Lowe’s Worker Asked To Change Out Of ‘Inappropriate’ Shirt Following Customer Complaint

Note: This story was originally reported in July 2020.

Kyle Sales, a teenager working at a Lowe’s in Washington, shared that he was asked to take off his shirt after a customer deemed it offensive. The shirt featured the phrase “Black Panther Wakanda Forever.”

A supervisor confronted Sales, stating that a customer found the shirt to be racist and gave him the choice to buy a new shirt or go home to change. “She told me, ‘A customer said your shirt is offensive and racist,’” Sales recounted. “This is from a movie. How can it be racist?”

Feeling upset, Sales opted to cover the superhero shirt with a sports jersey instead.

“I was really angry. It felt unjust given everything happening in the world right now,” he explained. “This isn’t racist; I shouldn’t be penalized for wearing a t-shirt related to a film.”

Sales later learned from a friend that the customer returned the next day to inquire about what disciplinary action had been taken against him for wearing the shirt. “She came in upset, asking, ‘What happened to that kid; what was his punishment?’” he said.

Having started his job at Lowe’s just a few months earlier, Sales had recently graduated high school and was saving money before attending Washington State University.

This incident brought back memories of discrimination he experienced in high school and previous jobs. Sales mentioned being called derogatory names by classmates and encountering racial slurs from a former manager.

Sales’ mother, Kimberly, described the incident as “clear discrimination,” asserting that Lowe’s owes her son more than just an apology.

In response, Lowe’s issued a statement to a local CBS affiliate, acknowledging that the request for Sales to change his shirt was inappropriate. “Mr. Sales should never have been asked to change, and we have directly apologized to him. We view this as a learning opportunity and will be training our managers to prevent similar situations in the future,” a Lowe’s spokesperson remarked, emphasizing their commitment to diversity and inclusion.
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