Yesterday afternoon, I went to buy a bag I had been looking at online, but I wasn't sure about the color—and I didn't want to wait, either.
Although, judging by experience, it would have been better to wait. When I arrived, Lindsey assisted me; she was very sweet and friendly, and she offered her perspective—something I really appreciated. I finally made up my mind and asked her if I could please have a bag that wasn't the sample bag. She kindly checked for me but said they were out of stock and that she could place an order for it to be shipped to my home. I really didn't want to wait—which is exactly why I had decided to drive an hour and twenty minutes to buy it in person—so I told her I would take the sample bag instead. Even though the bag had a stain on it, I told her it didn't matter and that I would take it as is. Lindsey kindly offered to speak with her manager to see if they could offer a discount (I hadn't asked for a discount myself, but I appreciated the gesture). I’m not sure if the person who was there was actually a manager, but she was rude. One of them started cleaning the bag while chewing gum, blowing on it to make it dry, and claiming she didn't see any stain at all. Then, the other woman—who was assisting another customer—chimed in to say that she didn't see anything either. I told them twice that the stain was clearly visible, but that I was going to take the bag anyway and would pay the full price—that it wasn't a problem. Lindsey, who clearly *did* see the stain and even acknowledged seeing it, said she would prefer to give me a small discount. The woman who was assisting the other customer told Lindsey—in an annoyed tone—to just give me the discount and to write "final price" on the receipt. Afterward, she started making comments that made me feel very uncomfortable. As a customer, I don't deserve that kind of treatment—especially not in front of other customers or people standing nearby. At first, I tried to ignore it, until she sarcastically remarked that she hoped I would come back again and enjoy my handbag; to that, I replied that next time, I would prefer to make my purchase online. Lindsey, who had been helping me, apologized for her colleague's rude and unnecessary behavior. I hadn't asked for a discount—and certainly never asked for anything for free. It was a very unpleasant and disheartening experience, especially since I had been so excited about it. I had a very bad experience during my purchase—so bad, in fact, that I’m not sure whether to interpret that behavior as racism, given that this person acted in a completely opposite manner toward the other customer.