I will start by saying, I am a mixed (black white and Asian) person with a shaved head, and tattoos on my face and I work for a small business.
Anyone from this century knows this isn't a telling sign of anything other than that I'm a millennial.
I walked into money tree (Silverdale Location), last Sunday as it was my 7 year wedding anniversary and I got paid that day. Banks were closed etc. I hadn't been there in a few years, so I called in and asked if they cash written checks, she replied with, "Yes! We try to cash every check brought to us." Drove straight there, brought my ID, Paycheck AND paystub in with me and presented my paycheck and ID first. SHANNON, Manager since 2000. Looked at both, asked if my ID (renewed 2 months ago) had my current address and Last name. (Same as the one on the paycheck) I said yes.
She then proceeded to ask me for my paystub.
And then my Social security number
Then my phone number
Then she said she needed to verify that my place of work was a real business. I (now starting to feel profiled) told her to Google it.
She did. Then called my work. Confirmed that I do in fact work there. But because the person that answered wasn't my direct boss, that wasn't enough. By now my husband has entered the building because I'm taking longer than anyone should and asks, "What's your policy on check cashing?" She said, "we don't have one. Everything is done under my discretion." He responded with, "so you're choosing to single out my wife right now, even though she's been more than accommodating?" She replied, "yes."
I then got my ID and check, said "this is some racist shit!" And step out to call my boss. In tears, I tell her what's going on and my boss immediately called Moneytree and speaks to LYNETTE, the other woman working and witnessing all of this. She hands the phone to SHANNON and I walk up to her counter area because clearly I'm not Ms. Shannon's type of person. She looks and me and goes, "you need to go back to Shannon." And I did my "holy shit I'm frustrated" laugh and went back to SHANNON.
.SHANNON, now speaking with my boss told her that she needed to be at the location in order to verify that I work there. My boss instead offered to give my check information and SHANNON finally agreed. (Remember when she said she had to be AT the location?) Verified all the way down to the amount I was owed, and finally ended up cashing my check.
I don't know if it was my skin, the hoodie I had on or the size of the paycheck. But I know what it feels like to be profiled, and it feels like this.
Needless to say, I'll never go back to that place. read more