Complain about a product or service

Walgreens - Racial Profiling

Paulette of Newport News VA (10/27/03):

Walgreens Company Corporate Office
Attn: Mr. Frank Grilli
200 Wilnot Road
Deerfield, IL 60015

Dear Mr. Grilli: I am writing this letter in response to an incident that occurred at Walgreens store # 5175, which is located at 600 J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, Newport News, Virginia. The incident occurred on the afternoon of July 25, 2003 as my teenage son and I entered the store; we are both African Americans.

Prior to us entering the store, a Caucasian gentleman entered the store a few seconds ahead of my son and then I followed my son into the store. The distance between my son and I was such that it was not evident to anyone that did not know us that we were together. As my son and I followed the gentleman into the store, a Caucasian female cashier by the name of Christina C. singled out my son and stated the following in a very loud, course, demanding voice: "What do you need - can I help you?"

Her voice was very startling to my son as well as the other customers that were present at the front of the store at the time. There were several customers (about 6 or 7 people in the check out line). They all turned and focused their attention on my son with puzzled looks on their faces. The gentleman that was in front of us was also startled by the voice because he too looked around to see what was going on, and then he continued on into the store.

My son did not ignore her demanding tone; he stopped walking, looked at Ms. C. and responded to her by saying "no I don't need help" and then he continued walking. I was also startled by her words and tone. Upon realizing that Ms. C. was addressing my son, I looked at her with disbelief and contempt for singling him out in such an accusing manner. She said nothing to me. There were also two Caucasian females who entered the store behind me and no such comments or greetings were extended to neither women.

Feeling disgusted and angry about the incident, I approached Ms. C. and confronted her about the incident. Ms. C. stated that she greet all customers as they enter the store. I told Ms. C. that what she said to my son was not a greeting. An appropriate greeting would be to say, "Welcome to Walgreen. If I could be of assistance to you, please let me know". This is the extent of any greeting I normally hear after entering a store. That was not the positive greeting my son received from Ms. C.

I challenged her and stated that she was a liar because she did not greet everyone else that had entered the store while I was there. Furthermore, I pointed out that she did not greet the Caucasian gentleman, the two Caucasian females, nor did she greet me upon my entrance into the store. She then stated that she did not greet me because she knew that I was with my son. Once again, she lied because he was not walking close enough to me for her to have known that we were together. My son was the only one that she felt a need to confront/attack as he entered the store. Ms. C. also stated the following: "I did not mean it that way". Well, as far as I am concerned, there is only one way to look at the situation - and that is, Ms. C. treated my son unfairly due to his race.

I described the incident to several of my friends (Caucasians as well as African Americans) and family and they perceived the incident the same way as my son and myself perceived it. Ms. C's action was unwarranted. My son was very close to the entrance of the store. He did not make it down any of the isles in the store to look at any merchandise. Ms. C. should have been ensuring that the needs of the customers that were standing before her were being met. She was very busy at the cash register assisting several customers as we entered the store; however, she felt the need to focus her efforts on other things - like my son entering the store. It appeared that it was more important for her to worry about who was coming into the store than to finalize the purchases of her customers in line.

If my son really needed help, would she walk away from her register and customers to render her assistance to him? I seriously doubt it. With the amount of customers she had in her line, she still could not assist my son or any other customer right away. This is the puzzling thing about her action; she was not standing around idle with nothing to do. She had too many customers in her line to worry about who was coming into the store. My son did not give Ms. C. cause to believe that he was up to no good; she did not give him a chance. Instead, she deliberately questioned my son and drew attention to him as he walked into the store. Ms. C. never bothered to question the three Caucasian customers that entered the store at the same time.

Did my son fit the description of a potential thief? Was it part of her job to be store security and conduct surveillance on customers entering the store? Not that this should matter how a person is dressed, but my son was well dressed and had a neat haircut. Prior to his encounter in the store, he had just taken his senior pictures at school.

I tried to make sense out of the incident. Perhaps this particular store had experienced problems with other young African American boys in the past but that is still no excuse to believe that they are all up to no good. Ms. C. stated that she did not greet me because she knew that I was with the son. Well if that is the case, her comments to my son is doubly insulting because that would mean that she believed that whatever his intention was, it would have been done under my watchful eyes.

I worked hard to earn my college degree and to obtain a good job; I am not a thief, nor do I teach my children to steal.

Subsequent to my discussion with Ms. C. I spoke with the Assistant Manager on duty, Ms. Kimberly Early. I related the incident to Ms. Early and she indicated that she would speak with Ms. C. I advised Ms. Early that I was very upset about the incident and as a result, I could not shop or spend my money in the store. At that point Ms. C. stated that she was sorry that I took it the wrong way. I told her that I did not take it the wrong way. What other way can you look at it if you maliciously attack a young African American male and neglect to speak to three Caucasian customers in the same manner?

Although Ms. Early appeared to listen attentively, I was not convinced that my concern would be taken seriously once I left the store. So my son and I left the store and went to another Walgreens store, where I met and discussed our unpleasant ordeal with the manager on duty, Mr. Alan Parker. Mr. Parker listened, offered an apology and promised to report the incident to Walgreens' District Manager, Mr. Paul Ray on Monday morning since it was the weekend.

Mr. Paul's secretary, Phyllis contacted me on July 29, 2003 (Tuesday) and offered a very sincere apology to my son and I on behalf of Walgreens. Phyllis informed me that the store manager, Mark Prosper, would contact me regarding the incident. Mr. Prosper made one attempt to contact me at home on the same day (Tuesday) I had spoke with Phyllis; he was unable to reach me at home and never bothered to leave a message or call me back.

Upset over his obvious lack of interest, I finally called Phyllis on August 4, 2003 (Monday) and informed her that Mr. Prosper still had not tried to contact me about the incident. Within a half hour later, Mr. Prosper called me at work and I discussed the entire incidence with him. He replied that he did not know what to say and that he needed to talk with Ms. C. and that he would call me back. I am not sure at what point he had learned of the incident but a week had passed and he still had not made any attempt to talk with Ms. C. about the incident. Was my complaint that low on Walgreens list of priorities or our feelings was not that important?

In the course of this first conversation with Mr. Prosper, he asked me if my son was looking for a job and I said yes but I did not want him working for Walgreens as a result of what had happened to him in the store. Besides, what would this have accomplished? This appeared to be an attempt to rectify the situation but it did not. If anything, it exacerbated the ordeal in my mind because I felt that he was not about to take the situation seriously. I felt that he really did not plan on doing much of anything to satisfy my concern. He also alluded to the possibility of Ms. C. apologizing to my son. He called me back two days later on August 6, 2003 (Wednesday) to tell me that Ms. C. had called in sick and that he would call me back.

Two days later on August 8, 2003 (Friday), he called me back to tell me that he spoke with Ms. C. and the situation seem to be a "he says/she says" incident - whatever this means. He further stated that Ms. C's file would be documented. No mention of an apology. Mr. Prosper's attitude was non-caring about the incident. He offered no apology. And as far as his less than bright idea about a job at Walgreens for my son, I see it as nothing more than a poor token act to pacify the whole incident.

His "he says/she says" comment was very insulting. My son did not have to come home and tell me that the incident had occurred; I witnessed the whole incident myself. I was standing right there as Ms. C. dehumanized my son in public. I might be naïve about the way I feel that people should be treated - equally, regardless of the color of their skin; but I am by no means stupid. And my son is not stupid either; he knows exactly how she made him feel and that he did not deserves to be singled out.

I feel that Mr. Prosper was totally insensitive about the entire situation. He had sufficient time to rectify the situation and he failed miserably to respond appropriately. Mr. Prosper's nonchalant attitude is not acceptable in my mind. I am dissatisfied with the response I have received thus far from Mr. Prosper. Therefore, I decided to elevate this issue to your level. The actions on the part of Walgreens' store #5175 employees toward my son are appalling, embarrassing and unacceptable treatment. Considering the events surrounding the incident, I am forced to come to the conclusion that this was nothing more than a case of "racial profiling" directed toward my son.

What else would have motivated Ms. C. to single out my son in such a disparaging and disrespectful manner and tone? I am concerned that this is a common behavior for Ms. C. and that she has been able to exhibit this behavior with impunity. Perhaps Walgreens has not been made aware of her behavior in the pass because her other victims were alone and never bothered to tell someone. Ms. C's mistake in our situation is that she did not realize that my son was not alone. Ms. C's actions were misguided; my son is not a thief. She embarrassed him and made him feel unwelcome in the store. She deliberately judged and assumed the worst about my son because of his race, without cause.

It is very sad that similar incidents like this prevent America as a whole from uniting together. There is still so much discrimination against certain races, cultures, sexes and religions in the United States today. With everything that is currently going on in the world, specifically the on-going conflict in Iraq, we as Americans need to unite as a whole. The only way for us to do that is for people to look beyond color and see everyone as a human being that deserves to be treated as such. The entire incident was heart wrenching.

As a mother, I want my children to be treated equally and with dignity, not as a second-class citizen. It was a devastating moment in time and I am deeply hurt by Ms. C's action. A sincere apology from her and management to my son would have been sufficient. However, all we got was a slap in the face. Therefore, I am prepared to pursue this matter by relating this incident to the local media, and filing a complaint with the NAACP, Better Business Bureau, Consumer Affairs Office and other means. Hopefully our ordeal will make others aware and more conscious about the way they treat other people.

Finally, I would like to extend my appreciation to the following individuals who offered a sincere apology on behalf of Walgreens and most import handled the matter with sensitivity and understanding: Mr. Alan Parker, Ms. Phyllis, Ms. Ginter and Mr. Paul Ray. Sorry for the lengthy letter and Thank you for your time.

Back to the top | Racial Discrimination