Racism is alive and well.
A Kansas city African American college student returned a pair of shoes to the store "Journey's" and when he looked at his receipt, it indicated that the customer was a "Dumb Nigger."
Here is the link to video at the local news affiliate.
What makes this story even more disturbing is that apparently this is a "generic" label that exists in the database of Journey's stores (but this information or suggestion does not preclude the possibility that all the store's computers are linked and a random, angry employee could effect all of them).
I have never actually bought a pair of shoes at a Journey's store, but my husband has. One of my colleagues suggests a "boycott" of the store--but perhaps we should simply contact them for more information and insist that they figure out what happened here before we go that far.
I'd suggest that we contact their customer service line and write them letters making it clear that the American public will not tolerate institutionalized or episodic racism, and that any (accidental or otherwise) systematic rendering of black customers as "dumb niggers" is the former rather than the latter (which is what I am sure they will try to do; pin it on "one" employee).
Here is the contact information:
By Mail
Journeys Customer Feedback
Genesco Park
1415 Murfreesboro Rd, Suite 648
Nashville, TN 37217
And their phone number:
By Phone
Our Customer Service Department can be reached at
1-888-324-6356 (para español 1-866-322-9099)
7 days a week, 24 hours a day
(para español 9am to 6pm CST)
I think a lot of young, college age African Americans shop at these stores (don't ask what my middle aged husband is doing there) and they should know that this could effect their bottom line. In this economic environment, it seems to me that they cannot afford to be so openly and blatantly racist or allow themselves to be misinterpreted as such in the event that this was a one person thing. (This is not to suggest that I want them to be privately racist, but if they are willing to print, on their receipts, racial slurs, they are probably contributing to the Aryan Nation behind closed doors. If indeed, this is part of their corporate culture and not an isolated incident. Until we hear from Journey's we won't know exactly which it is. This Aryan nation thing is hyperbole [mostly].)
Let's put a little pressure on them.
Update
A few people in the comments have suggested that this probably is an isolated incident and blaming the story is like "blaming Kos for one idiotic posting." It is entirely possible that their computers were hacked and this was put in there by a single individual without anyone else's knowledge.
What we need to see someone from Journey's say to the press is: This was an incident of computer hacking and we are investigating this. We value our customers, all of our customers, regardless of their race and we are committed to diversity. The person responsible for this will be persecuted in the context of all applicable laws.
So far, they have said nothing. I find this curious. If I were the CEO of Journey's I'd have issued a statement like this, at the very least, for damage control. But saying nothing is not an option.
So, in the event that this was a freak incident and not their fault, I think letting them know that they must exercise due diligence and get to the bottom of it is necessary and not going too far.