Woman says department store worker refused to serve her because she was trans

A woman has claimed she was refused service in a department store because she was trans.

On TikTok, a user named Licca said she went to Nordstrom, an American department store but was snubbed by an employee who told her to find someone else to help her when she tried to exchange an item.

She said:

“As a transgender woman of colour, I build myself up before I go out anywhere because I know I’m going to face discrimination and that is exactly what I did before I entered Nordstrom.”

She then described how the woman pointed at her and told her to talk to someone else, despite there not being anyone else in the department and added that the worker in question then went over to help an “affluent white woman” instead.

“Her demeanour towards me was so rude, she made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me,” she said.

“She treated me with such disrespect.”

Liccalollipop/TikTok

Licca added that she contacted the store and they emailed her an apology. They said they may move the woman in question to another department but did not confirm it.

In response, a spokesperson from Nordstrom said on TikTok:

“We are so sorry to hear this was your experience. The behaviour described is unacceptable and we have no tolerance for discrimination of any kind.”

In a follow-up video, Licca responded to the apology and said it was “just words” and called it “inadequate”.

The apology from Nordstorm said: “[Redacted] alerted me to your recent experience in our store. Please know that I take this very seriously and sincerely apologise. I appreciate you bringing this to our attention as it has made me aware of an opportunity I have with [redacted] has allowed me to follow up with her and the Department Manager. Nordstrom expects salespeople to make our customers feel welcome and valued, if a salesperson has trouble achieving this, they may be moved into a position where they are not working directly with our customers.“

Liccalollipop/TikTok

Licca received messages of support from people who viewed her TikTok videos. One user commented: “Why are these brands all talk?”

Another said they were “never shopping at Nordstrom again”.

A third wrote: “Get it together or you’re going to lose a lot of customers.”

In a statement to indy100, a spokesperson from Nordstrom said: “We are sorry to hear our customer was disappointed in their experience at our Corte Madera store. We are committed to creating a welcoming and respectful environment for all of our customers and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We have addressed the misunderstanding with the employee and have used this experience as an opportunity to coach all our employees so they can consistently offer good service.”