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As we discussed yesterday, Zendaya Coleman got on Snapchat on Tuesday and accused a Vons clerk of racial discrimination. Well… maybe “discrimination” is the wrong word to use, but Zendaya and her friend did say outright that they felt they had been mistreated based on their skin color. Zendaya was trying to buy $400 worth of gift cards at Vons and she said the Vons clerk told her that she couldn’t afford the purchase, and that the clerk threw her wallet back at her.

Hours after Zendaya’s Snapchats got widespread coverage, TMZ spoke to a Vons rep who insisted that there’s merely a limit to how much can be charged on one’s credit card when buying gift cards (which is something I theorized about in my post). The rep also insisted that the Vons manager allowed Zendaya to make her purchase. Vons later released an official statement about the incident:

“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.”

[From People]

My thing is that none of this is a concrete denial that a Vons clerk was rude to Zendaya, and that the alleged rudeness was possibly because of her race. I get that there could have been a misunderstanding about what can be charged and the limits of what you can put on a gift card – I’ve dealt with that in stores too, and it’s a pain in the ass, and I felt (at the time) that the rules were arbitrary and stupid. But Zendaya’s complaint wasn’t just about a misunderstanding about the rules of gift cards. She and her friend said outright that the clerk was rude because of their race. And I tend to believe them.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
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