Zendaya takes on Vons supermarket.
In a recent series of Snapchat videos, the “KC Undercover” actress detailed her disappointing encounter with a sales clerk. In fact, the 20-year-old alleged she was refused service due to her skin tone. “So we just got out of this Vons. Now, I am trying to buy a lot of gift cards. Now, there’s some certain, specific things you have to do when it comes to buying gift cards,” said Zendaya. “There are certain limits and some things, which is understandable. OK, cool. So I’ll take a less amount, whatever. But the lady that was helping us—I don’t think she was a fan of our skin tone.”
“Not at all,” Zendaya’s friend interjected. “She was rude.”
To make matters worse, “She then threw my wallet,” the Spider-Man: Homecoming star continued. “I can’t make this up! This is what we deal with! She literally [threw my wallet] and she was like, ‘You can’t afford this’… It was $400!”
“Long story short, there is so much progress to be done in our world.” Still, Zendaya was visibly shocked over her experience. “My cards were loose. So, like, my card fell on the scanner, and she was about to keep scanning the next person. I was like, ‘That’s my card! What are you doing?'” she shared. “You know what? It’s all love. Maybe she’ll go on to have a wonderful life.”
In spite of it all, Zendaya later took to social media once more, where she thanked a manager for coming out and helping. “Got my gift cards!” she said. Of course, it wasn’t long after Zendaya’s rant, that Vons attempted some damage control.
On Wednesday, Sept. 7, Vons released a statement to E! News writing, “At Vons, we strive to treat each and every customer with the utmost respect. There is a policy that limits gift card purchases using a credit card. Zendaya was able to purchase gift cards up to our limit, and we apologize for any inconvenience or misunderstanding. We respect Zendaya’s voice in the community and similarly are committed to diversity and inclusion. Moreover, we understand that race is a sensitive issue in America and view this experience as a reminder that every interaction is an opportunity to treat each customer as we ourselves would like to be treated.”
What are your thoughts on Zendaya taking the rude store clerk to task? Sound off in the comment section below.
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Zendaya talking about getting racially profiled trying to buy gift cards ? #shoppingwhileblack pic.twitter.com/DFt1CKZI4X
— Aubrih (@LadyOnTheMuna) September 7, 2016
