I first saw these quotes over on The Daily Mail, and I thought that Reese Witherspoon was responding in a roundabout way to the terrible treatment that Gabourey Sidibe had at a Chanel boutique recently, which Chanel half-apologized for without really acknowledging the problem. (As many of you pointed out to me, thanks!) Reese of course has her Draper James line, which is like a Southern slightly more expensive Kate Spade, and they have three boutiques. Apparently these quotes are slightly older though, as People ran them and pointed out that Reese said this to them last year. They’re celebrating the fact that Draper James is now available at Nordstrom. It’s still worth talking about though, because I think she has a good point about customer service. Plus there’s a huge difference in southern hospitality, which can be fake and cloying but is still very welcoming.
“When you’re on movies, you’re talking to writers and directors trying to shape the story and characters. In Draper James meetings, we try to connect a story to a product,” she told PeopleStyle last year of how she crafts her pieces, including staples like tees that say “What Would Dolly Do?.” “We create things that remind us of our southern upbringings and want everything we put out there to bring you joy and be something you’ll have forever.”
Her tip for finding something you love? Be yourself. “For me, fashion doesn’t have to be serious,” she said. “It doesn’t have to make you feel bad. People don’t have to be snotty and rude when you go into a store. There are a lot of places in this world where people feel like they don’t belong. I want people to feel like they belong.”
I am a Yankee who lives in the south and I can confirm that people are super nice here – to your face. They will regularly be nice in your presence and then talk about you behind your back, which I’m fine with actually. I am somewhat skilled in the art of gossip and I know how to use it to my advantage. Getting back to the customer service angle, there’s something really comforting about being smiled at, greeted and asked how you’re doing, even if it’s just a formality. When I visit relatives up north I do miss how friendly everyone is here and find myself being more “nice” than most of the people there. Also, now that I’m accustomed to this type of service I don’t want to give my business to stores where the people aren’t welcoming. I’m not much of a label follower and I do a lot of shopping online though.
Reese has really adopted a southern person to shill her brand, right y’all?
photos credit: WENN, PRPhotos and Instagram/Reese Witherspoon
The irony of this coming from Reese ‘do you know who I am’ Witherspoon.
Yup +1
I thought the same thing
I’m not defending her behavior (it was really sh*tty), but that was a totally different situation. Plus she apologized, publicly and to the officers. Water under the bridge.
Jeez, can’t people move on and grow from past mistakes and misdeeds?
The drunk incident happened recently, not when she was 18. When a celebrity is selling a brand and looking to be wholesome, past deeds aren’t easily forgotten.
No, she showed her true colors. Like Astrid said, she did this recently as a grown ass woman. When people show you who they are, believe them.
Lol pshhhhh she was drunk, not naked and shooting crack. Wholesome and alcohol are not mutually exclusive. I know white Americans stemmed from puritans but really…
@Lex I’m pretty sure it was her rudeness and sense of entitlement that bothered people, not the actual fact that she was drunk. Her brand is based on southern hospitality. So, it’s not unreasonable to bring up her own behavior.
I actually like Reese, but I get where her critics are coming from.
@Goldie: spot on, her (drunk) behaviour showed her underlying sense of entitlement.
@Lex: in case your stereotyped comment was directed at me – I’m not a white American.
I agree with you Kat. She had one incident (five years ago) in twenty plus years in the public eye. All the “she showed her true colors” bullshit is just that. One moment is your true colors? Really? Not one of the Reese haters here have ever made one single huge mistake? Sure jan.
Whatever. Some people will like her, some will hate her and nothing will change their minds.
I thought it was kind of common knowledge that she was a Hollywood mean girl (?)
No (?)
I once attended a party with Reese and several of the Hollywood “mean girls”- Nicole Richie, Rachel Zoe, Gwyneth, Drew B, Cameron D, etc. Everyone was VERY NICE, and polite, and most seemed to have warm and genuine friendships amongst themselves. But I totally noticed that Reese did that immediate quick eye flick up and down every person she said hi to, checking them out, sizing them up, making mental comparisons. It was noticeable. Is that what is meant by “southern hospitality”… sugary cutie-pie sweetness, and a bitchy once-over, all at once?
Thought the same thing!!
Clare – my thoughts exactly!
+everything. First thing I thought about was how she and her bodyguard cleared a public bathroom of other human beings so she could use it alone at TIFF a few years back. She embraces VIP culture.
Oh, please. I wish I could do that in every public bathroom I use.
+(whatever number we’re at now)
Really, Reese’s offense was horrible, as it had to do with her drunk driving husband. Abusing a cop who is trying to keep the rest of us safe- no excuses. She’s an a-hole and I won’t watch anything she in involved with.
There seems to be a long list of actors and directors that Celebitchy posters boycott. Roman Polanski I can understand, but Reese? For one stupid drunken incident? Really?
Yes, when you are abusive to a police officer as he attempts to test and arrest your driving drunk a$$ husband. She was an adult woman when she did this, a mother. Why don’t you believe people when they show you who they are?
Oh, c’mon, how many of us have been an ahole when drunk? I know i have. I don’t believe that whole theory that when you are drunk, you show your true self. I’ve mixed alcohol before and done some crazy stuff
Oh, ok. So my ex-student who killed someone when drunk is A-OK in your book, cause, hey- he was drunk!!! And he was only 25, not in his 30s and a parent like Reese, so he really shouldn’t be responsible for his actions.
Why not believe her when she showed us all who she is?
Hahah yup!
I would doubt a blonde Southern lady isn’t a cliche rude shop girl. Come. ON. However, rude shop girls are the reason I shop online. F them.
Blonde Southern lady here…we’re actually all sickeningly sweet to the shop people, because again, we’re full of hospitality until you’re out of earshot.
High end botique snotiness is annoying, but so is the fake smiling you find in some stores.
It seems to be an American thing, because people in stores and restaurants depend on tips and in Europe they don’t. I prefer the more sincere, colder approach. Be polite, but there is no point in pretending you’re delighted with your job or my presence.
I actually prefer online shopping so I can avoid human contact altogether…. I’m a working woman with very little time to shop and I am genuinely annoyed when someone wants to chat when I’m in that rare zone, shopping on my own! I guess it’s a class thing. If I was a woman of means whose husband paid for everything and all I had was time and money to shop all day, I suppose I’d be more geared to conversation.
So true. I just had to go to a mall with my daughter, looking for her graduation dress– She’s tall so she has to try dresses on. I hated every minute of it and remembered why I love online shopping–you can shop day or night, no salespeople, no crowds, you can get exactly the color and size you want.
Ghost—Ahahaha, yeah. Actually, there’s a recent Atlantic article about Americans and our perpetual pasted-on smiles (and the header image IS REESE). I guess sociologists/anthropologists (?) have determined that the more diverse a nation’s population, the “smilier” the population becomes—because we rely on nonverbal communication more than homogenous populations do. (source: http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/why-americans-smile-so-much/524967/)
God how I hate the tipping custom. Somehow in other countries everything works just fine without tipping, and restaurants are not more expensive either.
Working in the same category I must say a smile doesn’t costs much and can change your and your customers day.So I try to be nice and I have discovered that kindness is also one of the best weapons against ignorance and rudeness.
Honestly, Germany is the worst when it comes to customer service and ever since I experienced service in the US, I’m not having it. You’re rude, I leave. I don’t care if people are only friendly to my face, I’m not looking for a husband or new bff here, I want a nice shopping experience. You can call me names after I leave, I don’t care. That doesn’t really happen here though, people are just rude to your face.
It’s a more of a cultural thing than personal rudeness.
same here, customer service in the US is a absolutely fab. In my country shop assistants often act like they own the place and consider customers a nuisance. My strategy in such cases is to be extra friendly and ask extra many questions and be extra annoying. Fun. 🙂
Depends on the store. I think you can’t say that for all of germany. Yes, we have restaurant owners and waiters who think it is the most awesome strategy to not even say hello to you. Same goes for shops. But we also have oh so many sincerely happy and friendly people who will go out of their way to make your shopping experience a beautiful one. That mostly happens in smaller stores and bakerys though. Cannot remember the last time anyone working in a big store had anything helpful to contribute to my shopping efforts.
I regularly shop at local karstadt and breuninger
They are mostly helpful and genuine.
But at some other states I have seen really unhelpful and rude people in same Karstadt.
It depends on the region and the cultural behavior there
In general though customer service for grievances etc r very long ans tedious process here.
I go by my overall shopping experience and of course not everyone is rude. But a) big stores/chains don’t often employ trained sales people here (except when they belong to a certain brand), they employ students and/or part-time sales assistants and b) I can’t even count anymore how many times I’ve had a hard time even finding someone who will say anything but “Well, if it’s not on the rack …”
Yes, there is a difference between those and the smaller stores/boutiques, especially when the owner is in. That is usually a whole different experience.
But living in a big city and stopping in big stores can be a nightmare. There are certain brands who go the extra mile but it’s never something you can count on. Ever. Long live internet shopping.
Canadian here, with major expectations of politeness from people, and I have to say in all the time I’ve spent in Germany (top to bottom, west to east), I haven’t noticed German customer service to be markedly rude or indifferent, not in the least. I get tons of smiles whether I open my mouth and speak “auslander” German or say nothing and blend in. Mind you, I also find from much experience that the Parisian stereotype also doesn’t hold up.
To be honest (since we’re stereotyping), the only place I *really* noticed a pattern was in Czechia, where it was super harsh. But then, if I lived in Prague, I’d be a flaming hater of all things tourist, too.
I thought the salespeople in Paris last summer were lovely! And we barely speak any French!
This is true in my country too, people are just overtly rude at many shops, so ever since I’ve been in the U.S., I have immensely enjoyed the overall friendliness (real or false) of salespeople. Still, I prefer online shopping to the real thing, as I’m both busy and shy, and usually like to get clothes w/out the tense climate of shopping at all. But when I do venture out, it’s nice to have people who work in the stores be so (apparently) kind. If it’s just fake kindness, I don’t especially care; I’m not shopping for friends, either, I’m just hoping to have a pleasant and brief experience!
I’ve only ever been to New York, so my experience of American customer service is limited, but I found it so fake when I was there. My sister was so annoyed by how fake it was, that she gave the biggest tip to the really grumpy waitress who served us breakfast one morning because she was the only one who was genuine.
I waitressed for years, put myself through college waitressing, and I actually loved it and loved taking care of people. Why assume everyone is phony?
The fake smiles and ” how are you / what are you up to today? ” have become out of hand. No, I don’t need to have a full on conversation with my Barista at Starbucks just take my order and I know the cashier at Whole Foods really doesn’t give a crap about what I am doing the rest of the day. Just ring up my stuff and let me be on my way,
It’s ok to just do your job and me to shop with out all these fake smiles, fake convo’s. Do people really buy more because a stranger says Hi and smiles big and toothy at Nordstrom ? I buy what I buy no matter what.
Of course I am not saying you have to be down right rude, not at all but I am tired of all these “nice” salespeople and actually it makes me shop online even more.
I agree it’s gotten out of hand. I recently stayed at a hotel and the manager and check in staff asked me so many questions about why I was staying there it got uncomfortable for me. Like they literally wouldn’t take “I’m here on business” as an answer. I didn’t snap because they were just trying to be nice but it was really weird and invasive. I’m exhausted, just give me my key! Lol
Wow, see I’m the opposite. If I go in a place and they are not friendly, I probably won’t go in there again. I don’t want in your face, a million questions, but a hello and a can I help you find something would make me spend more.
exactly snowflake.
maybe is just the way I was raised but i don’t see anything fake in being polite and also it’s just part of your work .I never approach clents if they don’t first, but a smile and help if request is part of your job.If you don’t like it choose a job with less cotact with people, easy.
I’m like you. The placated grin displaying the full piano teeth and acting like I’m the second coming is a total turn off. I’m a polite customer and I just expect a polite, pro sales person, not an ultra peppy fake robot.
I only shop in small stores (no chains, no big brands) where the manager or owner is actually there. They can tell me the dress I tried on doesn’t fit me, the color is off… That way, when they say I look good , I know they’re sincere. The constant “Wow, you look so gooooood in that”, when I know I don’t , irks me to no end and doesn’t make me buy anything.
Same for my sport purchases. I do a lot of running/trail, buy different kind of shoes, depending on the type of race. I’m used to a very pro saleswoman, who takes her time to pick different shoes and provides useful advice. I always thank her, gives her feedback after my races or training. All of that doesn’t require hyperboles or exclamation point after.every.word.
I dont get why people get grumpy at pleasant service? Really? Who cares if it’s fake? If I am giving your business my hard earned money, you had better be polite to me or I leave. It is the minimum I expect – polite good manners.
I worked in retail for years until I got my degree and I always made an effort to be friendly and give people a good experience. It’s not the most fun job, but when I made the effort to be nice, customers were in turn nice to me and helped me to lighten up my mood. If you’re rude and cold, that’s what people will give you in return.
Very true. My teenage daughter works at Subway and I can’t believe how rude people are to young kids. I always try to be nice unless they give me good reason not to be.
This 100%. It’s super rare for me as a customer to encounter a rude asshole service person, whether here in Canada, the US, or Europe.
I travel by bus a lot, some drivers are so friendly and helpful, others are miserable bas@tards who shouldn’t be in a job where you have to deal with customers. The customers the drivers are dealing with are the same people, and yes I agree some can be awkward. But there are still too many staff who should find a career where they don’t have to interact with people, given they find it so obviously unpleasant.
“People don’t have to be snotty when you walk into a store”, what does she mean? Store EMPLOYEES? As those who should welcome you and do their best in order to at least give you a good experience so even if you don’t buy something, you will come back?
I was a very polite costumer to the point that I said nothing when a salesperson said something mean to me. I am still a polite costumer, but after my latest experience when there was a problem with my pin code when I was paying, and I said my pin code doesn’t work and the sales person rolled her eyes and told me super-dismissively that she doesn’t know my pin code, I decided to change my attitude and call them rude to their face, politely, but assertively.
I don’t need salespersons to go out of their way to please me or suck up to me. They are there to sell and I am there to BUY a product. They should be professional. The only thing I have to do myself is not to wait to buy something until the last minute, so I can go to another store if they don’t treat me well. Because you know, there is competition, and store owners and salespersons should know that.
Malcolm Gladwell talks about this in Blink. At the time I read it Paris Hilton et al were in every magazine looking like they bought their cloths and trucker hats at the mall when really they cost so, so ridiculously much. You just can’t tell and should treat every customer the same. (sidenote: I am so beyond relieved to not be in any sort of customer service now. People can be just all together too much some times.)
I should clarify that by ‘this’ I meant judging someone’s ability to buy based on looks.
I really don’t get the southern/northern complaints. I grew up in the northeast, lived in the south for 20 years, now back in the northeast for 4. I don’t find people in the south all that much more friendly and in the north significantly more rude, but I do think people go in with preconceived ideas and react to their expectations vs reality in a lot of situations. Have had people smile in the street in NY while being completely ignored in Dallas, driving in Atlanta or Austin noone would dream of letting you in, they seem to think turn signals are an optional feature while in Boston/Providence people regularly stop to let you cross traffic to get into a parking lot, and while they do drive more aggressively, at least they signal before cutting you off.
Thank you. My experience, too.
I have to say, I find the retail people in NYC to be friendly almost all of the time. But I always talk to them, and act like I care that they are alive, also.
Do unto others is usually the best route to take. I think it was Lily in Bridesmaids that said to Annie, why don’t you just talk behind my back like everybody does! Lol
Customers also need to be polite in stores. The rudeness of some customers is unacceptable.
I am from the south, lived here and a few other places. Yes I think some places in the south are super friendly, but for the most part where I live the majority of customer service in the big chain stores, chain restaurants and fast food establishments is awful. I’ve just assumed it’s bc of such a low medium wage. My hubs is from Canada, it never ceases to amaze me how truly genuine and nice people are there. Everywhere! Even at your chain McDonald’s. It sounds silly but I feel like service people there really do want you to enjoy your shopping experience and your meals! They always seem to go out of their way to make you feel like you are taken care of. Of course there are bad apples everywhere! But for the countries I’ve been to, Canada wins hands down in service and manners!!! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 Fan for life!
Hi, I’m in Canada (S Ontario) but also lived in the US and see some general differences, but also changes over time. My pet peeve currently is cashiers who don’t say ‘thank you’ for shopping, but just hand you the receipt, period. Sometimes they don’t even look at you or say anything. Sometimes it’s a “here you are.” Sometimes they just stare and I feel prompted to thank THEM, though I can’t imagine for what, they’re being paid to process my purchase.
It’s awkward. Polite, but awkward. Maybe it’s my age, but I remember a time of being thanked for shopping at X store. Now it feels like the stores take customers for granted.
In the South, things were phony-friendly, but I didn’t mind. Smiles are always welcome. I was aware that judgment always lurked behind the smiles but so what, the smiles made pumping gas a nicer experience.
I live in London and customer service here isn’t great. I am spoiled I suppose if they don’t have a size that I want I DO expect them to say oh I will look in the back, NOPE don’t have it. Sorry turns and walks away. OR when meant to open at 10a they turn up at 1005/1010 and not that bothered or closing at 6p you arrive 550p they are sweeping the floor and waving you off.. we are closed… even British people say it’s awful. I do get going into stores and they pounce with may I help you is annoying but I’d rather that than them holding a conversation and never looking up. I try to shop online.
Snotty or not, may we talk about Reese Witherspoon having a fashion line? You’re kidding?
Does she really walk about wearing a “Howdy” t-shirt? On the right person, maybe, but not her.
She looks like she’s ready to fly away in that red blouse with wings, and I don’t even want to look at the flower bouquet t-shirt with the scalloped cropped jeans.
I usually chuckle at pics of Reese wearing her Draper James line. It just looks so grandma to me. And I was surprised when it was described as a more expensive version of Kate Spade. Really? I think you can find the same looks at LLBean, Lands End, Northstyle, Coldwater Creek, Talbots…
Fake or not, I much prefer that attitude versus you’re not thin/pretty/rich/white enough to shop here.
Some of her clothes are cute, but others are a bit odd.
All her kids got her chin. That’s all I’ve got.
Or maybe pay service industry employees a fair wage, maybe they´ll be happier to provide emotional labor for a nice shopping experience?!
I don’t think you need to travel to the south for people to chum you to your face and then talk smack about you behind your back. It happens everywhere, all the time.
the clothes are vile.
I went to Reese’s boutique in Nashville recently and was treated like complete scum by the woman working there.
In other news, her children are freakishly good looking. Super adorable.
I’ve walked into stores where NONE of the employees even looked at me or spoke to me. Sometimes the employees are all huddled together gossiping about their boss or about another employee…other times they are on their cell phones…and other times they just simply don’t give a f*ck. I’ve had cashiers at grocery stores not even look at me…no smile, no how are you…nothing ! I always say if you don’t like working with the public, by all means don’t work with the public ! My fav is the time I walked into a store and the saleswoman quickly directed me to the “clearance items”…like she just assumed I couldn’t afford anything else. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover !
I still can’t forget when she got arrested and yelled I’M AN AMERICAN CITIZEN!
The prefrontal cortex, located at the anterior end of the frontal lobes, is specifically responsible for normal control of impulses. Damage to this region of the brain can lead to loss of inhibitions. Alcohol effects the prefrontal cortex causing a loss of inhibitions, which means, under the influence of alcohol, people say what they have the wherewithal to suppress when sober. This is common knowledge, and why what Reese said when her husband got caught doing something illegal, is particularly telling. But ultimately, she was correct. By society’s standards, she is more than the rest of us, which is also why there were no consequences for an act the rest of us would have had to pay for. It’s galling. And whoever thinks that what people say when they are “just drunk” is excusable, are overlooking valuable insight.