Hamill: Respect, diversity — not racial profiling — help retail stores succeed
While stores such as Barneys and Macy's are being accused of 'shop-and-frisk,' the Uniqlo store in downtown Brooklyn is attracting customers by embracing the diverse community and treating all patrons with respect.
Comments (6)NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, November 13, 2013, 11:57 PM
Christie M. Farriella for the New York Daily News
Larry Meyer (pictured), CEO of Uniqlo USA, says that the new Uniqlo store in downtown Brooklyn hired its 250-member staff from the surrounding community.
I hate shopping.
My idea of purgatory is being stuck in a department store without exits. Shopping descended to hell recently when stores like Barneys and Macy’s were accused of “shop-and-frisk” — the racial profiling of minority customers. It gave me another excuse not to buy any Christmas gifts.
I figured a lot of people were like me.
Then I kept hearing about Veterans Day weekend lines spilling out the doors of the shopping mall across from the Barclays Center for Uniqlo, a store I never heard of.
RELATED: MACY’S HIT WITH CLASS ACTION ‘SHOPPING WHILE BLACK’ SUIT
Brooklyn continues to evolve at an alarming rate.
The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $3,000. The borough once known for Nathan’s hot dogs is now a food mecca. Barclays is now the biggest musical venue in the nation. Steiner Studios is the busiest movie studio in town.
Now we have lines out the door for some hot new clothing store in downtown Brooklyn.
I hadda go take a look-see.
RELATED: COUNCIL SETS HEARING ON ‘SHOP-FRISK’
“Uniqlo started as a men’s underwear store in Japan,” said Larry Meyer, CEO of Uniqlo USA, meeting me at the front door. “Today, we have 1,200 clothes stores worldwide, 17 in the USA, one on 34th St. in Manhattan, one in SoHo.”
Uniqlo had been trying to get into the Brooklyn space for more than a year, but the lease for the 14,000 square feet once occupied by Daffy’s was mired in bankruptcy court. Once it was freed up in September, Uniqlo jumped across the bridge into the new Brooklyn.
“We knew it was a diverse community,” said Meyer. “So we hired our 250-member staff from the surrounding community. We opened on Oct. 2 to big crowds. But we had no idea how successful it would be. Lines every day. Veterans Day weekend was over 300% of what we expected.”
He swept his hand across the store, where white, black, Hispanic and Asian shoppers picked through the aisles of moderately priced and oddly lightweight thermal vests, jackets and coats.
RELATED: HAMILL: SHOOTINGS REPRESENT ANOTHER HOLIDAY PSYCHO VISIT
“No Biggie jackets?” I asked, referring to the garment that triggered a psycho to open fire at the Bryant Park skating rink.
“No, no Biggie jackets,” he said. “All our clothes are our own designs. No logos.”
We stopped at the wall of jeans. “Tell me about security,” I said. “If someone of color spends a lot of money, are they gonna get followed into the subway and stopped and frisked by undercover cops?”
“Listen, we’re a store,” said Meyer. “We have our share of theft, so of course we have security. But our staff is very well-trained in the Japanese tradition of complete courtesy. When someone presents a credit card, bank card and proper ID, they are checked and returned with two hands, Japanese-style, with a smile, and a thank you.”
RELATED: JAY Z LETTING HIS BROOKLYN ‘HOOD DOWN
Do NYPD fraud squad cops roam his aisles?
“No,” he said. “We have our own security.”
I approached a young black woman getting on line with a jacket and pair of leggings.
“Word about this store is all over the street in East New York,” said Moniffah Harper, 25, who traveled here a half-hour on the No. 4 train. “My sister told me there were all these lines to get in here on the weekend. But she showed me what she got and how good the prices were and said the people were polite. My friends were all raving about it. So I came.”
RELATED: HAMILL: IT'S BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR BARNEYS TO RACIALLY PROFILE
Harper said she’d been outraged by the racial profiling in Manhattan stores.
“It makes you not want to go over there to spend money,” she said. “But when I came here, people treated me with total respect. Asked if they could help, but no one followed me around as I browsed like I was a criminal. I did my shopping, bought a jacket for my niece, and Heattech leggings I’ve been hearing so much about for myself.”
A black cashier raised her hand to signal she was free. Harper walked to her. “I like that the people were hired from the community,” she said. “Young people like me could use jobs in Brooklyn.”
Harper took her receipt and her bag and headed for the exit. No one followed her.
“The people are nice,” she said. “And it’s in Brooklyn. I’ll be back to do some Christmas shopping for sure.”
That’s how you make lines.
My idea of purgatory is being stuck in a department store without exits. Shopping descended to hell recently when stores like Barneys and Macy’s were accused of “shop-and-frisk” — the racial profiling of minority customers. It gave me another excuse not to buy any Christmas gifts.
I figured a lot of people were like me.
Then I kept hearing about Veterans Day weekend lines spilling out the doors of the shopping mall across from the Barclays Center for Uniqlo, a store I never heard of.
RELATED: MACY’S HIT WITH CLASS ACTION ‘SHOPPING WHILE BLACK’ SUIT
Brooklyn continues to evolve at an alarming rate.
The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $3,000. The borough once known for Nathan’s hot dogs is now a food mecca. Barclays is now the biggest musical venue in the nation. Steiner Studios is the busiest movie studio in town.
Christie M. Farriella for the New York Daily News
Meyer shows Daily News reporter Denis Hamill (right) menswear at the new Uniqlo store at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn on Wednesday.
I hadda go take a look-see.
RELATED: COUNCIL SETS HEARING ON ‘SHOP-FRISK’
“Uniqlo started as a men’s underwear store in Japan,” said Larry Meyer, CEO of Uniqlo USA, meeting me at the front door. “Today, we have 1,200 clothes stores worldwide, 17 in the USA, one on 34th St. in Manhattan, one in SoHo.”
“We knew it was a diverse community,” said Meyer. “So we hired our 250-member staff from the surrounding community. We opened on Oct. 2 to big crowds. But we had no idea how successful it would be. Lines every day. Veterans Day weekend was over 300% of what we expected.”
He swept his hand across the store, where white, black, Hispanic and Asian shoppers picked through the aisles of moderately priced and oddly lightweight thermal vests, jackets and coats.
Christie M. Farriella for the New York Daily News
Meyer says that while the store, like all stores, has its share of theft, the staff is 'well-trained in the Japanese tradition of complete courtesy.'
“No Biggie jackets?” I asked, referring to the garment that triggered a psycho to open fire at the Bryant Park skating rink.
“No, no Biggie jackets,” he said. “All our clothes are our own designs. No logos.”
We stopped at the wall of jeans. “Tell me about security,” I said. “If someone of color spends a lot of money, are they gonna get followed into the subway and stopped and frisked by undercover cops?”
“Listen, we’re a store,” said Meyer. “We have our share of theft, so of course we have security. But our staff is very well-trained in the Japanese tradition of complete courtesy. When someone presents a credit card, bank card and proper ID, they are checked and returned with two hands, Japanese-style, with a smile, and a thank you.”
RELATED: JAY Z LETTING HIS BROOKLYN ‘HOOD DOWN
Do NYPD fraud squad cops roam his aisles?
Christie M Farriella for New York Daily News
One customer says that while she was outraged by racial profiling in Manhattan stores, staffers at the downtown Brooklyn Uniqlo 'treated me with total respect.'
I approached a young black woman getting on line with a jacket and pair of leggings.
“Word about this store is all over the street in East New York,” said Moniffah Harper, 25, who traveled here a half-hour on the No. 4 train. “My sister told me there were all these lines to get in here on the weekend. But she showed me what she got and how good the prices were and said the people were polite. My friends were all raving about it. So I came.”
RELATED: HAMILL: IT'S BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR BARNEYS TO RACIALLY PROFILE
Harper said she’d been outraged by the racial profiling in Manhattan stores.
“It makes you not want to go over there to spend money,” she said. “But when I came here, people treated me with total respect. Asked if they could help, but no one followed me around as I browsed like I was a criminal. I did my shopping, bought a jacket for my niece, and Heattech leggings I’ve been hearing so much about for myself.”
A black cashier raised her hand to signal she was free. Harper walked to her. “I like that the people were hired from the community,” she said. “Young people like me could use jobs in Brooklyn.”
Harper took her receipt and her bag and headed for the exit. No one followed her.
“The people are nice,” she said. “And it’s in Brooklyn. I’ll be back to do some Christmas shopping for sure.”
That’s how you make lines.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/hamill-respect-diversity-retail-stores-succeed-article-1.1516411#ixzz2kd7GCuMQ
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