A vintage clothing store in Georgia has come under fire after introducing an appointment fee that only white customers are required to pay.
Before being blasted on social media and accused of ‘racism’, a vintage boutique known as Civvies on Broughton vowed to charge white customers a $20 appointment fee while waiving the fee for “black people, indigenous people, and people of color (BIPOC).”
After the Savannah-based boutique had made the controversial announcement on social media, users were quick to blast it and call out the management for discrimination against white people.
In their original post, which has since been deleted, the store management wrote:
“We require a $20 refundable deposit to book an appointment.
“Black people, indigenous people, and people of color (BIPOC) are exempt from putting down a deposit.
“Why? As a mostly white staff with white ownership we do not feel comfortable upholding a digital and financial barrier which could prohibit BIPOC from shopping at our store at this time on top of the limitations already made by online booking.”
The post also went on to suggest that white people who can’t pay the reservation fee may opt to refuse payment and discuss other options with their booking manager. However, the boutique also warned it would not serve white people who refuse to pay the fee because they think it is unethical.
“If you are white and refuse to put down a deposit because you believe our policy is unethical you will not be accepted for an appointment,” the post concluded.
Following their discriminatory announcement, the boutique has been facing a backlash with people accusing the management of racism.
Just one day after their original post angered people on Facebook, the boutique came up with an apology.
“It was not our intention to act in any way that might be perceived as discriminatory and for that we apologize,” Civvies on Broughton owners wrote in a statement.
The boutique has since deleted all of their posts related to the controversial appointment fee.
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Replaced!