“Zara isn’t even luxury. It’s basically H&M.”
A Washington woman’s shopping trip to Zara ended dramatically when she was mistakenly chased by a store clerk who suspected her of shoplifting. A former Lululemon manager from Charlotte, North Carolina, is weighing in on the situation.
TikTok founder Alex (@lextalktooomuch) discusses her thoughts on the April incident involving Douniya (@itsdouniya) at the Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Washington. Dunya recorded how she was chased to the car after leaving Zara. what is the problem? She didn’t steal anything.
“We only see footage of Zara because she made accusations and/or sued [expletive] “That’s the only reason we’re seeing it,” Alex says at the beginning of the video.
Alex explained that she had been a manager at Lululemon for about three years. “I’m telling you right now, everyone has a ‘no chase’ policy,” she said. “Everyone has one. The same thing happened at a Lulus store in Atlanta, and those girls were actually fired, and they were going crazy on the news about, ‘We were fired for protecting the store.’ No, you were fired, because it clearly stated, ‘Don’t chase people.’ ‘”
What is a “no chasing” policy in retail?
In previous eras, stores would have dealt more harshly with suspected shoplifters. Recently, however, many retailers have implemented “no chasing” policies designed to protect employees and other customers from violence. The decision coincides with an increasingly professional class of thieves and sophisticated internal surveillance systems.
There’s another good reason for these policies: Sometimes shoppers like Dunia are falsely accused, which can cost retailers significant legal fees. For example, in 2021, an Alabama woman received a $2.1 million settlement from Walmart after being falsely accused of shoplifting. A year later, an Oregon man won $4.4 million after being racially profiled by an employee at Walmart.
Dunya’s video shows that she was not only being chased as she left Zara, but also being followed as she got into her car. Although employees appeared to briefly surround her car, Dunia was able to pull out of the parking space. She stayed nearby and called police.
Former Lululemon manager comments on Zara video
Back to Alex’s perspective on the situation. “In the Zara video, I’m not going to lie, the lady was better than me,” she joked. “I’d run over all four of them. That’s crazy for a lot of reasons.”
She continued, “As a manager, I always used to tell people that if people are bold enough to steal from you in broad daylight… they’re crazy enough. What makes you think they’re not crazy enough to call out your actions?” [expletive]? “
Alex said she also believes mall security footage must come from law enforcement or go through legal proceedings.
“We’re not just watching mall security footage; we’re also watching police body cameras,” she said. “The charges, the urgency. The discovery has been made. And it may now be coming to light… because the solution is already on the way.”
What will happen to Zara employees?
She said that based on her experience, she believed the employees involved would either lose their jobs or be suspended pending Zara’s investigation into that particular store.
“Here’s the thing: black people don’t call the police enough, and we don’t prosecute black people [expletive] “There are so many people,” she said, “I guarantee you they’ve done this before and no one has ever said [expletive]. I didn’t even think about starting running. It’s so fun to start running knowing you didn’t steal anything. But were they actually following her? You’re all idiots you’re all hooked on this show, I need that check. I need it. “
Alex concluded: “She asked them to move out of the way a little bit. She drove away, called the police and stayed in the house. She did everything right. Take notes.”
AllHipHop reached out to Douniya via TikTok private message and Alex via email for comment. We also contacted Zara’s parent company INDITEX via press email for comment. We will update this story if either party responds.
@lextalktooomuch Quick thinking for a skill that allows you to check out #lextalktooomuch #zara ♬ Original Sound – AlexusIman 🤍
