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Yes, because Paula and Alicia are biracial, with light complexions, they most certainly would have gotten preferential treatment and the salesclerk would have gladly sold them the expensive purse. But because Oprah does not have any visible mixed features or lightskin, she was treated like a peasant by that woman. I'm glad Oprah reported her to the media.
See, the whole light skin-dark skin thing is mostly a Slave Trade/America's thing...where lighter skinned blacks/biracials were favored. This is Switzerland which had nothing to do with the Slave Trade.
Yes, in most countries, lighter skin among black populations is reveared as more beautiful but it's not an indicator of the ability/willingness to buy an overpriced purse. So I doubt skin tones within a black population would have much to do with anything.
Plus, Blacks (of any skin tone) in Switzerland are very rare so it's obvious that any Black person in that country is likely on vacation and has a decent amount of disposable income.
Last edited by PrestigiousReputability; 08-11-2013 at 11:46 AM..
Yeah right there's a huge difference. I wonder if the salesclerk would have told Paula Patton or Alicia keys they couldn't afford a 35,000 purse.
I wouldn't recognize Paula Patton, Vanessa Williams or Alicia Keys if they were standing in front of me.
But that salesperson should show that purse to anyone who asks to see it. I can't imagine any purse being worth that much money, but hey, to each their own. And if someone did steal it, I'm pretty sure the store would be carrying insurance for such high priced items.
I'm sure Oprah was well-dressed. Some very rich people walk around in shorts and Hawaiian shirts and drive old clunkers. You never know who the person really is who walks into your store. If you want to make a sale, show the dang purse. Yes, it seems racist to me. Very sad this stuff happens to anyone.
I'm not an Oprah fan, but the salesperson made a very poor decision.
If someone refused to show me an expensive item because they assumed by my appearance that I couldn't afford it, I'd be ticked off too. Is this normal for some of you? I've never been treated that way, and I'd raise h*ll if I was. That said, I'm not in the habit of buying $35K handbags either. Oprah can easily afford them--not a lot of other (even fairly affluent) women can.
If someone refused to show me an expensive item because they assumed by my appearance that I couldn't afford it, I'd be ticked off too. Is this normal for some of you? I've never been treated that way, and I'd raise h*ll if I was.
So you work in a shop that sells a "very expensive (35k Francs) bag" and a customer shows interest in the bag and you direct them elsewhere. Doesn't sound realistic to me, unless of course you assumed it was a waste of time to show the bag.
I don't know, I would never set a foot in such a shop, I hate luxury
I don't know if that saleswoman also suggests cheaper stuff to other, i.e. white clients if she thinks the customer might not be able to afford the expensive stuff. I mean, I assume someone working in a luxury shop for years has a certain experience when judging people by their looks. Oprah does not exactly look like a model, who knows what she was wearing when she says she was in full Oprah gear And who knows what her male companion was wearing... European vs American taste might also play a role here. What looks great in the US, might come across as cheap in Europe, who knows.
So it might sense to sell a cheaper bag rather than none at all
Oprah probably got ticked right away because clerk didn't know who she was and wasn't treating her like a celebrity.they are use to being treated differently than most people.
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And who knows what her male companion was wearing... European vs American taste might also play a role here. What looks great in the US, might come across as cheap in Europe, who knows.
