Because Oprah shouldn't be the only one with an audience.

[joyful_molly]

Here's a rough translation of the statement of the salesperson who, according to Oprah Winfrey, didn't want to sell her an expensive handbag because said salesperson was being racist.

The Gods know this country is xenophobic and racist at times, but both sides should be heard, and Oprah isn't right just because she has a huge audience. So here's a

Comments

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[classics_lover]

No sales assistant is *EVER* going to refuse to show a customer the most expensive item in the shop, because in a recession, if someone looks interested in it, it could mean a sale for them. Oprah's just living in Cloud-Oprah-Land where she's the centre of the universe and the sales advisor wasn't psychic enough to know what Oprah wanted before she had a chance to ask

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[joyful_molly]

Yes, I think some sort of culture clash was involved. I remember I had to go shopping with some big star ages ago while he was in town (when I was still working at the concert agency), who made a big fuzz about dressing up and wearing a hat etc. so nobody would recognise him. People recognised him, anyway, but couldn't be bothered to approach him. Needless to say, he was really pissed about the lack of bothering! ;)

Sinead O'Connor

Howwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwl... you poor woman. We had her at a festival, and while she was tolerably professional, her entourage wasn't, plus we had to deal with loyalist bomb threats (it was her bible ripping and Mary insulting phase). Fun all around... *groan*

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[classics_lover]

My colleague put Sinead into her place - in a yes I do know who you are, and no, you can't jump this whole queue of patient people waiting to be served way. :)

I suspect Oprah wanted the poor girl to grovel at her feet, or take down the entire display for her, whether she intended purchasing or not, and got miffed that the girl just gave her the straight information about the bag without the hard sell. For all we know, the girl might have been under strict instructions to take the croc bag down only if someone expressed direct interest in purchasing it. I can imagine PETA people trying to destroy the thing (not that I blame them given that it seems a waste of an animal - but I was hassled going to buy a leather jacket, and I wear leather because I eat the damn cow! :P)

The unfairness of it all staggers me, and the fact that the press has got hold of it and is making a mountain out of nothing, as it seems to me, probably endangering this poor girl's livelihood in the process.

[noadvertising]

First of all: congratulations to Switzerland for not having broadcasted the Oprah Show. There are already more than enough shows of this type that make our last brain cells pass over the Jordan. It is not essential to know Oprah Winfrey, no matter how popular and prominent she is in the US. Oprah shaped up to a diva and there´s nothing worse for celebrities than going unappreciated. We´ll never know what happened between her and the saleswoman, but in Switzerland people are commonly not discriminated because of skin colour, as is costumary in the United States. All that matters is that you are...Swiss?

[joyful_molly]

but in Switzerland people are commonly not discriminated because of skin colour, as is costumary in the United States.

Oh, there's lots of discrimination, but it's a different brand than you'd meet in the USA. It's more a general xenophobia than open racism, which comes with a different history. I dare a bet that an African-American expat freshly parachuted in from the USA will face far less discrimination than somebody whose parents head from the Balkan and who was born and raised here. The foreigners getting the most flak here at the moment are German expats, so that's definitely not a race issue.

[veronica_rich]

Please don't paint all Americans with the brush of a vocal, hateful minority. The majority of people I've come across in 41 years would be horrified to do such a thing, let alone be thought they're doing it.

[zakath_nath]

Thank you for giving the other side of the story.

Apparently it's not the first time when there is this kind of misunderstanding with her: some years ago a clerk and a store manager denied her entry at the Hermes Store in Paris.
The thing is: the shop was closed. Staff was still there because they were preparing the store for some event. They were busy and I'm not sure that it's even legal to let customers in after closing hours (matter of insurance). A version of the incident reported that the clerk said something racist to her but afterward OW and the employees said that it was untrue. The company apologized all the same for not having been able to accommodate her.

Racism and xenophobia are unfortunately alive but it's necessary to be careful before throwing charges, especially when there is language or cultural barrier.

[dimple2]

(you know, I have totally no problem with different skin colors or whatever. Cause, when I look at other people and they are "different" from my "color" I see another human being. This whole concept of racism - I can't grasp and understand it