‘So Abrasive’: Floral Shop Owner Responds After White Florist Refuses to Service Black Customer In Viral Video
The situation couldn’t be more innocuous: A young Black man made an online purchase from a Dallas florist and stopped by the shop to pick up his flowers. But what happened next has prompted many to wonder if there’s ever an interaction where race or bias doesn’t come into play. Brian, who goes by Chrome Slug on Instagram, filmed an exasperating ten-minute conversation with a white female employee, who refused to look up his order, assuming he was a delivery driver. Later, she refused to refund him. Rude white florist assumes Black customer is delivery driver. (Photo: Instagram/chromeslug) On Oct. 18, he wrote in the caption, “I never presented myself as a delivery driver. When she walked in, I showed her the invoice for the flowers I ordered, and she immediately told me that she couldn’t help me without even looking for my order.” ‘I Hope It Knocked Some Sense Into Her’: Woman Accused of Fleeing Hit-and-Run Scene After Mocking Victims Gets a Dose of Karma She Never Saw Coming The viral video has amassed 670,000 views, and people are expressing shock in the comments section. Rude customer service is nothing new, but this interaction seemed steeped in racial profiling, and people are clearly fed up with inequitable customer service. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @chromeslug In 2022, Harvard Business School published a series of studies about interactions with service workers—in this case, hotel concierge workers. The results showed that Black customers received less information and slower responses than white or Asian customers. The study also noted disparities in courtesy and politeness. So it’s perhaps no surprise that Brian’s video has struck a chord with so many. One comment that had nearly 3,000 likes read, “Assuming everyone who has brown skin is a f--king Uber driver is twisted.” “She’s talking to him as if he can’t understand her,” said a second person. “Another CLEAR indicator of bias. Her tone is so abrasive. Not to mention her facial expression and body language.” Another wrote, “Imagine if you had to deal with a death in the family and ordering flowers from here!!” Even after the woman realized Brian was a customer, her attitude changed from annoyance to astonishment. At one point, she even appeared frozen in a stare-down, prompting Brian to joke that “she might’ve gotten stuck.” Some of the responses were mixed, however, with commenters urging Brian to “speak up,” “stop muttering,” and “match her energy.” The flower shop also chimed in with an apology, claiming they greet Uber and DoorDash drivers daily, and it was simply a “misunderstanding.” “We’re new to Dallas and still learning every day, but I want to make it clear that everyone is welcome in our shop always,” wrote a co-owner of Flowers by Coley. “I’m grateful this was brought to my attention so we can do better moving forward.” Brian tried to assure the hundreds of outraged viewers that he and the florist, “are working on a solution together as we speak,” but he couldn’t stem the tide of angry comments. As one put it, “No misunderstanding or miscommunication justifies or excuses the behavior and tone of this employee.”
