As an Algerian living in the United States, it breaks my heart that I have to write this review. I…read morelove my community, and I make a point of supporting small businesses, especially those owned by Arab, North African, and Muslim families because they remind me of home. My family, friends, and I have shopped here for a long time, but after what happened today, that will no longer be the case.
With the World Cup playing, I knew this store was selling Algerian jerseys. I wanted to surprise two of my American friends who have been proudly supporting Algeria by buying them jerseys. Today, I asked a friend to stop by the store and buy two jerseys. The employee working at the store today 06/30/25 between approximately 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. told my friend that the jerseys were $40 each. My friend noticed the jerseys did not have the star on them and politely asked whether they could be $35 instead (we had previously purchased 2 jerseys that had 2 stars and were $40) . The employee responded by saying, "As a matter of fact, I'll charge you $45."
My friend asked why and even mentioned that he was Algerian, hoping there might be some flexibility. Instead, according to my friend, the employee responded by calling him a homophobic slur in Arabic. My friend is one of the kindest people I know. He wasn't rude, he wasn't disrespectful, and he wasn't looking for an argument. He simply wanted to buy two jerseys. Rather than make a scene, he paid for the jerseys and left. He later called me, and hearing how hurt and humiliated he was absolutely broke my heart.
No customer should ever have to experience that. It is disgusting, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable.Whether you personally agree with someone's sexuality is your own business. However, when you are working in customer service, your job is to treat every paying customer with basic human dignity and respect. Calling someone a slur because of who they are or as a matter of fact who you think they are has absolutely no place in any business.
An employee represents the business they work for. Their actions reflect on the store and its management. If this employee felt comfortable speaking to a customer this way, I have to question what kind of environment allows that behavior. I'm not asking for special treatment, not asking anyone to change their personal or religious beliefs. I am asking for the bare minimum: RESPECT . Every customer who walks through your doors deserves to be treated with courtesy regardless of their race, religion, nationality, gender, or sexual orientation.
I am very interested to see how the owners respond to this review. If what happened to my friend is consistent with how customers are treated, I believe it deserves to be taken seriously. No one should be subjected to homophobic slurs while simply trying to make a purchase.
If they choose not to address this, I will consider reporting the incident to the appropriate agencies and organizations that handle discrimination complaints, as well as sharing my experience on other review platforms. This isn't about seeking revenge it's about expecting every customer to be treated with basic dignity and respect.
I have always made an effort to support Arab, North African, and Muslim-owned businesses because they represent my community and my culture. That support, however, should never come at the expense of basic human decency. Until this matter is properly addressed, neither I, my family, nor my friends will be returning or recommending this business to others.
