(Courtesy: @the.dragonfly.cot/ TikTok & Canadian Tire Coporation Limited)
Canadian Tire responds to a claim from a Canadian woman who shared that she was allegedly racially profiled in one of their stores in Waterdown, a community in Hamilton, Ontario.
A woman took to social media to share that she went to return an iron that she had purchased a few days prior from Canadian Tire, and was refused a refund because the employee said that the iron looked used and had visible dents.
The woman claims that the iron was in fact brand new but shares the worst part of this store visit happened afterwards.
When going to look at the store’s outdoor furniture selection, she shares hearing the employee broadcast a message over the intercom for the entire store to hear. The announcement specifically directed people in the store to “watch” the customer located in aisle 89.
“Who’s the only lady in aisle 89? It’s me. It was me,” she says in the video. “She was telling the entire store to watch me.”
The woman emotionally describes her experience saying she felt “livid” afterwards and said she was “profiled over a $30 iron.”
“I want to go back and file a complaint, I don’t want to look like a crazy Black person who’s just like, staring up trouble,” she says in the video.
The Brandon Gonez Show reached out to Canadian Tire Corporation for a statement regarding the claim.
“We are aware of the concern that has been raised and we take any allegation of racial profiling very seriously. Every customer should feel welcome and respected. We are reviewing the situation to better understand what happened, so it can be addressed appropriately,” said the statement.
Canadian Tire also said it has been in contact with the customer to “acknowledge, apologize and work on a solution directly.”
Each store is independently owned and operated, and according to their return policy, a customer is able to get a refund or exchange on “every item purchased at any Canadian Tire store when you bring in your original receipt and issued Canadian Tire ‘Money’®.”
The return policy also states that even if a customer doesn’t have a receipt, the store can offer to look it up in their system.
