Playing the "race card"

[Bright_Star]

Here are a couple of stories of SC's who tried playing the race card on me. Now keep in mind that I'm Puerto Rican & IF you can't tell that I'm a person of color then you need your eyes checked...lol.
Here we go.....

I asked this black lady for her credit card after ringing her up & she hands it to me. I turn it around & it's NOT signed so I ask her..."May I see your ID?" She says to me..."WHY?" I said..."Your card isn't signed so I need your ID to verify it's yours". She then says...."Maybe it's because I'm BLACK??" I'm like--->
Then I tell her..."Look, I'm just doing my job & I'm not playing the race card IF that's what you're thinking." She glares at me & all but throws me her ID.

Another time I'm checking out another black lady & it's the same situation as above BUT she just looks at me. I tell her..."I know what you're thinking & it's NOT that." Then she says..."it better NOT be!". I give her this look----> So as she's walking away I can hear her say..."Bunch of racist Wal-Mart bastards!".

[Rubystars]

Wal-Mart seems to attract more people like that than other stores I've worked at. Some people like to jump to the conclusion that they're the only ones that have ever been asked for ID, etc. Even if you do it to someone of your own race right before them.

I'm surprised they pull that on you though. Thankfully my managers know I treat them and my coworkers just fine and most of them are not of my race, so they know it's BS when it's pulled on me.

[evilhomer]

It's sad how some people are conditioned to immediately think this. It's a simple security measure that applies to everyone, yet some have been told so often that they're going to get harrassed due to race that their brain goes straight to this response without any rational thought.

Please keep up the good work. While I always sign my card, I do appreciate measures taken for my own protection.

[DesignFox]

Techinically, since the card isn't signed, it isn't valid, and you don't have to accept it at all.

[Enjis]

The United States Post Office won't accept unsigned cards, or ones with 'check ID' written on them.
Of course, these days, most of us are getting used to the 'customer swipes own card on PIN pad' thing...so no ID checks, since we never touch the card...

[ArenaBoy]

I've always felt that those who use the race card are just crybabies and nothing more. I've gotten it pulled on me more than I can imagine because I ask for a pass, they know they don't have it and decide to use race as a way to make me change track. Not. Gonna. Happen. Follow policies, everyone else has to.

[powerboy]

I always check the ID, even if it is signed. Hell I don't want it coming back to us, that the card was stolen, and we have to give back the money, and someone gets the product free.


Also why do we even have to sign it, most likely someone will ask for the ID? Now, that is something that I always wanted to know. Because if it is signed, and it is stolen, then it will get used, God knows how many times, before the owner found out?

[jagerofdarkness]

I work at a grocery store, and we have a list of returned checks. Eeeevery time I get a check, I run it against the name list. One day, a pissed off black lady comes through my line and gets mad because I, as with everyone else, flip open the book and spend all of 5 seconds looking for her name. It's not there, business as usual, except she walks over to customer service and watches me, and when a supervisor at CS asks if she needs anything, she complains that I didn't check the person after her (who must not have written a check then), and that it was because she was black.

Some people try to find moments to play the race card in everyday situations, and make the rest of us pissed off.

[ForestDragon]

"I'm sorry, your race card has been rejected. Do you have some other form of entitlement?"

[chainedbarista]

Techinically, since the card isn't signed, it isn't valid, and you don't have to accept it at all.

i'm imagining the race card on that one would put the empire state building to shame.

'what do you mean you can't accept it? security, nothing, it's because i'm *insert race here!*'

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Ah, yes, the race card.

I get it all the time, and I work ON THE PHONE!

We get people all the time who have to go throught he security verification process, and afterward, or sometimes before, they have a fit and tell me it's because they're black/hispanic/middle eastern or whatever.

First of all, Most black people have names that cannot be differentiated from white people. How do I know what color someone is over the phone?

Second, many middle eastern people have very foreign names, and while some of them have obviously muslim names, others have names that I could not place from any specific coutnry or ethnic/religious group. I have no idea they are Arab.

And yes, many Hispanic people have obviously Hispanic names, but that isn't why they are selected. Of course, some of them seem to think it is.

It's really annoying.

[Rubystars]

There have been so many times when someone says "It's cause I'm black, aint it?" that I've wanted to say "You only think I"m racist because I'm white! You racist!"

[BookstoreEscapee]

There have been so many times when someone says "It's cause I'm black, aint it?" that I've wanted to say "You only think I"m racist because I'm white! You racist!"

You should! (If you could get away with it....) If you were the same color as them they couldn't say anything.

I've actually never had the race card pulled, at least not blatantly. I remember one black woman who was not ready to take her change, so I put it on the counter so I could bag her books. She looks at me and says "I put the money in your hand, didn't I?" I'm sure she was thinking it. And excuse me for trying to expedite your transaction, there.

I wanna pull the race card! Just once! I'm so white I'm part polar bear

[Rubystars]

I've learned that I always make absolutely sure to touch someone's hand when handing them back change if they're black. Because one time I had a hurt finger from my other job, and I was trying to keep that finger from hurting when I counted back people's change, and I wasn't even thinking about this kind of thing. This woman thought I didn't want to touch her because she was black. When I denied it and showed her my hurt finger she still thought it was because she was black. From then on I made sure my hand always brushed against theirs so they wouldn't think that.

[BookstoreEscapee]

From then on I made sure my hand always brushed against theirs so they wouldn't think that.

It's kind of sad that such a thought would even have to cross our minds, but I have done the same thing.