Abercrombie Bans Woman From Buying More Clothes
A store can never reject you. After all, what kind of business would reject a customer willing to fork over money? Well, apparently Abercrombie & Fitch is one of those businesses.
One California woman felt the sting of rejection after an Abercrombie shop ban meant that she could no longer shop at her favorite store online.
It's strange to think that you could get punished with a shop ban by exhibiting too much customer loyalty.
She wasn't banned entirely from shopping at the retailer. According to Abercrombie & Fitch, Kim Navarra was only banned from making online orders, though she could go to a physical store to shop, reports KGO-TV.
The rationale behind the ban is that the company suspected that she was reselling the clothes she was purchasing, according to KGO-TV. The retailer's policy declares that Abercrombie can cancel orders suspected of fraud.
Retailers are apparently afraid of customers reselling products, as counterfeit products can cost retailers billions of dollars a year.
Navarra, however, was not reselling the items. She legitimately loves Abercrombie's clothes, reports KGO-TV.
So, could something similar happen to you?
It could, especially if your past spending history at the store looks a little suspicious, like buying multiples of the same items, Golden Gate University Professor Kit Yarrow told KGO-TV.
And, it's not exactly illegal, unless the store is prohibiting you from purchasing products there for a prohibited reason, such as because of your religious affiliation or because of your race.
For its part, Abercrombie has reversed its decision on Navarra's case, as she can now shop at Abercrombie again after KGO-TV reported her plight. Now that Abercrombie's shop ban is reversed, she is allowed to shop at the store and online, according to KGO-TV. Most retailers, however, have similar shop bans in place - which could result in more customers being banned in the future.
Related Resources:
- Counterfeit (FindLaw)
- Abercrombie & Fitch & Employment Discrimination (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
- Abercrombie Sued for Religious Discrimination, Again (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)