LETTER TO THE CEO OF LORD AND TAYLOR DUE TO ILLTREATMENT OF ME BY AN ASSOCIATE

 Andrea S Jones

P O Box 4592

Burlington, VT 05406

Customer Relations & Corporate Inquiries

P.O. Box 4135, Station A

Toronto, Ontario

M5W 3B7

Lord  & Taylor

424 Fifth Avenue

New York City 10018

Attention:  Brendan Hoffman

I would like to place an official complaint against your store on Fifth Avenue New York City.  I entered your store today after 11:00 AM to purchase a pair of B.  Makowsky Ballet Flats.  I was given an associate by the manager Orlando to assist me.  I enquired of the shoes to the associates and as I described the shoes to him; he interrupted me to say “I think I know the shoes that you are describing, but I only have Kate Spade and those are too expensive for you.”  I interjected right away to say; ‘too expensive for me?’  He proceeded to tell me that many women ask for flats and if the prices are about $300.00 then they would change their minds.

I was simply blown away by his remarks.  I sat down and as I walked around the shoe department to collect myself, the associated that made these disparaging comments came back and apologize.  He said 'what he meant came out differently as what he was trying to say'.  As I am an avid customer at Lord & Taylor, I went to the 3^rd floor to speak to my Personal Shopper Martine.  She apologize as she saw the pain on my face.  She called the shoe department for me to speak to a manager and Orland told her that he was in a meeting and I would need to speak to Martine.  I went back to the 3^rd floor and Orlando was not in a meeting at all.  I told him what happened. He said that he would speak to the associate.

First and foremost, this associate is ignorant, presumptuous, disrespectful, unprofessional and narrow minded.  Had I been a white woman living in any North American city, no merchandise would have been considered too expensive for me.  Also, you have no idea how much money I have spent at this store for this sales person to treat me like I am one of his associate; I am well aware that this kind of thinking usually comes from the very top and trickles down to the helpers.  I am afraid to imagine how many other women of color that have to endure this from your store every single day. For this sales clerk to be also annoyed that women do not want to spend $300.00 on shoes is none of his business.  These women pay his salary, what right does he has to envy anyone or talk down to anyone?  The shoe department at your store lacks true leadership.

Rest assure that as I am also a fashion blogger, you store will surely get the due attention it deserves.  Even being Canadian, I know that your group is fully knowledgeable of the fact that African American women are constantly targeted by data studies because they spend more money than any other group in the North American economy.  I will never spend another dime in your store and you will be seeing you establishment put  on “blast” from now until the end of the year.  You attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

Respectfully,

Andrea S Jones