**Review of Beauty Castle Beauty Supply - Rahway, NJ (February 24, 2025)**
I had an incredibly upsetting and disheartening experience at the Beauty Castle Beauty Supply in Rahway, NJ, on February 24, 2025. I brought my 10-year-old daughter, Brooke, to the store, and what should have been a routine shopping trip quickly turned into a disturbing incident of racial profiling.
While Brooke was browsing the nail section, she picked up a set of nails to look at. A man approached her and abruptly told her, "No! Don't touch that." She continued walking toward me, clearly scared, but was still followed by the two women at the register. One of the women questioned why Brooke had the nails in her hand, even though they were locked up, and the man started accusing her of stealing, saying, "She ripped it off; I think she's stealing."
When Brooke reached me, she nervously asked if she could have the nails, to which I told her no and instructed her to put them back. She did so, but not in the exact spot, as she was feeling intimidated and upset by the whole situation.
At the register, I attempted to pay for our items, but the cashier became fixated on the nails. She started speaking to a man in another language, and then pointedly asked me, "Where are the nails?" I explained that Brooke had returned them and assured her that my daughter doesn't steal. However, that wasn't the end of it.
I left the store, but came back after Brooke started crying from the distress. I spoke to a manager, who shouted at us, asking where the nails were. I explained that Brooke had returned them in the aisle, but the manager insisted she show him exactly where she had put them. As we walked to the aisle, the manager continued to demand, "Show me!" When Brooke showed him where she had placed the nails, he scolded her, saying, "That's not how you put things back. You need to learn how to put things back!" He then turned to me, accusing me of not teaching my daughter properly, saying, "You need to teach her how to put things back."
This experience was completely unacceptable. No child should be treated this way, especially over a misunderstanding fueled by racial bias. We were not only made to feel unwelcome, but my daughter was also unfairly targeted and humiliated. I had to call the police to document the incident. I will not be returning to this store and would advise others to be aware of how their children may be treated here. read more
