The Customer Is Always A “Fat Bitch”

Never underestimate the power of a woman scorned, particularly one scorned while trying on dresses.  One woman’s experience has gone viral in the Land of Oz and is today dominating the mainstream media.

Keara O’Neil was shopping with friends for her hen’s night, when the group of women went into retail store, GASP Clothing. It all started off well, with Keara and Co trialling frocks and chatting to the helpful male sales assistant. But in true Pretty Woman style, when the assistant began to feel he wasn’t going to make a sale he became pushy and abusive. When Keara, who is a healthy size 12, said she was going to ‘have a think about’ a particular dress, he replied spitefully, “With your figure I really think you should buy it.” Understandably, Keara hurriedly got changed and left the store. As she left the sales assistant shouted after her, “I knew you girls were a joke the minute you walked in.”

This scenario is completely outrageous on its own, but alas, it gets worse. So enraged was Keara by the way she and her friends we treated, she decided to write a letter of complaint to the company’s customer service centre. The reply she received defies belief. Among other insults, the return letter read (I know it’s long, but please bear with it!):

• Our range is worn by A list celebrities to the likes of Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez and Katy Perry to name only a few. Now, as one might appreciate, the style counsel for these types of celebrities are not ones to pick “run of the mill” type clothing, and they do so on the basis to ensure that the styles are cutting edge, and only worn by a select few. Similarly these items are priced such that they remain inaccessible to the undesirable….Similar to our product offerings, our employees are selected with a similar approach. Chris whom served you is a qualified stylist whom has a sixth sense for fashion, and Chris’s only problem is that he is too good at what he does, and as I am sure you are aware, people whom are talented, generally do not tolerate having their time wasted, which is the reason you were provoked to leave the store….Chris is a retail superstar, who possess unparalleled ability, and I am sorry you feel upset by him, but he knew you were not going to buy anything before you even left your house….So if you would like to do us any favors, please do not waste our retail staff’s time, because as you have already seen, they will not tolerate it. I am sure there are plenty of shops that appease your taste, so I respectfully ask that you side step our store during future window shopping expeditions.

As the news of this gross exchange surfaced, more women came out of the woodwork and told of the abusive treatment they’d received at the hands of GASP’s “retail superstar,” Chris. Nahmi says Chris shouted at her and called her a “fat bitch” as she left the store without buying anything. Nahmi is a size 8.

He denies this, but in an internal memo GASP released to the media, Chris referred to Keara as “a f—– immature little fat b—-” and her friends as “they are just a couple of fat pigs from d–g,” so this kind of abusive language is not out of character for him.

Regardless of whether women are a size 8, size 12, size 16 or 26, there is no place or time for anyone to be calling them fat bitches, let alone a retail assistant trying viciously to make a sale. This revolting employee, and the so-called Customer Service Manager, should be fired and a public apology delivered to both women. It’s not a big ask, just one for a little respect.

Contact the author here: brianna@morningquickie.com