My wife enjoyed browsing the stock. It was varied and interesting . The two ladies were veryhelpful in looking out additional items. She made purchases and would happily shop there again.
I have never felt more unwelcome or truly degraded in a shop. After reading the other reviews, I feel disappointed to see that i was not alone in my experience. Racial discrimination should not still be so present in today’s world. I simply walked into the shop for a quick browse on a Saturday afternoon. Immediately upon entering, the three ladies at the till stopped talking to each other and started whispering. They stared at me the whole time and when I turned around, they made comments judging and asking inappropriate questions about my own outfit. I then picked up a piece of clothing and heard one of them very clearly say ‘careful she looked around’. Upon reading the other reviews, and going off my own intuition, i can confidently say they thought I was stealing! The ladies continued to stare and whisper as I was innocently carrying around the piece of clothing…I put it back.The whispering, staring and rude remarks made me feel so uncomfortable I decided to leave. I am an asian woman and I too felt racially profiled by these three white women. It was like experiencing that scene in pretty woman before Julia Roberts goes back and says ‘big mistake’! I will not be returning and will be making sure to inform other Beckenham residents of my experience. I hope these women reflect upon these concerns raised by myself and others; making sure to educate themselves on their own racial biases and prejudices.
I was racially profiled today by the two ladies by the till when I visited the shop. I have politely asked if they have scarfs with glitter on them, they both looked at me as if I have committed a crime, I own two business and would never treat my customers this way and Also, Never judge the book by it's cover! As a result I decided to spent my money in Bromley, I had a budget of £200 to spend on Christmas presents for my friends and I am glad I didn't spend it there.I will definitely share my experience in every social media platform related to Beckenham....
I have been shopping for a while there with no problems. Last week I took my friend there. Her three little ones were with us. My friend was made to feel very unwelcome there by one of the ladies, I was with her youngest one and she started giving me parental advice. When she saw I was not responding she asked me in front of my friend if the baby was mine and my friend said no, it was hers and then the lady started lavishing her with advice (my friend is of Jamaican heritage so it was obvious that she was just using different tactics to get her point across). The chair was also blocking the door (was not there when we went in) as if in an attempt to stop anyone from stealing. Another black lady that was shopping there was followed around and had items of clothing that she liked taken off of hands to apparently let her roam in peace (this I’ve noticed was done to her several times). In short, the whole experience had racist undertones and though I was not at the receiving end, I felt bad for both my friend and the other shopper. I will never set foot in this shop again. Racism/unconscious bias has no place in today’s society. Especially when young ones are present. My friend’s 8 year old daughter felt like she was not welcomed in the shop!! Unacceptable behaviour from the woman there.
What a delightful couple of ladies!
Columns is located at 116 High St, Beckenham BR3 1EB, UK
You can contact Columns at +44 20 8663 6141
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