This story kept getting funnier and funnier over the course of the weekend. It all started when Kelly Clarkson “drove all the way to Brooklyn” (her words) to check out a magic/puzzle boutique called Art of Play. I looked at the shop online – they have high-quality games, puzzles and hand-made items for kids and adults. Well, Kelly claimed that she went to Art of Play to “check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me. Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.” She name-checked Art of Play and wrote “if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman…For sure, check it out.”
Art of Play responded quickly by NOT apologizing for how Kelly was treated – they published a bunch of shady Instagram Stories of other people sending support, then Art of Play claimed that Kelly tried to buy one item which was not for sale, some kind of animatronic bird on display on the wall of the shop. Incidentally, at no point has Art of Play acknowledged that Kelly probably wanted to buy several items, and everything is now being centered on this bird which the shop claims is not for sale. The problem? There are photos of the $15,000 price tag beside the bird on display. Kelly ended up posting a photo of the price tag beside the bird with this clapback to Art of Play:
Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with 👍 so the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone “yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.” That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it ✅
And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things. I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business. It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception.
Your store is really cool.
Unfortunately, you aren’t.
[From Kelly Clarkson’s Twitter]
Proof! Receipts! Timeline! Screenshots!! Let me say something else – even if Kelly had been in the wrong (which she wasn’t), wouldn’t the smart-business move be something along the lines of a public apology from the shop and an invitation for Kelly to return to Art of Play with her kids? Like… the way Art of Play reacted makes zero sense. Why would you lie about Kelly Clarkson? Just apologize.
Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me. Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman. For sure, check it out 👎
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 10, 2026
Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with 👍 so the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone “yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.” That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it ✅
And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things. I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business. It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception.
Your store is really cool.
Unfortunately, you aren’t.— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 11, 2026
Art of Play responds again to Kelly Clarkson, says she spent 5 minutes in the store:
"We also offered to show her a different singing bird automaton… that she could have taken home with her that day. It costs about $2,000. She did not stick around long enough to see it. We’ve reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air. We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding."
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 12, 2026
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
-
- Kelly Clarkson kicked off the 2025 summer Citi concert series with a live performance on the ‘Today’ show. She performed hits and new songs at Rockefeller plaza Featuring: Kelly Clarkson Where: New York, Deer When: 06 May 2025 Credit: Jorge Estrellado/TheNews2/Cover Images
-
- New York, NY – Kelly Clarkson takes it to the streets of Manhattan while filming her next project in NYC. Pictured: Kelly Clarkson BACKGRID USA 24 AUGUST 2021 BYLINE MUST READ: T.JACKSON / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- New York, NY – Singer-Songwriter Kelly Clarkson dazzles in a vibrant orange and white long dress, brightening the scene with her smile in New York. Pictured: Kelly Clarkson BACKGRID USA 21 JUNE 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- New Jersey, NJ – Kelly Clarkson captivates the audience with a stunning performance at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City. Pictured: Kelly Clarkson BACKGRID USA 11 MAY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- New Jersey, NJ – Kelly Clarkson captivates the audience with a stunning performance at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City. Pictured: Kelly Clarkson BACKGRID USA 11 MAY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- New Jersey, NJ – Kelly Clarkson captivates the audience with a stunning performance at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City. Pictured: Kelly Clarkson BACKGRID USA 11 MAY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
-
- Citi Concert Series on Today Show at Rockefeller Center. Featuring: Kelly Clarkson Where: New York, New York, United States When: 22 Sep 2023 Credit: Roger Wong/INSTARimages
-
- Citi Concert Series on Today Show at Rockefeller Center. Featuring: Kelly Clarkson Where: New York, New York, United States When: 22 Sep 2023 Credit: Roger Wong/INSTARimages
So, is she just miffed that she wasn’t recognized as someone who has gobs of money? It doesn’t sound like they were ruse per se, although their clapback is kinda strange. Don’t think anyone is coming out of this looking that good.
I didn’t take this as her complaining that they didn’t know Who she was – but rather, assuming by looking at her that she either could or couldn’t afford something. On its face that’s rude. But as a sales person or business owner, it’s really stupid.
Oh, the shop bungled it, all right, but I think she’s overreacting just a bit. Who knows.
This happened to Oprah (of all people) in some fancy shop in Beverly Hills. They refused to let her see an expensive purse from behind the counter.
I get not recognizing Kelly, but Oprah?! In any case they shouldn’t have judged her by her appearance.
That was in Zurich, Switzerland 😊
Yeah, I think it’s more about *how* the information about the bird was conveyed by the salesperson. Not just them telling her it wasn’t for sale.
And frankly, I think the way the store first responded on IG kinda supports her version. If they treated her professionally when she was there, they wouldn’t have posted a shady response to her complaint that ends by quoting her song like that. But the snarky IG post suggests they were snarky to her irl.
In the end, I agree with the poster here who said there’s no need for either party to make a federal case out of it. I guess the fact that Ukraine took out the Russian bot farms meant there wasn’t much left to argue about on Twitter besides this. lol.
I have often been abused in stores, in emergency rooms, and in sundry situations because I am a fat old lady. I don’t want to waste my limited purchasing power on junk. Antique store owners treat me like a public menace. I am not a shoplifter and I never consider anything that is out of my budget: my motto is to pay cash and avoid credit entanglements.
So I know the frustrations of looking like. a bag lady while also dressing up for my job as a professor.
Clarkson is hardly a diva, and it is extraordinarily rude for someone to look you up and down and then dismiss you. She describes feeling like she was having a Pretty Woman moment. That scene is notorious for how the saleswomen tried to humiliate the Roberts character.
True, but the issue is the store and she have very different accounts of what happened and a lot of people who were not there have arbitrarily picked a side about a conflict they weren’t involved in.
Yeah she never goes off like this
I lived & worked in the Hamptons for many years. I cannot tell you the number of celebrities that passed through the various towns and would ‘demand’ being sold things that are not for sale. A friend of mine worked in an art gallery and was bullied by a celeb into selling a piece of art (she ballparked a price) which it turned out, belonged to the owner of the gallery, and she was fired.
MANY times, pieces are on display as decoration and not for sale. Also, a lot of times, establishments will put a huge price tag on something (thinking no one will ever want to buy it at that price or think it’s funny to put an astronomical price on a piece) and end up in a situation like this. I think Kelly did not like being told no and I think the store should have owned up to the fact that the piece had a price tag on it.
I think if you are an art gallery selling art, you shouldn’t put up a piece of art that isn’t for sale. That’s just stupid.
It’s also stupid to put up an object with a huge price tag and assume no one will by it.
Seriously, this is all just asking for trouble. If you don’t want to sell, don’t put it out.
$15k is not an “astronomical” price and the item clearly is for sale, given it’s listed in the online shop for $12k, where anyone can simply click to purchase it.
$12k on the website? What’s the extra $3k for for buying it in person? Putting up with a snotty salesperson? Shlepping out to Brooklyn?
Yeah, both Kelly and the store look like idiots. To use her celebrity to bring negativity to a small business is a pretty crappy thing to do, and for the store to not simply apologize for her experience is equally crappy. I’m not famous, but when I go to a place and feel as if I’ve been treated shabbily, I choose not to go back. No need to involve anyone else.
I’d be a lot more sympathetic to a small business if they weren’t charging astronomical prices – well certainly astronomical by my standards! This is a place that one presumes would cater to people exactly like Kelly Clarkson. And if it’s true that they judged the size of her bank account by her appearance and acted accordingly (and it definitely sounds like it) then small business or no, they suck and deserve to be called out.
It’s rude for a store clerk to *assume* you can’t afford something. They should just politely inform all customers of the price, as you would with anyone, and let the customer decide. It’s a shame that an independent shop has been put on blast but it’s shoddy behaviour and I think it’s right they got called out.
Absolutely this. And their lack of apology to me says they enjoy economically profiling people. Their target market is wealthy Brooklyn Heights parents and they have fun with less bougie customers by acting elite.
Most of the wealthy Brooklyn Heights parents look exactly, and I do mean EXACTLY, like Kelly. And their husbands especially the tech ones look like downcast shlubs.
I believe that. Haven’t been in awhile but that’s true in other tech hubs also. But there’s still the snobbery of trying to identify who is legit part of the scene and who isn’t.
Their type of snobbery wouldn’t be directed at someone like her. It’s not the 1980s, rich Brooklyn Heights moms aren’t walking around in pearls, pumps and hosiery. A dressed down, middle aged, uncool white woman is their exact vibe.
What they would look down on is something like, if they saw her kids watching an iPad, eating McDonalds, or god forbid sitting in a W position.
‘sitting in a W position’?? I need this explained.
I disagree that she was right to blast them. There is a ton of nuance in everyday interactions and lots of room for interpretation. But even if she was disrepected, she could speak to management and let them figure it out right there and then. She’s an adult with world experience. She has money and hopefully confidence and lots of privilege. She is not someone who cannot speak up in the moment. I am not a fan of social media to air out grievances when you have not attempted to have a conversation first.
Agree. What has social media done to us? This is how we choose to handle life’s petty grievances? She wasn’t denied food & shelter, she was denied the opportunity to buy something ridiculously expensive.
It sounds like it’s more complicated than the above – people have pointed out that the store has previous social media posts about the specific thing she wanted NOT being for sale. Maybe the store could have responded better but Kelly is not coming off great here either by making a federal case out of a fifteen thousand dollar bird toy.
Her point was they wrote a super shady reply saying it wasn’t for sale and she was informed it wasn’t for sale at all. Then she hit back with the receipts of a price tag and the conversation about it being for sale. Then they doubled down and changed their story yet again.
Art of Play is confused. If someone feels demeaned and disrespected in your store, you don’t argue that they were wrong to feel that way.
Unfortunately small business owners can feel embattled and they likely felt personally attacked.
All is not lost: they can go quiet online, reach out to Kelly’s team and repair this.
small business owner here. this is correct. it is common to try to assess if a person is in the market to purchase your product and take up your time but it is still rude and shabby. it is my mandate to treat everyone with equal respect (and it’s hard sometimes….genuinely we do get people who are just there to chat). that said NO CUSTOMER should leave any shop feeling less than when they walked in. c’mon. that’s a no brainer.
I’m surprised anyone thinks she comes off well in this. It seems really obvious that the $15,000 price tag was a jokey way of indicating that the bird was not for sale (as it was part of the shop decor). I’m sure I’m not the only person who has encountered joke price tags like that on things that are not for sale in quirky stores.
I go to a cafe that has a rotary phone mounted above the entry way door, with a quirky price tag on it. I’m 100% sure I would get some strange and dubious looks if I really adamantly told the baristas I wanted to pay the $$$ and buy that phone.
Kelly, I’m sorry you didn’t understand the price tag was a joke and then you got really offended a small business owner didn’t understand you are so much richer than others that you can drop a lot of people’s yearly income on a random animatronic bird on a whim?
I’m genuinely baffled why anyone is ready to get out the pitchforks for this.
She said the sales person said it WAS for sale.
Point missed.
I go to the cafe and tell them I want to purchase the rotary phone for the $246,000 price tag, is it for sale??
Barista: “Err I guess so but it’s $246,000? Do you want to order a drink or…”
I go on social media “ERMAGERHD I was so disrespected at the cafe, they think I’m one of those poors!!!!”
MTE, Lolo. And I rolled my eyes at her first tweet before they responded. No one comes off well here, but Kelly comes off especially badly to me.
But it’s not a joke. You can buy one of these birds (“the twin”) for $15k.
Which they offered her and it just made her mad.
Weird take. It had a price tag. The employee said “it cost $15k,” not “it’s a joke price tag.” The store comes off incredibly bad here. Plus, they’ve changed their story form “it’s not for sale.”
Yes, jokey exorbitant price tags are a thing. But in this particular case, I don’t think that’s what’s going on because in NYC, $15K just isn’t enough to come across as a joke. I mean, if you go to this store’s website and look under the “Luxury Gifts” section, there’s a wooden puzzle box toy on sale for $7500. And at the moment, it says there’s only 1 left, so clearly there are people willing to pay that much for what is essentially a glorified Rubik’s cube.
This wasn’t at a dollar store but a place that sells overpriced puzzles in the thousands of dollars. So it is not a joke price tag.
Plus the store owners are magicians who aren’t a mom and pop shop, as they have their own wiki entry outlining their successes.
Agree LoLo. If Kelly was upset by this she should have handled it quietly
How would that go exactly to handle it “quietly” in the middle of a store after being told flatly, It’s not for sale?
Was she supposed to whisper in a low voice, But I’m Kelly Clarkson and I have a valid credit card with me? Or, I want to speak with your manager and tell them that you are discriminating against me because I don’t look like I can afford this, but I promise I’ll complain about you quietly?
The bird toy (which is not a one of a kind, btw) is listed for sale in the online store; it’s very obviously actually for sale, not a “joke” price tag.
$15k is not expensive for that kind of shop in that area.
It’s an art shop, selling art, which could absolutely sell for $15K. Are you alright? This is not a “joke” price, especially in some parts of Brooklyn, when people drop that for a “cheap” bag. And others have posted that they have similar pieces listed online for the same price range.
The artist who created the bird sells it online for around $12,000. So a price tag for $15,000 wasn’t a ludicrous asking price. Either way, the store handled this very poorly.
There are so many polite ways to say, “I’m so sorry, this one isn’t for sale,” that i tend to believe Kelly. They were just being dicks. It’s just about respect.
She doesn’t have a history of airing her grievances online so clearly this behaviour exceeded the norm.
Besides their social media response to her complaint has been condescending as hell. It is only providing more weight to Kelly saying they were like the saleswomen in Pretty Woman.
@Nic919,
Ellen didn’t have a history of being mean until all of a sudden she did. A celebrities curated image is just that. A curated image. Sometimes it just shows itself when it shows itself. Personally I have no idea what’s true. As far as their response being condescending? What was hers? Using the “Big Mistake” reference to Pretty Woman? Yeah, that’s not condescending at all.
Having been on the receiving end of some store clerk’s “elevator eye” I appreciate Kelly calling them out. We’ve become so quick to give undeserved grace to rude people and Im over it.
And if Kelly Clarkston wants to buy a 15k bird, sell her the damn bird. Especially if you work on commission
You want a toy store clerk to sell a $15k sculpture that their boss has allegedly told them not to just so a rich celebrity doesn’t throw a tantrum online?
No, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. The employee didn’t say “my boss said I can’t sell it,” they outright said “it’s $15k,” which indicates the item is for sale. Plus, the store has changed its story.
@KS you seem *really* committed to defending this store. LOL
@Rai — NYC Dept. of Consumer Affairs would agree with you. If you are licensed as a retail store and you have put a price tag on an item, you are obligated to sell the item to someone with the desire and means to purchase it. To do otherwise is discrimination, and it makes no matter why the discrimination, whether gender, perceived economic status from quality of clothing, shoes or handbag, ethnicity, and so on. The whole “jokey price tags” thing is BS. I never heard such a thing, probably because it’s illegal.
I’ve never heard of or encountered the ‘joke price tag’ before, either. And even I know that $15k is a drop in the bucket in NYC (or Brooklyn).
It always makes me laugh when certain celebs pretend they’re trying to carry out an “existence of everyday normalcy” in NYC, yet at the same time, expect everyone to know and acknowledge how they are RICHER THAN YOU at all times.
Normal people living everyday life in NYC tend to do a lot to downplay whatever money they do have, because it can make you a target on the streets. All walks of life do this from people who truly do have money all the way down the scale to elementary school kids who don’t want to get knocked to the ground and get their shoes stolen.
Don’t pretend you want to be normal in NYC and then have a tantrum someone didn’t know you can splurge $15k on a random bird. Stay in the rich enclaves where everyone shows off being rich at all times.
ITA with all of this except that in Brooklyn you’re also being sized up for how hip you are. A minimum wage earning barista will size you up for fitting with her suburban expat crowd trying to prove how city they are. She’ll sell you a coffee but subtle side eye will tell you her thoughts.
Kelly could easily look like a mom from the island.
🤣 Honestly, who gives a sh*t what some random barista thinks of you?
@Beanbean – You’re better than coming to a thread to say “who cares?” The entire point of this thread is whether someone should care that a store clerk sized them up and found them lacking.
Being rude to inquiring customers … never, ever a good idea. Not ever.
I don’t think anyone is coming across well here. Like, how rude was the store clerk that Kelly felt the need to put the store on blast? And wasn’t it just one employee, not the entire business? At the same time they would have been wise not to clap back like that. Just say you’re sorry there was a misunderstanding and leave it at that.
Also idk. Kelly had a modest upbringing but she’s been famous, rich and successful for a really long time now. Longer than she was obscure. She doesn’t have to play this role.
I don’t think anyone looks good here… But the thing I’m hung up on is Kelly saying she “drove all the way to Brooklyn.” The store is right over the Brooklyn Bridge by Brooklyn Bridge Park! It’s hardly in deep Brooklyn. What a weird way to refer to coming to Brooklyn in 2026…
Def for dramatic effect but maybe she doesn’t live in Manhattan? Is it possible she was driving in from
Westchester or something?
Kelly Clarkson lives right by Central Park.
Driving in NYC is no joke!
I don’t automatically believe Kelly Clarkson on this one. I think both parties have some responsibility to take in this – and from the store’s second OG post – they told her the bird wasn’t for sale but there was an identical one that was for sale that was 15k. Apparently Kelly was only in the store for a few minutes and left when she couldn’t purchase the bird.
I also REALLY take issue with a celebrity with 8 million followers sending their fans after a small business. The power dynamics of that are icky.
Agree, there are many posts about the bird on their social media, it is clearly not for sale and part of the shop decor. They apparently have this whole monthly event where the bird plays a part in. I’m not going to automatically believe Kelly Clarkson her version of events over a store clerk. I do not like people who galvanize their social media followers into harassing a small business like this. Could have been resolved in a very different, and less abusing your power, way.
I’m intrigued by the class coded commentary. When is it ok to be disparaging & dismissive of a customer / coworker / community member? When they have more money than the person being rude? Does that justify it? Because — again — there are unlimited polite ways to be professional & accountable if something is not available, or on the market.
Never! I am really wondering how the store employee acted here because it doesn’t seem like Kelly would say something JUST because they told her something wasn’t for sale? If they were being incredibly rude and condescending, focus on that. And I can absolutely see that happening. I’m picturing that old SNL sketch about “Geoffrey’s” and the impossibly snide sales staff. And I am kind of laughing.
I find the way they have responded to this has only confirmed what Kelly posted. As a retailer getting into an argument and trying to prove yourself right is just bad business. Especially when the bird had a price tag next to it.
That’s where I land. I’ve been to plenty of small stores where certain items displayed are clearly marked “not for sale” sometimes they are fixtures, or a display sample of something you can order or the owner’s personal decor or have been put on hold because a regular customer is considering buying it. All legit reasons to have something in a retail shop that’s not for sale to someone just walking in.
But that wasn’t what happened here – the shop had the item on display … with a price tag (and it is apparently listed for sale on the store’s web site) The clerk wouldn’t sell it to her when she asked, didn’t offer any of the above reasons why it wasn’t available for sale AND responded to her online complaint with shade and a shifting story.
The store should have just apologized that the clerk handled it poorly.
(And I believe in supporting small businesses in general, but also support calling out small businesses who treat customers with disrespect , including lying or visually profiling who you deem worthy of buying your wares.)
I have always been a fan of hers but I think this is so wrong for her to use her platform to hurt a small business because she was told no. I think their response was fine.
I agree. This feels like punching down to me. She could have handled this with management directly, no need to drop the napalm on a small business. There’s better way to use your public platform than to voice outrage that you were not treated as the A-lister that you are, or think you are. Really, getting into a fist fight with a small shop, was that necessary ? 🙄
I also agree.
Even if these guys were jerky, turning her huge audience on them seems a bit like overkill.
The small business is run by two magicians who have made millions already.
Kelly isn’t attacking the local bodega here.
I have no problem with her calling them out, small business or not.
I don’t think it’s about being told no. I think it’s about being treated respectfully.
Someone on the socials (Threads, maybe) pointed out that the owners are all men, so the response — not taking blame and shifting it back onto her, only for her to prove a price tag, and then some more shade from the store is classic man-lighting.
Kelly also has the rep of being one of the nicer ones in her world and Hollywood, so not sure who the sales associate is, but if I was one of the owners I would have just basically did an apology, saying there were mixed signals.
And yes, to all of the above about rude customers demanding things. I have done retail. But, as a sales associate and the owner has onboarded you correctly, in situations like this, you say you are going to call the owner to see what you can do.
Nohope, agreed. I remember Led Zeppelin’s drummer, John Bonham, chiding a luxury car store for not thinking he could afford a super-expensive car. Of course he could. Also, Kelly might be reacting to the snobbism that she doesn’t “look” like a rich person. So if she looked like Kaia Gerber, it may have gone another way. I get that. She felt demeaned and they should have apologized and invited her back with her kids. But it should end right now.
This reminds me of a time I was in Crate & Barrel to purchase a dining set. The set I had my eye on was pricey, and I loved it, and I was ready to purchase. But the salesperson elevator-eyed me and suggested that the “less elegant” option, a rustic, cheaper table, would be better suited for me. It doesn’t even matter what I was wearing or what I look like. No salesperson should ever behave this way.
I absolutely believe that a casually-dressed woman would be mistreated in a store. This shop Kelly visited can’t even own up and be professionally courteous in front of the world; how much worse must their private in-store behavior have been.
The salesperson let you dodge a bullet. West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Crate and Barrel get terrible consumer reviews for their merchandise quality. It looks good but it doesn’t last.
Just sounds like a pretentious store in Brooklyn that thinks it’s doing customers a favour just by being in business. I’m surprised they’re still in business, however, if that’s how they treat customers.
Didn’t the store post that they would have to sell a bird from the artist directly and that one was $15K. This happens in art galleries where they have displays of pieces that are not actually for sale in that moment but they can facilitate a sale of a comparable piece via the artist directly. It sounds to me like Kelly got herself in a defensive mode after perhaps feeling slighted by a tone stormed off without all the information and has now attacked a small business, she looks like a fool and the store also should perhaps do some customer service training . Either way its an unnecessary mess.
This particular area in Brooklyn is known for having extremely pretentious stores (Audrey Gelman, disgraced “girlboss” who was outed as racist and classist comes to mind with her insufferable cottagecore shop). The store could have just said “Hey, we’re really sorry and want everyone to feel welcome. Come check out our latest [toy/puzzle] if you’re looking for some Halloween magic!” But they doubled down. Does that mean Kelly should have responded? No, but I get where she’s coming from. When I was younger and looked like I couldn’t afford things I’d walk into an Anthropologie and the staff would follow me around like I was going to steal things, then my mother would come up next to me (she would treat me to shopping sprees there for my birthday) and suddenly they were begging to start a dressing room for me. I know how it feels to be judged in elitist places, and it pisses you off. I doubt she walked in declaring who she was and expecting to be waited on hand and foot.
Given how near comically pretentious and insufferable a lot of shops and their salespeople are in Brooklyn are, and her reputation as a decent human, I believed immediately she was telling the truth.
That’s true and I had kind of forgotten lol. I don’t live there but my daughter and sister do. Neither frequents those places but still, they’re there. And it really can be ridiculous.
Also, it is quite a drive from Manhattan to Brooklyn due to the insane traffic. It’s easier to hop on the subway, but I could see major security concerns there. Again, not saying this had to become such a big deal, but Kelly does have a point there.
I’m tucking away “elevator eyed me” for a rainy day. Thank you Kelly.
Same. Heaven knows, I’ve experienced it.
As a Kelly Clarkson fan who recorded her show daily, I probably know too much about her. As someone said above she comes from very humble beginnings, referred to herself as growing up very poor with a single mom(her parents divorced when she was six). She’s also mentioned she hates makeup and on her days off she never wears it and just throws her hair up in a ponytail. She also has a subtle southern accent. She probably “looked” like a tourist who took her window shopping inside. My friend down the hall from me and I frequently go out for lunch. While we’ve never had a Pretty Woman moment, I’m sure server’s look at us and think we’re just seniors on a fixed income and won’t tip much. My friend’s husband left her very well off and he always stressed the importance of tipping well. I waitressed my way through college and tip everyone extremely well – the guy who pumps my gas or the one who brings my cases of wine to my car and of course servers. People are always shocked at how much we tip and thank us profusely. They also kiss our asses the next time we come in – which I’ll be honest isn’t the point of doing it but I really like it! Back to Kelly, she probably felt like that poor girl being judged by how she looked and those old insecurities popped up subconsciously. She didn’t say Don’t you know who I am? She wasn’t happy she couldn’t buy something with a price tag on it that she clearly can afford and didn’t stay long. Did she have to blast them? Probably not, but it’s not like her to do it, and the fact that they clapped back at her after knowing who she is wasn’t a good look either. Still Team Kelly on this one.
I just looked at that website and there is nothing on it that screams high end. Pretty much anyone who walked into that store would have no problem with affording what they have to offer. I don’t get it.
They sound like they are not great with customers and that they unfortunately tried it with a celeb with 8 million followers. Heck, I am happy when Black women air out stores for this crap, so not going to decry Kelly for coming for them.
8 million she has 35 million followers…
sorry my bad I thought I read she had 35 million it’s 8
I have one question. Did she try to resolve it with the store owner(s) or someone with decision making power at the store? If she didn’t, and jumped straight to social media to vent…..that’s my only issue. It’s why I hate social media; people don’t even try to resolve things……it’s just I’m going to use my platform to put XYZ on blast.
I’ve actually been to the store and nothing about it is high end or exclusive, lol. Some of their things are ridiculously over priced but that’s par for the course these days.
Exactly, everything about this entire story should have been an email.
I don’t live in Brooklyn, but the store is in Brooklyn Heights an expensive area. It’s not just some magic/toy store. They also have a small theatre for shows. Sells out quickly at an average of $175-$200 a ticket.
I will say, Kelly just showed up she didn’t have her team call ahead to set up a private appointment. I have seen a lot of celebrities walking down NYC. A lot of them looks so average without their glam teams making them look like a star. I can see why they didn’t recognize her. And she didn’t play the don’t you know who I am card.
Some of these salespeople are so obnoxious and look down on people all the time. I was treated like I didn’t exist in a Lululemon store when I asked a question since I am not a size zero and over 30.
What I want to know if the store is so innocent why not release the security video. My guess they won’t because Kelly is telling the truth.
Its about treating everyone the same respect when in a store asking about a purchase. Regardless if you are an average Jane or multimillionaire recording artist.