A H&M manager is catching heat for reportedly racially profiling two Black girls shopping at the store.
The incident went viral on TikTok after one of the sisters posted a video of the interaction under the name “yoitsnoela.” The Neighborhood Talk re-shared the clip.
“Mind you, we hadn’t been there together in God knows how many years,” captioned one of the sisters. “And this was during Black history month, crazy.”
The store manager, who has yet to be identified, was recorded by the sisters after refusing their service for no reason. A security officer approached the girls to tell them that they had to leave, resulting in them asking to speak to the manager.
Although the girls asked why they had to leave the store, the woman would not give them a solid answer.
“We’re going to go ahead and refuse service. There’s no reason; that’s what we’re going to go ahead and do today. If you guys could please leave the store we would really appreciate it,” said the manager.
The girls expressed their confusion on the matter, but the manager remained mum.
“We’re just refusing service. We don’t have to have a reason,” said the store employee.
One of the girls responded, “I think you should have a reason to kick us out of the store. We’re just shopping.”
“To be completely honest with you, I don’t have to have a reason,” reiterated the manager. “I’m just letting you guys know.”
Although the girls asked her if she had seen them steal something before, the manager would not confirm.
“You’ve seen us steal before. Is that what you’re saying?” one of the girls asked.
The manager continued, “We’ve seen you in here before… To be honest, we’ve seen you in here plenty of times.”
The girls then asked to see the evidence of their previous appearances at the store, a request the manager also denied.
Although the girls emphasized how they had not shopped there in a while, the manager refused to listen to their complaints. Instead, she told the teenagers not to get “violent,” despite the two girls attempting to clear their names.
“I’ve asked you guys to please leave the store. I don’t need you guys to get violent or anything like that,” asserted the woman.
The accusation prompted the girls to leave the establishment, but they posted the now-viral video to expose the racial profiling. Now, supporters have called for boycotts of H&M stores for the manager’s treatment of the unassuming shoppers.
In a follow-up post, the sisters thanked their supporters and confirmed that they would seek legal action against H&M. The Swedish retailer released a statement on Instagram, commenting that they condemn the manager’s action. According to Baller Alert, which reposted the comment, she has since been terminated.
“We take the incident from February of last year at our Albuquerque store very seriously,” wrote H&M’s Instagram account. “Following the incident, we immediately acted according to our strict guidelines. The employee in question is no longer employed by H&M. We extend a sincere apology to the affected customers.”
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