It wouldn’t require much to turn this into business discrimination. Imagine that word gets out that Lowe’s allows customers to select the race of delivery and repairmen. Suddenly tons of white folk in Danville start demanding white guys. Now Lowe’s is under pressure to hire only white guys. And to make room for them, they let go of the black guys.
It’s a slippery slope, sure. But that’s what would happen if we allowed business to discriminate based on the customer’s whim. There is no kumbaya in the so-called free market.
I’m sorry ma’am, but we cannot guarantee which of our delivery drivers will be assigned to a particular route or delivery. If that is unacceptable to you, you are free to pick up your purchase at our store. Do you need directions?"
Predicted future text in the Lowes training manual for Delivery Dispatchers and Store Managers.
I can cut the manager some slack if his employer did not give him proper training on non-discrimination law, but assuming he is aware of it, I can’t cut him slack the way you are. He should have established with he customer that he cannot guarantee a white delivery person, and make sure she will accept the product if delivered by someone who is non-white. If she refuses, fine. If not, then the manager can’t be expected to shield his black employees from every bigoted white person out there. This seems to be a common theme these days-- that every little slight must somehow be avoided.
Yes, that would have been the sensible response, with the caveat that if the manager had reason to suspect that the customer would cause active trouble for either the driver or the store (e.g. threatening him or making a false claim of theft or damage) he might consider sending a second driver to be present for the delivery as a witness. Of course, he shouldn’t have to do that, but it’s a question of what level of risk he’s willing to assume based on his assessment of the customer.
Also, I see no benefit in outing this lady, racist bitch though she be. She won’t change, and it will only allow internet dicks to be internet dicks.
Poetic justice would be for this woman to appear at the ER and find out that the entire staff was black, and her beloved relative was in dire need of immediate medical care.
That’s what I was thinking also. Far to many businesses have take “the customer is always right” bullshit to the extreme. Personally, I think the manager was screwed no matter what he did.
Possibly, but (based on many horrible years in customer service) more probably, a paragraph will be added explaining how if the delivery customer objects to a delivery man of a certain race, the manager is suppose to recall the delivery team WITHOUT mentioning that race is the factor in having them return to the store and then subsequently dispatch a delivery team of the requested race, gender, etc.,
Including such a paragraph in their official training would probably massively harm Lowe’s bottom line (due to the incredible protests and boycotts that would result), so I think that’s incredibly unlikely. Big companies don’t put racism in their official documents, even if they sometimes do racist things.
From the Cornell Legal Information Institute’s summary on employment discrimination:
So yes, according to that summary if management starts assigning tasks by race, they may be opening themselves to a discrimination complaint from some of their employees.
I see what you mean, Lowe’s employees aren’t allowed to be racist but what is he supposed to do when the customer is? That situation probably isn’t in the employee handbook. He chose the path of least resistance, which was completing the sale/delivery by sending another driver. Unfortunately once the media got wind of it corporate had to take action and can him. And the black driver has to know he lives in a town with people that don’t want him in their house because of his skin color, but this probably isn’t the first time he has encountered that sort of thing.
That paragraph would certainly assist any employees who subsequently sue the employer for racial job assignments. Would never get past the legal department.
If I were counsel for the plaintiff-employees and saw that paragraph during discovery, I’d be jumping for joy.
You mean the slight where the black driver was sent somewhere else, didn’t have to work any harder, got paid the same, AND avoided having to deal with a crabby old racists bitch?
I also feel sorry for the manager. He was probably in deep doo doo no matter what he did.
My point is, I don’t really care about protecting the customer, but a manager does have a responsibility to take care of his employees. In this case, the employee did nothing wrong at all. And, yes, perhaps there’s other things he could have done in hindsight, but I also think it’s highly unlikely that any specifics about anti-discrimination law in his training would cover a situation like this. It’s not like the guy was fired or passed up for a promotion. Admittedly, it’s been a long time since I did any customer-facing work, but all the anti-discrimination stuff I got was always about how I need to not be discriminatory, not how to deal with a racist customer.
Frankly, I think not sending the guy there to face a racist customer is the right decision, he shouldn’t knowingly be sent into a situation where he’ll face a belligerent customer. If she had requested a female delivery person because she hates men or a non-Muslim because she hates Muslims or a straight delivery person because she hates gays, I also think a manager would have been right not to send a man, Muslim, or gay into that situation too. In my view, it’s his decision to send a white delivery guy, and placate the racist customer, that is in the wrong. Again, not knowing what his motivation was, whether it was to protect his employee or just to shut up the customer, if it’s the former, I have a harder time blaming him. If it’s the latter, then he’s a putz and he deserves it. I’m just loathe to assume his motivation without hearing his side.
And that’s the thing. Again, I’m glad he didn’t send the delivery guy there to face potential verbal abuse, the problem was he took the path of least resistance to satisfy the customer. He probably should have just told her he couldn’t promise that and refunded the delivery charge and let her decide if she wanted a full refund on the item. But that said, even if she had then relented and claimed to be okay with it, I’m still not sure how comfortable I’d have been in his spot sending the delivery guy in. Maybe talk to the employee and let him decide if he’s comfortable or not.
And I live in Virginia, Northern Virginia, and though I feel bad for the guy, I don’t think anyone in Southern Virginia is under any illusions that racism isn’t still present. It’s still a shame when it rears it’s ugly head, though.
Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Where the manager patronizingly assumed that the black employee did not know how to deal with old racist bitches. At a minimum, the manager should give the black employee the option: Deal with the racist old bitch or not. Don’t make the decision for him/her.
I don’t. Because, hey in hindsight, I know I fuck up every now and then. Other people’s mileage may vary.
I’m sorry, I’m getting a bit tired of the whole “somebody fucked up and oh noes somebodies feeling were hurt or nothing major bad happened but people got butt hurt anyway and somebody somewhere must be PUNISHED as much as we can punish them” meme of late.
People fuck up. Bob, now you see why this was wrong? Yes sir. Don’t do it again. Yes sir. End of story.
Slow down there, partner. You cut one sentence out of my post, which I then responded to, and then seem to think I believe it’s worth firing the guy over. Where did you get that idea from???