“Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson visited us in Brooklyn and inquired about buying ‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows we host here,” the post reads. “Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale. However, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop. At Art of Play whether someone comes in to make a purchase or simply look around for a while, they are equally welcome. We greet everyone who walks in the door with the invitation to ‘pick things up and play.’ And they do, many stay for hours enjoying our puzzles, games and toys. Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity. Thanks to all our friends for their support and welcome to all the curious folks who have discovered us amidst the drama. We’re going to keep our heads down and hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday. As a talented popular singer once said ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’”
That’s a pretty well argued case, but the dispute quickly turned into a “she said-he said.” Clarkson replied,
“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale,” she wrote. “That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with 👍 so the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone ‘yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.’ That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it ✅.And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things. I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business. It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception.”
Oooh. If Kelly’s is correct about the price tag, and she would be foolish to make that up, she wins the round. The store’s owner is lying when he should be apologizing.
Ethics Verdicts:
- John Paul asks if Kelly was “punching down.” Any customer who is mistreated in an establishment has not only a right but an obligation to address the problem. Furthermore, a celebrity’s social media complaint about bad service will have more impact than a complaint from, well, me, with my 5 followers. Being a celebrity shouldn’t prevent someone from expressing resentment in public. Yes, she has a big megaphone. But that’s an incentive for a store to train its staff to act as if every visitor has a big microphone.
- Kelly’s first move should have been to complain to management before going public. There’s no indication that she did. That’s unfair.
- Her objection has the faint whiff of “Do you know who I am?” about it, and “How dare they treat me like that! I’m Kelly Clarkson!” It’s still valid though.
- The store apparently has never heard of The Streisand Effect. The owner seems to think this is good publicity. It’s not: John Paul notes that the owner had proved himself “to be a jerk.” And why would he think a social media feud with singing star is keeping his head down”?
For the record, I have received the “Pretty Woman” treatment several times. In every instance, I settled the issue on the spot, demanding to talk to a supervisor or management, and making a vocal protest until I did. In a couple of cases, I got a directed apology from the offending clerk.
I had a similar instance years ago at a car dealership. I was shopping for a new diesel pickup truck after work, so I was still in my work clothes. I ran a maintenance shop at a paper mill at the time so my jacket and boots had some dirt on them. I asked the salesman to show me new trucks. He told me they were expensive and insisted on showing me used ones even though I repeatedly asked to see new trucks. I finally got tired of the guy’s condescension and told him I would shop elsewhere. I purchased a new truck from another dealer. About a week later, a salesman from the first dealer call to tell me they had some more used trucks for me to see. After I got done laughing at him, I let him know I had purchased a new $100k truck from another dealer and let him know about the treatment I had received that caused me to look elsewhere. Too bad for them.
Samson slew ~1000 Philistines with the jawbone of an a$$, salespeople kill many a sale with the same weapon…
Sales Rule #1: NEVER prejudge a prospect.
PWS
If it were me (and it wouldn’t be because I am not: a) a truck guy; or b) a $100,000 car guy), I would have gone in, parked my $100,000 truck in the front of the lot and, repeatedly say, I am not trading my truck in for THAT!
-Jut
Farmer joke: A city slicker drives his brand-new Mercedes-Benz off the road into a ditch. The farmer drives up on his tractor and offers to pull the Benz out of the ditch. Outraged, the city slicker scoffs, saying, “You’re not going to pull my eighty-thousand-dollar car with that thing!” To which the farmer responds before driving off, “You’re right. I’m not going to tow your car with my two-hundred- and fifty-thousand-dollar tractor.”
Thanks, Jack. I appreciate this.
I think on some level a lot of us have gone through the pretty woman treatment. In my first year in China, my wife and I did a tour of Beijing that was going to take us to the Great Wall. Part of the tour took us to a jade shop where the guy was giving a presentation (no clue what he was saying, wasn’t fluent yet) and after he noticed we were the only white people he looks at us and ask us something. I told him ‘ting bu dong (a common phrase for tourists in China that translates to “Listen, but don’t understand), and he started mocking me. Still no clue what he was saying (he repeated back to me what I said to him, so I know he was mocking), but several of the Chinese tourists started laughing.
I said in English that I hoped someone there could speak English well enough to translate, because the very fact I was in his country was proof I had money, and it wasn’t a good idea to make fun of his potential customers. My wife and I left after that. Always wondered what happened to that guy and if he ever learned what I said.
I was thinking about a scene in Breakfast at Tiffany were Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) is condescended to by snooty and overly proper sales people.
There are certain stores and brands that are highly desired and priced because of its exclusivity. This aura of exclusivity requires that the products are only sold to people of the right class (“old money”) to retain its exclusive cachet. The status of some brands is dependent on the social status of the buyers. The exclusivity of the brand allows for extremely high margins.
There are people who have money but lack class, such as reality TV stars (“The Real Housewives of …”). Other folks act rich, but need financing. These category of customers bring down the status of the brand. As examples, Gucci and Louis Vuitton used to be exclusive, but these brands have lost their luster as too many people who want to look rich are wearing it.
It’s funny how the term “exclusive” has been completely warped by its use in marketing. Of course, it literally means, “having the quality to keep out.” But it gets turned into meaning “something desirable and even admirable.”
“It’s funny how the term ‘exclusive’ has been completely warped by its use in marketing.”
John Cleese once quipped about a sports car “that is so exclusive that none are being made.”
PWS
“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
And congrats, Paulie. Is the delirium beginning to subside at all?
During my days picking mid-century modern furnishings I became familiar with a shop owner who dealt in and repaired vintage lamps. Peter’s store in Phoenix was called “Modern Lighting.” Our son came to call Peter “The Lamp Nazi” after “The Soup Nazi” in “Seinfeld. While in the shop, more often than not I’d see him run off customers. In his defense, I think most of the “customers” were young kids who wanted to just ogle the inventory, for which he had absolutely no patience. But it was comical. He was invariably incredibly rude. “No lamps for you!”