The surge of podcasts through the wide sea of internet content means that, in this day and age, people know more celebrity lore than they ever have at any point in history. Savannah James — LeBron’s wife — stopped by the Question Everything podcast, where the conversation naturally flowed into a discussion about an unfortunate trip to Hermès that ended with them being refused service. The situation apparently ended with the saleswoman being fired.
Savannah, 39, was explaining how the ordeal unfolded to host Danielle Robay alongside her friend April McDaniel. The two shared that one way they spend their holidays is by going on vacation in Europe and booking appointments at luxury designer stores in these major fashion centers.
However, one time when they did the same and arrived at a Hermès store, they found staff who were hostile toward them. McDaniel alleged, “They treated us like sh*t.” Savannah agreed. Robay then pressed the two for more information about exactly what happened because she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
The store got them champagne
McDaniel explained that they had an appointment to come to the store at a specific time, but when they showed up, a saleswoman turned them away. McDaniel then said, “I said, we’ll be back for you. I’ll be right back.” She added that unlike Savannah, she doesn’t mind getting into a confrontation before saying, “I said baby you caught the wrong one today.”
McDaniel was seemingly led to believe that the store ended up firing the saleswoman over the situation. The two were not fazed by the incident either and went right back to the store. Robay then asked how the store remedied the situation. McDaniel responded, “We was in the private room with champagne and caviar, I said how many bags you got? Ten?”
The two were pretty happy that the store brought out all their products, including bathing suits. “They brought out everything,” Savannah added. “I’m buying silverware.” McDaniel added, “I was living my best life.”
The pair of friends apparently had a similar experience at a Chanel store in France, where a salesperson told Savannah that she wasn’t allowed to touch the bags. Whenever these scenarios happen, Black people always end up sharing about how they’re treated in luxury stores as well. So when one of the most influential celebrities says that it happens to her too, people felt vindicated and expressed the same sentiment in the comments of the post.
Some were surprised they still spent at the store
However, in the comment section, many users were confused and surprised that they still spent their money at the store. One user suggested that it’s more about respect, writing, “Would’ve drunk all the champagne, ate all the caviar and not spent one dollar. Respect is non-negotiable.”
Another user added, “They really didn’t prove a point cause they got yall money ….. I woulda made a big deal but never bought a thing.”
One user acknowledged that their preference for mom-and-pop stores that are nondiscriminatory might just be a personal opinion. They wrote, “My question remains why shop at a store where you are not wanted. I would rather shop at a mom and pop pop store and advertise their product rather than Channel who constantly disrespect us as a culture. Then again that’s me.”
