Everyday racism at Staples

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Since I am writing this as an example of everyday racism, I will need to identify people by their perceived colors. So, let me begin with myself. I am African American, and I look black as the word is used to define races. Now to my story:

1501 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, CA 90291

I've been shopping on-line for a new laptop, and since I had a little time before work this morning, I thought I'd see if I couldn't give a local brick-n-mortar establishment a little love instead. So I drove down to our local Staples, on Lincoln Blvd. in Venice, CA.

It didn't take me long to decide to buy a HP laptop they had on sale for less than $300, and this was the last day of the sale.

There was no stock around the sample, but it was in the brochure I had picked up when I entered the store, so with that folded to highlighted to the item I was interested in, I went towards the front of the store looking for someone who could get it for me.

Venice Staples inside on typical day

The store is laid out with many obstacles. Some are designed to invited you to buy. Others are designed to create a queue of customers for the cashiers to checkout. But this Saturday morning there was no one in line, and the lone cashier, a brown woman, wasn't helping anyone. However there was a white woman waiting at the adjacent service counter.

I approached this cashier in such a way that the obstacles designed to create their customer queue became a barrier to me. She saw my dilemma and signaled that I needed to come around to the other side. I am not a slow walker, but before a could get around the barrier and approach her, she had discovered the woman at the service counter and was asking her if she could help her.

How Staples provides shelter for the homeless in Venice

I spoke up, and pointed out that she knew I was headed towards her before she walked to the end of her area to lean over and ask the woman waiting at the service counter if she could help her first.

Later, when I asked her why she hadn't asked that woman if she needed help earlier, before she saw me approaching her, she said it was because another employee had been helping her, but had gone off to look for something.

By now, they were checking inventory for the laptop I wanted, and the store manager had gotten involved.

I was told that they were out of stock on that laptop. I asked for a rain-check to guarantee that price, since it was the last day of the sale. I was told that they don't do rain-checks, but that I could order it at the kiosk. I asked could I also order it from home online and was told that I could.

So imagine my surprise when I got home and looked it up at https://www.staples.com and found out that the $299.99 price was an in-store only deal!

They, did however, have the same laptop available online for a few dollars more. {$30 to be exact} They could ship it to me and I could receive it in a few days, or lucky me! I could pick it up at my local store on Lincoln in Venice, CA in a hour because they had stock there according to staples.com.



Go figure.

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