Outstanding claims of discrimination like this, especially toward a group or culture I identify with, would definitely change the way I feel about the company. At the very least, it would make me feel like they broke my trust as a customer, and I would feel like they do not value people like me as a customer. I think that in terms of supporting that company, it would depend on the severity of the situation and the company’s response to such claims. If this were to happen to a store I go to all the time, let’s say it is Fred Meyer’s, I would probably still shop there occasionally. This would only be because it is conveniently located close to where I live and sometimes I need to buy essential items from there. However, if this were to happen to one of my favorite clothing stores, I would probably boycott for a while until they clear things up and fix their issues. In addition, I think that if the company were to make a genuine apology statement and take big steps to fix the problem, that might make me feel like it is appropriate to shop there again.
In terms of applying to work for that company, I would definitely be very hesitant to work there knowing that they have past problems with discrimination. I think that if the company was that discriminatory and did not take any steps to fix the problem, there would be no chance of me getting hired anyway, so there would not be a purpose in applying there. Overall, any company who faces claims like these is likely to lose business and lose potential employees. That is why it is so important for companies to be proactive about these things and try to prevent it as much as possible.
3 replies on “Experiences With Discrimination”
Hi Katherine,
I liked that you pointed out that if the discrimination case were brought against your favorite clothing brand that there would only be a temporary phase where you would boycott the company. Eventually, since it is your favorite brand and you would want their newest clothes and you would go back when the case blows over or is resolved and everything goes back to normal. The sad truth may be that the discrimination is still occurring under the rug and nobody is reporting it. Even though everything related to the initial case may appear to be resolved, in reality there may still be underlying issues that are not being remedied or there are other new cases that haven’t been brought to the surface yet. Great thoughts!
I think you make an interesting point saying that there would be almost no chance you would be hired at that company anyway if nothing changed. I hadn’t really thought of that part. I think it is important that the company make changes and stick to those new changes. Their image will take a big hit and they will potentially lose customers and employees if they continue discriminating.
Hi,
I thought this a really nice post with your thoughts clearly collated. I agree with you that discrimination cases like this are very much situation-based dependant on your needs at the time, and almost the industry that it happens in. If a case of discrimination happened at Fred Meyers for example, I don’t know if I would even know unless I was researching the company and its protocols for a job interview. This shows that while I am a regular customer, I don’t have a complete awareness of the company that I am purchasing from. In particular I liked your comment how you would likely not be hired if you applied to a company of such discrimination practices anyway. I thought this was very true and I had completely overlooked how I would manage to get hired if I did or did not end up choosing to apply to a company of this unethical and discriminatory culture.