Very Upset With Macys

[Latoya Christ]

About a month ago i and my transvestite friend spencer went into macys and we went to the mac counter. Im a usual there and am friends with the Ma's there. They usually give me lots of pigment samples. But this time we went in there i noticed that all the people at the cosmetic counters were staring at us. But we said nothing and left. About a week later i went back in with two different people who only went into Macys because i did. On our way out the door the macys rentacop came up to us and said that we had to leave and that we were banned. The man said that the banning included my friend with the big boots (spencer). Me and my two friends were very confuzed.
So a few days went by. And i had someone else go in and ask my fav ma why i was banned. She said that i broke thousands of dollars worth oh chanel makeup/ and i was like wtf. Ive never even been near the chanel counter. I was pissed because i dress differently then most people and i felt that it was an act of discrimination. So i called the head of security and she said that i broke lipsticks from dior. I was even more confused because the securtiy guard said 1000 dollars worth of chanel. But the head of securtity was supposed to call me back 2 weeks ago and she never called nor does she answer the phone.



What do you guys think i should do.
I mean im only 15 so the best i could do was get my mother involved and all i got was 15 minutes at the mac counter with a parent.
But thats not good enough for me because i like to take my time at mac
and i will not be pressured into a 15 minute timelot

[Juneplum]

moved to chatter

[koolmnbv]

thats not right, i would ask for the video surveillance that proved you were the one that broke the merchandise. It all doesnt really add up to me, I would make them prove it was you it doesnt seem like thet can just lie and say you broke m/u that you never even went near

[professionaltart]

Well I work in a Macys and what I would suggest you to do is to keep calling security over and over again until they let you see surveillance and while you call security also call Macy's store manager cause then he'll get on security. Macys would rather just settle it with the security people and you and work it out then get a bad rep. The Macys that i work at, the new SM is really nice and always goes out of his way to figure out a customer problem before it escalates into like...writing letters to macys and calling RMs.

[Hawkeye]

ITA With professonal tart.

Seriously call security over and over. Actually have your mom do it. I normally do not promote parental involvement but this time you really need someone over the age of 18 to start throwing a fit.

Also have your mom demand to speak to the store manager. A one on one meeting.

Then start moving above them.

Did Spencer ever go to one of those counters?

It seems to me you may have been targeted by the way you dress and by the way Spencer is. It's very sad how close minded people are. Worse comes to worse he could start a lawsuit?

[VeronikaJ]

It seems there are many parts to your story that are either omitted or truly did not happen? I don't think a store can just "ban" someone from coming back and say that you broke a handful of merchandise. When you do talk to the MAC people or the Macy's people I would make sure that you have your mother with you and that you use correct english and present yourself in a professional manner. This may seem like silly advice, but it's been proven in study after study that people who do not dress nicely or use uneducated dialogue get treated poorly in customer service situations. I AM NOT, however, assuming that you speak incorrectly or dress badly but it will benefit you when you go and talk to the manager of Macy's or MAC and you will be more respected and taken seriously. I am also not saying that I think it's fair,at all, what happened to you but there has to be some underlying reason why they feel this was you who broke all the merchandise. Maybe someone who looked similar to you was at the counter, or perhaps someone at the Chanel counter has an issue with people that do not fit her cookie cutter image and doesn't want you in Macy's? Who knows... there could be a multitude of reasons but it is your responsibility to get to the bottom of this- do not ask to see the surveilance tape- DEMAND TO SEE IT. You have rights as a citizen to shop at a public store and I would not let them get away with whatever shit they are trying to pull.

[Hawkeye]

ITA again. It's hard lesson for anyone to learn. A lot of the trends on what looks well in the CS and business arena it's not necessarily a good thing.

We did that even at home depot. It was unintentional but our society is a society that really focuses on image and if you dont dress nicely or god forgive this " normally" (Ie: not goth etc-and this is hard for me to tell people because I used to dress that way) you will be treated differently and not necessarily more fair.

It's sad and its a hard pill to swallow but in our society now theres not much else you can do.

[bellaetoile]

i agree with just about everything in this thread. its clear that there are some pieces from this story missing, though please understand, i am not accusing YOU of anything.

what you need to do is talk to a parent about this, if possible. you need to make a clear documentation of what was said, when it was said, and what actions were taken both BY you and AGAINST you. having a log of these things will really help someone get a better understanding of what happened.

a store must have some reasoning behind "banning" someone, and a store as established as macy*s certainly knows this. they do not want to do or say anything that could provide grounds for a discrimination lawsuit. i have trouble believing that this story happened exactly the way it was described. certainly, if it did, the macy*s representatives have handled themselves completely unprofessionally, and deserve to have some action, whether legal, or in-house reprimands, taken against them.

you need to file a complaint, in the most respectful and professional manner possible. i cannot stress enough how far respect and eloquence will get you. even if they have been immature, it does not look in your favor to stoop to their level. ask to speak with their regional manager, a customer service line, and the heads of security. ask what they have based their accusations upon. ask to see their security tapes. you might want to go so far as to consult an attorney, and see if you have grounds for a civil suit. like i mentioned, they DO NOT want the publicity and costs of a lawsuit. i would recommend persuing this to the fullest, however, do consider the big picture, and the facts. i don't know of any store that would just "ban" customers. they needs grounds to do that. perhaps they have you confused with another customer, or perhaps your friend did something without your knowledge? also, just out of curiosity, where is this macy*s located?

[ms.marymac]

Everybody has good advice.

When I was younger I had a "different" look...and was not allowed in a store (Tiffany's). They came to the door and told me and my friend that they were closed-and it was 2:00 or so in the afternoon. Sure I wasn't planning on buying anything, but I still had a right to browse if I wanted. I know how it feels...I was livid!


BTW, we went up to the foodcourt and had lunch, brought all of our trash down and left it on their doorstep. I AM NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD DO THIS THOUGH!

[bellaetoile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ms.marymac

Everybody has good advice.

When I was younger I had a "different" look...and was not allowed in a store (Tiffany's). They came to the door and told me and my friend that they were closed-and it was 2:00 or so in the afternoon. Sure I wasn't planning on buying anything, but I still had a right to browse if I wanted. I know how it feels...I was livid!


BTW, we went up to the foodcourt and had lunch, brought all of our trash down and left it on their doorstep. I AM NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD DO THIS THOUGH!

lol. the funny thing is, it may have been true. our tiffany & co. DOES close in the early afternoon.

[ms.marymac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bellaetoile

lol. the funny thing is, it may have been true. our tiffany & co. DOES close in the early afternoon.

Maybe they really were closing...at the time it didn't seem like they were...I think the door was still open when we came back through. It was a long time ago, though!

[Latoya Christ]

ok i did leave some stuff out
I thought it was set up because Spencer wasnt even there.
When we got asked to leave the security guard said it happend that day. But spencer had gone to maine the week when i returned.
I called The head of security and she said she would review the tapes.
I never got a call back.
And i kept calling her extension and she never picked up.
But i had someone go to the manager and ask and the manager said she had no idea that the "incident" even occoured.
Spencer went in and demanded to see the tape
and now hes not alloud in there at all.

And i wondered if i went on a rampage and broke thousands of dollars worth of makeup woudnt i have been arrested.
I guess the security guard told everyone at every counter that we broke all that makeup. Pause for a moment. I am a guy. I wear plaid skirts /shorts with knee high socks. The security guard referred to me as the "freak with the socks". She didnt believe it because she has known me for about a year now and knows i wouldnt do that. She was denied the right to see the tapes. So she went to the head of cosmetics and The head of the cosmetics counters said that we were on camera braking two lipsticks from Dior. Thats why its a fishy story. The security guard told a different story then the actaul head of cosmetics.

hmm Now what should i doo

[Amethyst_beauty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latoya Christ

hmm Now what should i doo

1. Contact the ACLU because your civil rights were violated.

2. Try to locate a discrimination lawyer who is willing to take on your case pro bono (free).

3. Contact your local TV station(s)...most TV stations have an "on your side" dept that does on-air segments about things that have gone wrong and how they were able to assist the viewer.

Good luck!

[asnbrb]

Have your guardian/parent get involved. Honestly, you might not want them to know, but an underage individual is so much more easier to dismiss than one over 21. If you need to, have your parent/guardian write to someone above the store- a district manager or regional manager. There is also a district (I think) manager in charge of security. There is also a complaint section in macys.com (I can't remember it off the top of my head, but I'll find out for you) where you can contact someone in that way (and they do listen to that one).

[caffn8me]

A group of unconventionally dressed fifteen year olds may be something a stuffy department store would want to keep out What a wonderfully tolerant society we live in!

Macy's probably doesn't have the slogan that their customers are "All races, all sexes, all ages". It must be said that they don't seem to have a particularly good record in this respect - see here

That article mentions previous abuses by Macy's security staff. It also states that Macy's has now appointed a Security Monitor to train, monitor, and investigate complaints about security employees. That might be your next port of call. It's also worth bearing in mind that if you have been incorrectly accused of something it could be defamation. Perhaps a letter to head office outlining the facts would get results.

Maybe one of the more liberal newspapers would take up the story too.

Good luck!

[asnbrb]

I found the site:

www.macys.com/tellus

I know they listen to some degree because someone I know got busted through that site when I was working there.

[caffn8me]

The Memorandum Agreement which resulted from the discrimination case against Macy's in New York has some interesting details on how complaints about security staff should be handled. It also mentions that Security Complaint Forms must be available at every gift wrap counter in every Macy's store. The document is certainly worth reading.

[bellaetoile]

you're a minor, and if they suspected you had commited some sort of crime, they couldn't arrest you, because there are clear guidelines regarding parent/guardian presence. still, chances are they would at least ASK to speak with a parent/guardian, as they are reponsible for your actions, and well-being.

like i said before, having a CLEAR, CONCISE timeline, outlining EVERYTHING that was said and done would really help, including all of the individuals involved. i'm still not clear on what happened, in what order, who "spencer" is, etc. if you do decide to pursue this case further, any attorney will ask for more detailed, solid information. i agree, you need to see the tape, but since you are a minor, i doubt they will be very accomodating without a parent/guardian present.

[Hawkeye]

Forgive me but I have to say it-calling the ACLU, news media, etc is not going to help this at all at the current moment. Many of the ladies do seem to be giving advice to an adult and not a minor. Quite frankly, all of them will laugh if you were to call them. Why did you not have your parents call and demand to see the tapes? Why did Spencer go in and demand to see the tapes? How old is he?

This is what I want from you so we can give you a logical way to get back into the store-
I want you to tell us everything that happened that night with no gaps. I don't want any where in the post saying-back up hold on etc. I just want to know everything that went on in a fluent cohesive order.
Then and only then can we actually give you advice that may help.

[AllINeedIsMac]

I would freakin' sue their asses.....sorry, that's fucked up.

Unless, you're leaving something out. There's always 2 sides to every story, but if what you're saying is true, then honey, I would sue .... sue .... sue!!!

[caffn8me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bellaetoile

you're a minor, and if they suspected you had commited some sort of crime, they couldn't arrest you, because there are clear guidelines regarding parent/guardian presence.

They certainly can arrest someone under the age of 16. The requirement is that once detained the store must advise a parent or guardian and the store is not permitted to present the detainee with a Civil Demand or Statement Form without a parent guardian present. You can read this in the Memorandum Statement I previously mentioned - Paragraphs 6.4 (b)(i)-(ii)

A quick search of the ACLU website shows that it does protect those under 18 years old from discrimination - see this case, another interesting one and another and this. It's interesting that in three of these cases, young people were discriminated against because of the way they dressed. All these cases are against schools but as that's the environment in which young people are most likely to face discrimination, that's hardly surprising. The principles will apply to discrimination in other situations.

[Hawkeye]

THe problem lies in the fact that we're not sure what actually happened. The ACLU will not necessarily be much help at this moment. I will go far enough to say it may make matters worse because we are still unsure of the time line etc without holes being in the story.

[Shimmer]

I have to say they'd be hard pressed to justify banning a customer without evidence, so I'd likely, in this situation, write their customer service/corporate headquarters/whatever it takes to get to the bottom of the situation.
But that's just me.

[Latoya Christ]

Good news
I recently talked to the manager and got back into the store thanks to whoever gave me the macys website
Thanks A bunch

[caffn8me]

I don't suppose they ever let you see the alleged video did they? Are your friends allowed back too?