Yesterday afternoon my biracial daughter and her friend were shopping for ramen at our Greenbriar 7-11. A male employee asked them to leave because they were taking too much time to choose. I asked my daughter several times to make sure that is what he said. She maintained her story again and again. She said that she was so shocked and upset that she put the ramen back and left the store. When she came home hours later and told me what happened I was upset and went to the 7-11 to ask if this is a store policy.
The employee at the register said that it was him who asked my daughter to leave. I asked if it was a 7-11 policy to ask customers to leave? He then told me that she was taking up too much space, switching tactics. I said sir, I am twice her size. So from what you are telling me, I would be asked to leave?
He said no. He then assured me that it wasn't a store policy and then he changed his story and said that he tried to help her. I said that asking a young black woman to leave the store when you wouldn't ask a white woman to leave is discrimination. I then asked the other people in the store, who happened to be black teenage boys if they were asked to leave.
One of them replied no, but that they had been followed the entire time.
I left the store after asking when a manager would be present and returned this morning to talk to him.
I asked the cashier if I could speak to the manager and as the manager was walking to the front of the store I heard the man from last night say, "That's her."
I said that I realize you must know why I am here as your employee has identified me. My daughter was here yesterday shopping for ramen with a friend and your employee asked her to leave. Is that a 7-11 policy? He then told me that the employee had tried to help her and did not ask her to leave. I asked again what the policy is as I realized that this was turning into a he said, she said situation. He said that it's not a policy to ask customers to leave. I then asked if it wasn't a policy, was he going to talk to his employee about his actions. He tried again to tell me that it didn't happen. When I asked again if its 7-11's policy to discriminate against young black women shopping for too long, a cashier asked me to move the conversation from the front of the store, away from the other customers. I said no and at that point the manager began apologizing. I said that I didn't want his apology. I wanted this sort of discrimination to stop. He then told me that all customers are treated the same. At that point I said, ok I will be contacting the corporate office to ask about their policies in regards to the time limit for customers.
My goal is to stop the discrimination of non-white customers in our neighborhood store. I just wanted everyone to be aware so that we all can stop this type of nonsense from happening. read more
