I have shopped in Nordstrom Rack for decades though it hasn’t been in my present city (or state) for that long. It has been one of my mom’s favorite stores. I don’t have big feelings attached to it. I find good deals here and there but I must have expensive taste because the stuff I really like, has price tags in the hundreds amidst the things that are under $30.
I noticed that Nordstrom Rack, unlike Ross or Marshalls, had been looking empty during this pandemic (according to the parking lot). The few times I have been inside, I have been 1 of maybe 5 customers in the store. At one Nordstrom Rack [where more white people live], we could try on clothing. However, at others, the dressing room has been closed during the entire pandemic. I don’t tend to shop at any store with the dressing room still closed.
As with many stores, there is an associate at the front door waiting to catch you doing bad (In this way, Florida has come to feel much like shopping in New York City, where front door police are the norm [in Black areas]). I walked in Nordstrom Rack originally with a face shield lifted off my face because I was drinking water. The racially ambiguous door man informed me that I had to wear a mask. I pointed to my shield. He looked confused and I walked right past him. Barely anyone was in the store. I spent about 2 hours there with my mom, sipping my drink and buying a bunch of items for my business as well as some personal shopping for things I didn’t need.
Another day, I returned, again, with my face shield lifted. I pulled it down quickly as I walked past the mask guard, then pulled it back up. It is difficult to breathe even with a face shield because it is hot af in Florida and the stores are dusty but yet the air is filled with chemicals because they are “sanitizing” constantly in addition to the pollen. We spent the majority of our time in the shoe section. Less than 5 customers were in the store. I felt odd the entire time. Something was off.
As we were leaving to check out, a Black employee approached as quickly as a running back out of nowhere and stepped directly into my personal space. He asserted that I had to put on a mask. I told him I had on a mask. He said I had to wear it over my nose and mouth. I told him I couldn’t because I didn’t feel well wearing it. He demanded that I wear it. I looked at my mom and told her I was leaving and I wasn’t buying shit in that store. I left the cart right there, removed my face shield and walked out.
Now, that was a scene for my mother, but not for me. I have been prepared during the last 10 months to walk out of any environment in which I faced mask harassment. The reason for this is that I have always known exactly what my county ordinance said in regard to the 2019 pandemic social rules [and I don’t think most people have ever bothered to pull it offline or read it]. And if I am not violating any laws, then no business deserves my money. Businesses can have their policies, and so can I.
A couple of weeks later, I returned to that store and returned all the items that I purchased from the first trip — business and personal. I informed the cashier of my reason. She asked me if I had had my nose and mouth covered because Nordstrom, in particular, was really adamant about it. But she also revealed that she had worked elsewhere and although the policies were in effect, employees were not hunting down customers to police them.
It felt damn good getting my money back. I ordered some of the stuff on Amazon (I practice I would like to abandon.) for less than half the price. I will never shop at Nordstrom Rack again. They are on my mask harassment list.
Another noticeable issue and why I mentioned race is that all the times I have been mask harassed, the employees have been Black (American or not) or other person of color. It is an interesting dynamic that I feel like the stores have placed the employees in that position. I cannot verify this.
