New York Lululemon customer tries to exchange pants she bought in Louisiana. She wasn’t expecting worker’s response: ‘He definitely think it’s stolen’
A customer went inside a Lululemon store to exchange some leggings she purchased in Louisiana. Then, the store’s employees refused to process the exchange, telling her, “ We can’t do an exchange for this one.”
In a video with over 581,000 views, @bebelewiz exposed her recent experience inside a Lululemon. Despite bringing a receipt with her, store associates continually told her they could not make a return.
Many commenters wondered whether @bebelewiz’s encounter with store employees was racially motivated, especially considering how employees discussed her return in person. In subsequent follow-ups, employees also allegedly commented on her post, adding more fuel to the fire.
What exactly happened in Lululemon?
@bebelewiz went inside the American Dream mall to return some Lululemon leggings she purchased “a few days prior.” She had just wanted to exchange the extra-small leggings she purchased for small ones.
On her receipt, she saw that Lululemon stores accept returns countrywide. When she got in-store, however, the employee let her know that they didn’t want to make the exchange. The associate told her she would have to return it with “the person she bought it from in Louisiana.”
The situation continued escalating, with more employees coming out to explain that they wouldn’t be processing the exchange for her. Store employees eventually told her that she was not allowed to record the encounter and asked her to leave the property.
@bebelewiz later posted the situation online. But many commenters simply claimed she had created a “fake receipt” to return stolen leggings.
@bebelewiz later clarified in a comment on her follow-up post, “The comments about it being a fake receipt or fake products are insane and only furthermore proves my point of being profiled as a black woman that simply wanted to SHOP. Not looking for sympathy, just raising awareness to show the conduct of the employees and the fact that they feel comfortable lying about policies because of their own emotions, not the company policies.”
Store employees also apparently commented on her follow-up post. An employee with the TikTok handle @lexitorres996 wrote, “I love how you don’t record the entire reaction. Like for example you snatching the receipt out of his hand but you wanna record when you decided to be calm.”
Did the store employee think her pants were stolen?
Based on some of the employees’ language in-store, it’s possible that they thought the leggings were stolen. Lululemon generally does allow customers to return items purchased in-store at any location across the U.S., but returns are made on a case-by-case basis. Stores have the right to refuse returns according to their online policies.
Commenters urged @bebelewiz to take the issue further, saying, “He definitely thinks it’s stolen; ‘the person you bought it from in Louisiana’ vs the store you bought it from is extremely telling! Definitely take this up with the corporate and file a written complaint including his name and the other employee.”
To many, it was a profiling incident rather than a chance exchange. “He thinks it was stolen,” said another viewer. “They need to stop profiling people.”
Does Lululemon have a problem with People of Color (POC)?
Many commenters also discussed the idea that Lululemon is not supportive of People of Color (POC). Multiple viewers added their thoughts in, saying that the company actively engages in bad rhetoric toward POC.
“Lululemon has made it clear time after time after time that their company isn’t meant for people that look like us,” said one POC commenter.
Another commenter referenced an interview that Lululemon founder Chip Wilson did with Forbes while criticizing the company. In the interview, the founder criticized the company’s DEI efforts. To a degree, the commenter’s understanding of the situation is true. But the commenter misattributed something Wilson stated during said interview. The former CEO claimed that men in Lululemon ads looked “sickly,” not that DEI efforts were. Wilson had a number of other complaints, including the company’s recent ventures into men’s apparel.
Lululemon apparently distanced itself from Wilson’s comments, saying that they did not reflect the current company. “Chip Wilson does not speak for Lululemon, and his comments do not reflect our company views or beliefs. Chip has not been involved with the company since his resignation from the board in 2015 and we are a very different company today,” a Lululemon spokesperson said to Forbes via email.
But, POC have felt unwelcome, with many people’s personal experiences echoing that of @bebelewiz.
@bebelewiz @lululemon ♬ original sound – BeBe
Many people take Lululemon’s side, despite the store’s return policies
Despite some support from commenters, many people thought that Lululemon was in the right.
As one person said, “You bought the clothes in Louisiana. They do not sell those products in that store so they will not return it. He works there for far less than listening to you yell at him. He doesn’t make the policies, he just follows the rules.”
Others criticized the fact that @beblewiz continued recording the employees without their permission. The situation’s generated some controversy and back-and-forth, with viewers ultimately divided on how they approach the situation.
We’ve reached out to @bebelewiz and Lululemon for comment.
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