Oprah Denied from Hermès, All You Can Eat Buffets

53 Comments

1. 1
   Fuzzbait
   Posted June 24, 2005 at 1:23 am

   B-Side,
   Thank you! Why Hermes is getting a bad rap for denying someone AFTER CLOSING HOURS is beyond me. She must have missed the, “it’s closing time and some of us need to go home” neon sign in the window. Or, was Gayle not doing her job and reading for her? Shame.
   Humiliating? What about having an ape jump around your set, babble for an hour and power struggle with you on your couch? It’s not an episode of Jane Goodall’s Primates Gone Wild, it’s Tom Cruise. Now, that’s humiliating just to watch. So,now, when a rich celebrity comes a-shoppin’, shopkeepers have to stay open? I don’t think so!
   If the race card gets even mentioned here, I’m gonna hurl. It’s not about the color of your skin–it’s about respecting someone’s want TO GO HOME!
   I can just see it–we invade France because they denied us support in Iraq and said no to *gasp* Oprah! Tres’ bad.
   (meanwhile, she’s locked up in her suite bingeing on Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast, thinking, “If I only donated a Citroen to every employee there, maybe they would like me.”)
   To quote PePe le Pew–*Le Sigh*

2. 2
   HicksPub
   Posted June 24, 2005 at 5:53 am

   Thanks, B, for capturing my bewilderment on this non-newstory. WTF? And yes, Fuzzbait, get to your commode, pronto, because race was mentioned on GMA this morning.

   But deep inside, we all knew that it would eventually come down to this…

3. 3
   rachy
   Posted June 24, 2005 at 6:06 am

   To quote the quoteable Homer Simpson, [menacingly, shaking fist at Ol' Gil], “Play the race card! Plaaaayyyy it!”

   Yeah, it’s been played. From Yahoo!:

   A spokeswoman for Winfrey’s Chicago-based Harpo Productions told The Associated Press Thursday the talk-show host plans to discuss her “Crash” moment when “The Oprah Winfrey Show” returns to the air in September.

   “Crash” is a film dealing with race relations.

   ***
   Discuss…

4. 4
   happy_gal
   Posted June 24, 2005 at 6:30 am

   First let me say, I love Oprah. But this is ridiculous. I am very disappointed in her. This is similar to another time when she wanted to stay at a hotel with her dogs, and the desk clerk said no because the hotel did not allow pets. Oprah got all over that on the show, the manager of the hotel called and told her she could stay there with her dogs any time, and you know that poor desk clerk got canned simply for following the rules. It makes me sick that some celebrities think they can do whatever they want. Take a clue from class acts like Paul Newman, people–life is about giving, not exploting your fame.

5. 5
   courtneymay
   Posted June 24, 2005 at 6:30 am

   Well, some reports quote a Hermes lady saying that they didn’t recognize Oprah b/c her hair wasn’t done and they’d been having a problem with “North Africans” lately. That could be bunk. It was somewhere on gawker or defamer, so go back and look.

   However . . . this is hard to believe. Oprah has the most fabulous weave known to man. Her hair would never, ever be left “undone.”

6. 6
   Juicecake
   Posted June 24, 2005 at 6:31 am

   “And when she gets there she knows if the stores are closed
   With a word she can get what she came for

   There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
   And you know sometimes words have two meanings”

   Plant and page were sooooo prophetic!!!!

7. 7
   Leah3t
   Posted June 24, 2005 at 6:36 am

   Ok, as a black person, I can say that there are times when clerks can be racist or rude. But as a person who has worked in a store, I HATE it when people want to come in and shop after the store is closed! Sure, if the shopkeeper wants to do something nice for you and let you in, you thank them for their graciousness. Now did the clerk keep Oprah out when he would have let a white person in? It’s possible. But I can’t say this equates to the huge racial problems that go on in the world every day that Oprah bypasses discussing to host shows about PTA meetings and book clubs.

8. 8
   Ashes
   Posted June 24, 2005 at 6:43 am

   Oprah has gotten a reputation for being generous by giving away cars, giving nice gifts to her staff, and using her show as a platform to raise money for charity. Sadly, however, it appears that when the cameras aren’t rolling, she’s not so generous with ordinary people if they don’t jump through her hoops and treat her like she’s better than others.

9. 9
   courtneymay
   Posted June 24, 2005 at 7:06 am

   Okay, so I went back and found it. No other reports are really saying this, so . . . I’m not sure. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/321268p-274724c.html

   I can see this upcoming “Crash moment” on her show:

   “All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men, but I ain’t never thought I’d have to fight in my own house!”

   Yeah, that’s The Color Purple.

   By the way, B-side, I didn’t want you to think I’m cheating on you with other sites. If not-cheap cigarettes and a happy sunshine had a bastard child it would be B-side.

   Oh, God, I’m blushing. Shut up, Courtneymay. Shut up!

10. 10
    chris
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 7:13 am

    I have disliked Oprah for a long time and race has a lot to do with it, but not on my part, on hers. When she had Omarosa and Trump on her show to discuss the “n” word incident on The Apprentice, she had Omarosa up on the stage and the two white girls involved in the incident sitting with the rest of the audience. I stopped watching her show after that and will never watch again. There are racial undertones to everything she does, but they are mostly from her, not from others.

11. 11
    Kirby
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 7:44 am

    If I may make a point, we are talking about Hermes, not the Gap. Its not like she was asking minimum wage high school kids to stay at the store past their bedtimes.

    I agree that she overreacted, but hello?!?, these are the kind of people who wouldn’t let Julia Roberts shop in ‘Pretty Woman’. Hermes can probably stand to lose a little attitude, as well.

12. 12
    Tamara
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 7:58 am

    In my opinion a BAD BUSINESS decision on the part of Hermes. If it were my business, I would not care if Oprah had shown up 10 HOURS after the store had closed. I would get up out of my bed and open that store for her. As a celebrity KNOWN for dropping lots of cash and having a television show that allows her to have the “ear” of millions around the world, this was truly a bad move on the part of the Hermes staff.

    By the way, it is not at all unusual for celebrities to shop after hours to avoid fans and/or paparazzi. How may times have you been in a store WITH a celebrity shopping there at the same time??? I would guess not many if ever. Come on people, we are talking 15 minutes here anyway.

    Also, if Oprah plans on using this incident as a show in the fall, I would venture to guess that there is more truth to her viewpoint than theirs. I don’t believe she would jeopardize her platform if it were not true. Remember the Texas cattle ranchers? She has been sued before….

13. 13
    runswithscissors
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 8:01 am

    Good one Juicecake

14. 14
    Lady J
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 8:25 am

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8338268/

    This article seems to have the right of it.

    Hermes in no way made a bad business decision by refusing to do a favor to a famous person. Hermes is a bland so exclusive people with the money can’t get their stuff. There was a “Sex and the City” episode in which Samantha snagged Lucy Liu as a client and used Lucy’s name to get moved up on the waiting list. Oprah’s complaint can’t really hurt them. Hermes caters to the truly wealthy, people who shun notoriety and worry about bloodlines and breeding and exclusive country clubs. These kinds of people don’t like nouveau-riche types like Oprah.

    What’s amazing is that she would wage this campaign over such a small incident. How could it possibly be one of the most humiliating experiences in the life of someone born black in the ’50s, raised in the south and raped by her relatives? In the context of Oprah’s life, this ain’t shit.

    From time to time, Oprah proves herself to be deeply out of touch with reality. She denounces $80 candles but recommends $20 shampoo as a stocking stuffer? Just last year she was going on about standing in line at a store to pay and how she hadn’t done that since she was 18 because she was always given VIP treatment. How can she tout the difficulties of children forced to work for a living in the Third World and then gripe she wasn’t extended special courtesies in a foreign country.

    No, Tom Cruise. We don’t all love Oprah. Some of us think she’s a well-meaning, fairly sensible woman with a corny personality and a tendency to let her unkind side leak through at inopportune times.

    That’s people.

15. 15
    shelley
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 8:32 am

    None of the quotes from the articles I’ve read were actually quotes from Oprah so let’s just wait to hear what she has to say about it before we go name calling.

    And even if she is a spoiled celeb, doesn’t the fact that she’s so philanthropic balance that off?

    And I totally agree runswithscissors!

16. 16
    state
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 9:18 am

    As someone who has worked as a salesperson in high-end shops like Hermès (and happens to live in France), I know that Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton regularly close their stores to allow big spending celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Madonna and, yes, Oprah shop alone. If a well-heeled Arab sheikh comes in and wishes to shop with no other customers around, the shop is closed for him. Salespersons earn commissions, and the commission on an Oprah sale (calculate 3-5 percent of a $6,500 bag) is worth an extra fifteen minutes of work. Although Oprah’s treatment may not seem an outrage to most people on an Old Navy budget, the reason why an Hermès scarf costs as much as it does is not just because of the quality of the scarf, but also the exceptional service from the brand. That’s why service from Mercedes is usually better than service from Ford.

    The part that rang true (again, as someone living in France) was the comment from Hermès saying that they had had ‘problems with North Africans before’. This kind of racism is acceptable to many in France. Although you may feel it hard to feel pity for someone worth more than $1 billion, Oprah was dissed. And, given the North African comment, it probably would not have happened to a white celebrity.

17. 17
    madeyoulaugh
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 11:07 am

    State,

    To be frank, I don’t care if it was racism, anti-femanism, anti-talkshowism…whatever. The part that bothers me more than that is that anyone EXPECTS special treatment. She’s not upset over racism, she’s upset because she didnt get her way, to quote Artie Lang “WAAH.” God forbid Oface should have to come down to the level of mortal man.

    And for the love of Oprah, can someone tell my why she is so powerful? When did she stop sucking and why was I not informed?

    MYL

18. 18
    SPOILED BRAT
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 11:16 am

    There is a war on, children are dying, people are starving to death…
    wow oprah get a life ..its not all about you whoever you are….
    Look outside of your world and see all the black people who need your help but no instead you are complaining about some dumb store closing on you…
    get a grip when God judges you..believe me you will not be let in heaven either..they will be closed also..
    Just get a life..get over yourself..

19. 19
    Ashes
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 11:25 am

    According to an AP news article, any celeb of any color, wealth level, and nationality would have been refused entrance to the store. Oprah didn’t just show up and demand entrance while the store was closed, she showed up while it was closed for a private event. Someone else who scheduled their private time in the store had priority. The store didn’t turn away business, they turned away one piece of business to cater to the business that was already there. They didn’t refuse Oprah because she’s black, they refused her because she came while they were having a private event in the store.

20. 20
    jack
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 11:33 am

    what seems to be overlooked in all of this brou-ha is that the French specialize in looking down their noses at Americans, of any ethnicity. the whole ‘trouble with North Africans’ remark was just a snotty froggie’s way of pretending that they didn’t recognize an absurdly wealthy, nouveau riche American celebrity. if tom cruise and katie holmes had showed up after closing and demanded to get in, the rep would have told the press ‘we’ve been having trouble with spastic midget child molesters lately.’

    hermes’ client list consists largely of people whose families have been rich since before there was such a thing as the United States of America. the only people who get their asses kissed at hermes own crowns, scepters, and castles.

    furthermore, in most of the rest of the world, PC and white guilt aren’t around to create a climate where any time someone raises the subject of race in public they have to worry about getting blacklisted (OOH! did he say BLACK?!?) or boycotted by the rainbow coalition.

    i love oprah, but anyone (even a billionaire) who will spend 10,000 dollars on a leather purse deserves to be taken down a peg or two.

21. 21
    huh?
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 11:48 am

    Can we get off the “philanthropy” of Oprah. Sure she gives stuff away – after she gets the companies to donate the merchandise. She doesn’t spend a penny of her money.

22. 22
    YoYoMa
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 11:57 am

    i really hope oprah went there to buy a kettle. a black kettle, that is. it’s sad to see the way rich people treat the rest of the world.

23. 23
    shelley
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 12:18 pm

    Excuse me #21, but Oprah just doesn’t “give stuff away” to her audience. She’s a major contributor of SEVERAL charities and most of her philanthropic work is not even public. Not to mention the fact that she has STARTED her own charitable organizations.

    And again, I didn’t read ONE QUOTE that was from Oprah actually complaining about being turned away. And do please post one if you find it and I’ll shut up immediately.

24. 24
    Fuzzbait
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 12:51 pm

    So, let me get this straight. If I am having a wedding reception at a beautiful hotel, and Oprah happens to stop by and wants the room we’ve rented, and the hotel says, “no,” the hotel is racist now? How does a Frenchman tell the difference between a North African and a Sub-Saharan African? Or, an African American? Was everyone in that store white? How do you know I’m not Angolan? Zairian? Seattlite?
    It’s my understanding stores are called ahead of time so that they can accomodate their special guests. JLo doesn’t just show up with her entourage and the store closes down. Stores like to know what special needs stars like, such as lemons in their water, specific chocolates and whatnot.
    It’s a frickin’ shame–from champion of South Africa’s orphanages to this. “I want what I want and I want it NOOOOOW!”

25. 25
    courtneymay
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 1:16 pm

    I’m a fundraiser for a non-profit organization. Rich people give us their money so we can change the world. I, however, make close to nothing and somehow I’m able to give money to the charitable organizations I care about, too. So do a lot of people. Frankly, most people have a charitable giving plan. I don’t tell my donors this, but, you know, it doesn’t make you that special to give some money. It doesn’t mean you poop gardenias. By the way, you can’t spit without hitting someone who has a freaking foundation in their name or who gives strictly for the fat-daddy TAX BREAK the super-rich charitable-types enjoy. If you were a millionaire, you’d dump your money into a few sick-kid camps before you can say TurboTax, and it might not be just because you’re such a swell, swell person . . .

26. 26
    Aries
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 1:27 pm

    This incident reminds me of Michael Jackson a few years back accusing Tommy Mottola of being racist because of contract disputes or something. It seems like certain celebrities play the race card at their convenience, like when they feel they have been slighted. Racism is real and needs to be dealt with, but Oprah’s whining about not being let in after hours to buy her 13th exorbitantly priced handbag doesn’t merit national discussion time IMHO.

27. 27
    America's Next Top Fan
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 1:55 pm

    B-side you have really crossed the line. Diss Oprah, how dare you.

    Your Yahoo story ommitted the fact that
    http://thebosh.com/archives/2005/06/oprah_winfrey_h.php
    http://www.pugbus.net/artman/publish/06242005_oprah.shtml

    A Hermes clerk, not wanting to offend Winfrey, explained that her request could not be accommodated because “stores like ours have been having problems with North African gangs of late.”

    Now being refused service because the store is closed is fine. But being refused because you resemble a North African gang member is just plain racist. That and the fact that Hermes official story for refusing Winfrey keeps changing. First Hermes says she arrived after hours and they never allow access after close. Then it was Oprah was refused because she has a “shoplifting habit”. Now the story is they were closed for a “PR event”. Just like a racist, when they’re caught they can’t get their story straight.

    Of course most will never know the sting of racism. What I call psychological warfare. The purse clutching, the auto locking of the car door, the department store manager who follows you around as if you’re a North African gang member.

28. 28
    geovanni
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 2:01 pm

    She was racially profiled and it did not matter that she was Oprah, she was a common looking black woman. They probably thought she was one of those Africans. From reports she did call ahead of time but when she arrived was denied entrance.

    Reading the posts in this section it’s not suprising that some people think racial profiling is cool. Not suprising at all, so when I hear stuff like this happening their is no shock.

    Oprah is not one to throw around the race card since she promotes diversity on her show. And if she earned her dollars by hard work and dedication why should she be denied the priviledges of her hard work?

    Every celebrity gets special treatment, so please save it with the who does she think she is stuff.

29. 29
    Brian
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 2:06 pm

    blah…..blah……blah…..
    Poor Oprah….someone didn’t kneel down and kiss her feet (or ass)
    Black,white purple or polkadotted….let’s face it,GREEN is the colour that matters here…and for that matter,Gayle King knows who butters her bread.

30. 30
    wtf
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 2:25 pm

    Hey Shelley: if most of her philanthropic work is not even public, how do you know about it? Do you, perchance, work for her? And Oprah doesn’t need to say anything – she has all her mouthpieces to do it for her. Gayle has her head so far up Oprah’s ass, she is speaking for her.

    wtg courtenymay. Truer words were never spoken.

    And Oprah: “You can’t always get what you want!”

31. 31
    I Got Yer Birkin Right Here
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 2:26 pm

    There are much bigger, more pressing problems in the world than Oprah’s 13th Birkin bag. The fact that this made the news means God Oprah wanted it to make the news. Which just dropped my already low opinion of her a few more notches. One of the most humiliating experiences in her life? Guess that childhood rape, drug abuse, and abortion she waaah waaah’d about on her shows were minor events. Am I supposed to feel sorry for a woman that could buy France? Oprah is an assclown.

32. 32
    state
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 2:36 pm

    Ashes, post #19: a friend of mine was working at Gucci in New York when it was closed down for JLo to shop. Shops that charge $6,500 for a handbag don’t treat customers the same way McDonald’s does. Celebs drop serious cash and wear their clothes as publicity, so a top shop would stay open hours past closing for the right customer. Trust me: as a salesperson, I’m not going to kiss a fat commission goodbye and alienate a wealthy customer who might return regularly to my shop and always ask for me to help him or her, guaranteeing future commissions.

    Fuzzbait, post #24: you can generally tell a North African by how they speak – just as you can tell an American. It’s called an accent which, combined with certain looks, can identify where someone comes from. I can tell an Algerian from a Moroccan from a Tunisian, and French isn’t even my first language.

    Hermès was preparing for a PR event, not in the midst of the event itself – so Oprah wasn’t hijacking the event. People were still inside shopping, so Oprah wouldn’t have been disrupting anything. People with money get accommodated: that’s why those flying first class board the airplane first and get their baggage before everyone else – they pay more for their tickets. If you’re mad at Oprah for being wealthy, then so be it. But if I dropped the kind of cash she had already dropped at Hermès, I would expect service above and beyond what I would get at the Gap.

    Jack, post #20: Hermès’ clientele is more new money than old money – old money finds conspicuous consumption tacky and, frankly, Europe is crawling with aristocrats who have to rent out their chateaux as bed and breakfasts because they are broke. There is more new money than old money anyway, which is why Hermès has become an aspirational brand. Being painted as racist would harm them. The fact that they even responded to the Oprah situation shows that they care.

    Again, I know it’s hard to feel much pity for a billionaire, but knowing France and top designer shops the way I do, the Hermès staff screwed up big time – and it did have something to do with race (the North African comment is too French: “We have nothing against blacks, just Arabs.” They thought Oprah should have seen that the misunderstanding was all hers). The Hermès staff obviously had no idea who she was, and probably did not think that someone who looked as she did had the kind of cash she does: had they known, I guarantee you that she would have been allowed to shop at 3 in the morning stark naked if she wanted.

33. 33
    RazzBeth
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 2:42 pm

    Seems to be the most level headed article to date. Love the point about things getting embelished on the internet. How true is that? I’d love to see Hermes release the security tape.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062302086_pf.html

34. 34
    madeyoulaugh
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 3:27 pm

    Wait wait wait….For those playing the race card, youre going to tell me Oprah’s not white?!? She is whiter than Madonna & Kelsey Grammer are British. Eminem proved colour is a state of mind ,and Oprah is one cold blooded, loaded honkey!

    MYL

    MYL

35. 35
    Mike
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 4:25 pm

    Damn that Tom Cruise!

36. 36
    bacardi
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 5:01 pm

    This has publicity stunt written all over it.

    Celebrities for the most part shop during the “closed” business hours of designer stores like Hermes for the simple reason that they would rather have their privacy and not have to shop amongst the “common folk”, but a reservation for a time slot is made. This is common practice and Oprah is not a new celeb and not new to the shopping courtesy and ediquit (or is it edicit?). Believe me she knows better than to just show up at the Hermes shop unannounced on the off hours especially not looking like the “TV Oprah” everyone knows expecting VIP treatment. This was a stunt for the season opener in September. Too bad Hermes beacme the victim of this publicity stunt.

37. 37
    Fuzzbait
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 5:05 pm

    State (or #32, as you seem so fond of labeling and numbering things),
    “It’s called and accent..”? Really! Wow, I had no idea. So, by Ms. Winfrey’s accent and looks, someone would peg her as North African? WOW! You are impressive! You can tell the difference between an Algerian and a Moroccan, but can you dance? For some strange reason, John Cleese taunting, “I faaahhrt in your general direction” comes to mind.

38. 38
    B-Side
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 7:45 pm

    Hermes – stupid for not letting in Oprah? Passing up good business. Yeah, probably.

    Oprah – Ridiculously blowing this out of proportion. YES.

    btw – the North African comment was pure fiction, so, you know, people should stop babbling about that.

39. 39
    Helenann
    Posted June 24, 2005 at 9:23 pm

    Thank you, B-Side.
    However, I still like the Monty Python reference made by Fuzzbait.

40. 40
    state
    Posted June 25, 2005 at 1:53 am

    Fuzzbait, post #37 & :
    First of all, the Washington Post says security tape shows no mention of North Africans. I doubt it was pure fiction, though: the statement was probably uttered after Winfrey’s people called Hermès in Paris afterwards. Of course, the salesperson would not refuse Winfrey and tell her to her face, ‘We’ve been having problems with North Africans, so we’re going to give you a business card so that you can come back’. The North African remark was probably an excuse made after the fact that Hermès in Paris thought would let them off the hook. In my 15 years in retail in Europe, I’ve heard shop managers give variations on this excuse to customers: offensive to American ears, but completely fine with the French.

    Fuzzbait: Telling different nationalities apart has nothing to do with my special powers: it has to do with actually listening to them – that’s what I do for a living (you actually earn better commissions that way, btw). I bet even you can tell the difference between a New Yorker and a Texan. Hermès did not think Winfrey was North African (see above). Again, if you’re hatin’ on Winfrey because she can afford things you can’t, deal with that. I have served absolutely horrific rich people who were probably racist, sexist and immoral – but I get a hefty commission, so I hold my nose. And my employer expects me to – that’s why I still have a job. (btw, there are also some really nice, well-mannered wealthy people I serve. The rich vary, just as the poor do.)

    Also, Winfrey won’t be doing a show on this until September, when the momentum from this story will have died down. So it’s a little early for this to be a publicity stunt…

41. 41
    Fuzzbait
    Posted June 25, 2005 at 3:03 pm

    I fail to see the virtue in serving “horific rich people who were
    probably racist, sexist and immoral, but I get a hefty commision, so I hold my nose…”
    Good for you, I suppose. I, for one, wouldn’t go espousing my pride in being able to be paid to wait on people who are objectionable. A paycheck, no matter how nice the commision, can’t buy my soul, loyalty or kindness. It’s called a spine.
    BTW, how do you know my income? How do you know she can afford things I can’t? You’re a presumptive, condescending person who likes to assume a lot (“…probably racist, sexist…”; “…I bet even you can tell the difference…”)
    Why don’t you stop looking down YOUR nose at others…otherwise, you are just as bad as those “horrific” people you wait on and none of us are getting a ‘paycheck’ for it.

42. 42
    state
    Posted June 25, 2005 at 4:05 pm

    Fuzzbait: It’s a virtue to do one’s job, which is to make as much money for one’s employer as possible. Mine is a job, not a vocation. But I’m good at it – and it’s helping me put a child through college. I wasn’t hired to pass judgment on a customer’s moral fibre; I was hired to earn money.

    I’m sorry if you think that I am looking down my nose at you: really, I wouldn’t be able to afford to shop where I work if not for the hefty discount I get. I am nowhere near the same income bracket as the people who shop where I work, so I’m not defending my own kind when I say that Winfrey should have been served. The rich are not better than I am, they’re just richer.

    If I offended you in presuming that you are not in Winfrey’s same income bracket, I apologise. It’s just that anyone with any familiarity with luxury retail should know that the bending-over-backwards for the customers is part of the reason why a Hermès bag costs $6,500. Serving a trying customer has nothing to do with lacking a spine: it’s about realising that it’s just a job, not my life.

43. 43
    Fuzzbait
    Posted June 25, 2005 at 5:39 pm

    Anyone with familiarity of the basics of CUSTOMER SERVICE bends over backwards to help the customer, rich or not. Being a veteran of retail, hospitality and community service positions, it didn’t matter if I was serving a homeless man in a Mission or booking the Presidential Suite for a client…they are all the same. Money does not buy my service.
    This seems to be straying from the original topic that B-Side pointed out. Hermes bad business desicion? yeah. Oprah blown out of proportion? You bet. I am happy for you in your chosen profession, just as I am confident in mine.

44. 44
    LyrikalJuse
    Posted June 26, 2005 at 9:41 am

    So everyone who thinks Oprah doesn’t deserve special treatment for being wealthy and famous thinks the same way about everyone else in this world who is wealthy and famous?? Because Oprah is not the only celebrity/wealthy/famous individual getting special treatment for just that reason. Anyone a fan of any actor, celebrity, or musical icon? Guess what, they all get/got special treatment. So really, there’s no reason to bash Oprah about that anymore…

    And to anyone who points out there are more important things in the world to worry about, yes I do agree. And I think Oprah is being a little too sensitive (if in fact the story is true that she was snubbed because of her appearance). But seriously, I’d be curious to know how many people who talk about all the poverty and angst in the world are actually doing something about it.

    YES, I’m an Oprah fan. And NO I don’t agree with everything she does or says, but like I said I’m a fan, so maybe I am somewhat biased. But all you Oprah haters can still kiss my ass.

45. 45
    sanejane
    Posted June 26, 2005 at 4:48 pm

    Can someone please assist Ms Winfrey with pulling her enormous head out of her humongous a$$?

46. 46
    Jodi
    Posted June 27, 2005 at 7:41 am

    I can’t believe anyone gives a fuck about this, either way.

47. 47
    Jodi
    Posted June 27, 2005 at 7:41 am

    Still, it is indeed amusing. And made me titter a bit(ter).

48. 48
    Bachem
    Posted June 27, 2005 at 11:57 am

    Oprah calling this incident Racism diminishes the word, the charge, and the idea of racism, and it’s an insult to anyone of any color who has experienced actual acts of prejudice.

    http://oprahscrusade.blogspot.com/

49. 49
    Gine
    Posted June 30, 2005 at 7:08 am

    Also, I’d like to offer a correction. Gayle King’s statement that people were in Hermes, fifteen minutes after closing, “shopping,” is untrue. EMPLOYEES were in Hermes, bustling around in preparation for a sales event the next day. THAT’s what Gayle saw.

    Even as a black woman, I’m shocked and appalled at the prospect of Hermes being adversely affected because of this.

    What about “the store is closed” don’t you understand?

50. 50
    cyndi
    Posted June 30, 2005 at 4:57 pm

    Uhh….did anybody mention to OPRAH that she is also an American in PARIS???
    They hate us ALL.

51. 51
    state
    Posted July 2, 2005 at 1:19 am

    Would Payless repair the heel of a shoe you bought two years ago there? No, but Chanel does – free of charge. So does Gucci, Armani, etc.

    Does Target send a car to pick up a defective garment and exchange it? Negative again. But if you spend enough at Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Prada, they will.

    Luxury retailers open after hours for good customers and will even close shop to the general public to allow big spenders private shopping. Try that at the Gap. When you’re spending what some people earn in a year on a handbag, you’re buying exceptional service as well as the item.

    Winfrey was merely asking for a service that is regularly rendered to people who spend as she does. Her request was about being a loyal customer at a luxury shop that regularly bends over backwards to accommodate loyal customers. This was not a celebrity ego trip (if that were the case, she would have been asking for a freebie, as stars often do).

    Did race play a part? If the North African excuse was uttered, of course it did.

    Every friend I have working in high-end retail in France says the same thing: Winfrey should have been served and was right to be teed off.

52. 52
    wtf
    Posted July 2, 2005 at 5:30 pm

    Give it a rest state. No one is listening anymore.

    I’m out…

53. 53
    ass black
    Posted July 5, 2005 at 3:06 pm

    Great blog, enjoyed browsing through the site