Photo: Getty Images
Bed, Bath & Beyond is facing online backlash after staff at an Ohio store called the police on a Black couple and accused them of shoplifting because they had too many "high ticket items" in their cart. Footage posted by Lamar Richards on June 16 shows him and his boyfriend confronting store employees at a location in Toledo while a police officer is present.
“I’d like to understand why [police] were called. That’s very simple, why were the police called with the three Black people, thinking that we were shoplifting,” he asks a female worker. “I paid $600 for my things, so obviously I didn’t shoplift. I want to understand why you thought I was shoplifting."
"If there’s a big purchase item… there’s usually a question," the staff member explains. "We just want to make sure."
“Okay, ‘usually a question’, I can understand that, but police being called I can’t understand that,” the man replies.
The employee then summons the staff member who made the call, and she justifies her actions by simply saying, "It was my right to call."
“Because you thought three Black people were shoplifting, why?” Richards retorts. While the upset Black man keeps grilling the employee, she steps behind the police officer.
“I’m not being hostile, I’m not being violent. I just want to know why the store called the police because they thought we were shoplifting,” he continued. “We just purchased a new home. We came in because you’re closing, this is a closing sale. I didn’t realize there was a maximum number of items you could buy.”
“You’re not going to be able to resolve this. I don’t know what you want us to say," the first worker says at the beginning of the second video. "I don’t care if they’re Black, white, or green, if somebody’s walking around with big, high ticket items, that's all."
The police officer decided not to approach the Black shoppers after he realized no items were concealed. The cop also recommended the upset customers submit a corporate complaint.
"I’ve have never felt so humiliated in my entire life," Richards tweeted. "I sat in the car for more than an hr after this happened, praying asking God to give me peace and calm my anxiety."
Attorney Ben Crump tweeted another video of the encounter on Monday (June 19), racking up over 2.5 million views. He said the Black people in the video "deserve answers for this humiliating experience!"
This news comes as Bed, Bath & Beyond is winding down operations and closing hundreds of stores across the country. The company hasn't issued a statement about the incident.
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