure that a lot of you have worked in retail or similar places (like libraries, like me) when people come in at the last minute or you're just waiting for everyone to finish up because all you want to do is go home.

"The store was in the process of closing" = pretty clear, no? and the fact the the girl at the door did not *gasp* know who Oprah is really irrelevant. If the Queen of Denmark came by, or Trump's new wife, or the daughter of some Prime minister came in but I am oblivious of who they are - is that my fault? People look different when not in the public eye, don't they not?

She could have just called in, like most rich and famous people do, ahead of time to reserve the shop all for herself. I'm sure she's done that many times before. I'm not biased, I can't help it.

 

[fashionbébé]

good point, Eimyria

 

[Ella]

This is my opinion, as somebody that has actually worked retail. I hate the stupid customers that come in when we're closed. I don't give a crap about what race they are, african/asian/european/whatever, the most annoying thing ever is when a customer tries to come in when you're closed (or should be closed). Legally, we're not allowed to refuse entry to anyone or close the doors or ask anyone to leave until the last customer has left the store. If I had been working a long shift, and still had to clean up for a big event in a few hours, I'd do anything legal to get the store closed faster. So if, in France, its legal to refuse entry when the store is closed yet people are still in the store... I'm going to have to say I'd be siding with Hermes.

Exactly! I'm working at a boutique part-time and I, too, hate when people come there right before closing time and stay for ages. I don't care if they buy 20 Chanel bags or nothing, I get payed by the hour so I'm not gaining anything by staying there afterhours- only losing time. Someone earlier had said "SAs are there to SERVE"... What a bunch of classist bull****...

 

[Libra Skye18]

"Just about 100 percent of everything you read was flat out wrong," Oprah says. "Shame on anybody for thinking that I was upset for not being able to get in to a closed store and buy a purse—please. I didn't get to be this old to be that stupid. I was not upset about not getting to buy a bag—I was upset because one person at the store was so rude—not the whole company."

"… There were reports that I was turned away because the store was closed. The store was in the process of being closed—the store was very active. … The doors were not locked. My friends and I were standing inside the doorway, and there was much discussion among the staff about whether or not to let me in. That's what was embarrassing. … I know the difference between a store being closed and a store being closed to me."

"Everybody's who has ever been snubbed because you were not chic enough or thin enough or the right class or the right color or whatever—I don't know what it was—you know that it is very humiliating."

T4P.


I saw Monday's show and it was good that Oprah & Hermes's President set the record straight about the incident that happened to her.

 

[Tinuviel]

dear oprah, I love you when you do your little happy dance but get over it already.

 

[ateguy]

Before Monday's sorry-of-a-20th-year premier episode, I always thought Oprah was impervious to the trappings of wealth and fame. But after dragging the President of Hermes USA to her spanking brand new studio to apologize in behalf of the "rigid" sales person who dissed her, well, I guess she does sometimes thinks she's god.

I hope she felt a lot better after that!!

 

[modelmama]

I OPRAH!

 

[travis_nw8]

well, I guess she does sometimes thinks she's god.

the ego has landed

 

[Alura]

Only in Paris... although I am an Oprah lover I find this very amusing since these kind of things can only happen in Paris. The French are very self-absorbed and don't know much about Oprah, they really don't. Those who saw the Chanel documentary 'Signé Chanel' may have seen that the couturieres didn't know who Oprah was when she bough a whole bunch of haute couture (she didn't know it would be THAT expensive either haha).

Sadfully, I think Europeans in general have more prejudices to afro-americans and aren't shy to show it either... but anyone who has often been to Paris KNOWs what kind of problems they have with some of the ethnic groups. Oh well... the French can be snubby and Oprah felt what it was like to be normal again, poor girl...

 

[CelineChic]

I suppose it would be the same thing if a famous UK TV star wasn't recognized in a US store. They may be a big deal back home but nobody abroad. Who in the US knows Davina McCall? Know what I mean?

 

[PrinceOfCats]

I suppose it would be the same thing if a famous UK TV star wasn't recognized in a US store. They may be a big deal back home but nobody abroad. Who in the US knows Davina McCall? Know what I mean?

If Elizabeth Regina herself turns up to Oxfam after closing time, I aint letting her in, (Dieu et) son droit does not extend to me going home late.

 

[Umm Zain]

OMG!! Oprah should be let into any store... even if there are birds nesting in her hair... and she smells like poo....

I just can't stop laughing Luna! Oh my God! I agree with you 100%, but it's the way you put it! Karma!

 

[Umm Zain]

I think Oprah would clean out the store if she could...

I think Oprah should have bought every damn bag in the store and then passed them out, for free, to all the black North Africans she could find. Boy, it sure would get the goat of those pompous jerks the see their "perfect" handbags being carried by "troublemakers!"

This whole thing makes me REALLY mad !! This is racial profiling in the worst way! Not all Africans are black, well over 50% of the population in North Africa is of European-Anlgo, Spanish or Arab descent so they aren't even black! Hermes just used it as a pathetic excuse .

But, who gives a damn what color a person is?! I totally agree that anyone should be allowed admittance. A store is there to let people to shop around and possibly buy. That is their purpose... not to turn away potential customers!

Wow, if Oprah did a show, she could kill their business for a while at least. The sad thing is that I don't believe it's the blanket policy of Hermes to turn away black customers. I believe that what happened may have been unique to that store - at least I hope so!

 

[PrinceOfCats]

But, who gives a damn what color a person is?! I totally agree that anyone should be allowed admittance. A store is there to let people to shop around and possibly buy. That is their purpose... not to turn away potential customers!

We established pages ago that this is not about racism:

"For the first time, Oprah is talking about the much-reported incident at Hermès in Paris. "Just about 100 percent of everything you read was flat out wrong," Oprah says. "Shame on anybody for thinking that I was upset for not being able to get in to a closed store and buy a purse—please. I didn't get to be this old to be that stupid. I was not upset about not getting to buy a bag—I was upset because one person at the store was so rude—not the whole company.""

 

[Umm Zain]

We established pages ago that this is not about racism:

"For the first time, Oprah is talking about the much-reported incident at Hermès in Paris. "Just about 100 percent of everything you read was flat out wrong," Oprah says. "Shame on anybody for thinking that I was upset for not being able to get in to a closed store and buy a purse—please. I didn't get to be this old to be that stupid. I was not upset about not getting to buy a bag—I was upset because one person at the store was so rude—not the whole company.""

Okay, sorry then. I didn't have time to read the whole thread... I still believe the sentiment of my comment though... If there is no merit to the racism theory, where did the North African comment come from? Was it just made up? I'm sure Oprah is level headed enough to refrain from getting mad about not having a bag, that's not what I was assuming... But thanks for the quote nonetheless.

 

[PrinceOfCats]

Okay, sorry then. I didn't have time to read the whole thread... I still believe the sentiment of my comment though... If there is no merit to the racism theory, where did the North African comment come from? Was it just made up? I'm sure Oprah is level headed enough to refrain from getting mad about not having a bag, that's not what I was assuming... But thanks for the quote nonetheless.

I think it pretty much was made up, much more common in the European press - hence Oprah's later comment. Fair enough if you didn't have time though. There's pages of this stuff on celebs to waste our lives on.

 

[CelineChic]

Once again. North Africans aren't black like Oprah. So it is unlikely that they said that they didn't let her in because she was black.

Final story is that the store was closed. Although I think that if they knew who she was and knew that she was worth more than a billion $ then they maybe would have made an exception for her. I know I would have!

Just imagine how much comission you could make from Oprah.

 

[travis_nw8]

she turned up at closing time- what did she expect!!
end of story

 

[CelineChic]

she turned up at closing time- what did she expect!!
end of story

Yeah but my point is that if she turned up at closing time to the Hermes in Chicago or in Miami I think someone would have recognized her and let her in despite closing times. I mean, come on, she's Oprah! She is worth more than Hermes!

Plus, celebs are sometimes let into stores at closing times so they can shop alone.