A clothing store in Georgia has been forced – by public outrage – to back down from its plan to charge whites a special fee for making an appointment.
The New York Post explained the shop, Civvies on Broughton in Savannah, had announced on Facebook a process “it said would require a $20 refundable deposit to book an appointment at the boutique, while people of color would be exempt.”
The store had said, “If you are white and refuse to put down a deposit because you believe our policy is unethical you will not be accepted for an appointment.”
The announcement now, however, had been deleted.
The report said the store apologized for its “promotion” and deleted all social media posts mentioning it.
“It was not our intention to act in any way that might be perceived as discriminatory and for that we apologize,” the store followed up on Facebook.
The announcement said the decision came from the store’s owners.
Store manager Raine Blunk confirmed that there were complaints filed with the Department of Labor over the issue, and others threatened legal action.
“Most of the feedback about our decision to waive this refundable deposit is racist because it favors black people, indigenous people and people of color,” he said.
The store sells vintage clothing, and in its announcement of the program favoring some races, said, “As a mostly white staff with white ownership, we do not feel comfortable upholding a digital and financial barrier which could prevent BIPOC from shopping at our store at this time on top of the limitations already made by online booking.”
It reportedly had been telling potential white customers they could refuse to pay the deposit, too, but then they would be contacted by a booking manager to talk about “other options.”
The store’s spokesman said the fee wasn’t based on race, but instead was intended to help those “most likely to be affected by a loss of historical equity.”
Blunk said, “Obviously it is unfortunate to have thousands of people commenting and messaging us saying that they are going to sue us and have contacted the Department of Labor because this is a violation of their rights.”
He said the store believed what it was doing “is within the confines of the law.”
Social media comments pointed out that the policy appeared “racist.”
“Your shop is run with overwhelming political bias,” one woman wrote. “Your racism toward white people is just another indication that you do not welcome all.”
