Lowe's Delivery Man Called Back When Customer Asks For White Worker

So.

A black Lowe's delivery man says his employer instructed him not to make a delivery because a customer asked that the person who came to her door be white. The company said it took quick action to remedy the situation and to apologize to the driver, Marcus Bradley.

Link 1
And

A delivery driver in Danville claims a woman refused to let him into her home because he's black. He says what hurts more is that his employer went along with it.

Link 2

After being refused entry into a customer's house because he's black, a delivery driver was told to bring the delivery back to the store. When he asked why,

"I asked him why I couldn't do it and he said because you're black and they don't want you at the house."

So, a customer doesn't want a black delivery person at their house. Fair enough, but this is the question for debate: should she company have just said "screw the customer" and cancelled the order out of principle? Or, instead of causing a scene by this man showing up and who knows what happening because the customer didn't get a white delivery person, do what the manager seems to have done, and say "Hey, they don't want a black man delivering, maybe you should come back."

"I mean, I thought that Lowe's would take up for me," said Bradley.

Now, I can understand how the delivery man would likely find it offensive that the homeowner didn't want a black person—himself—delivering the item, so should the manager have said screw you to the customer, or was the manager correct in asking—or telling?—him to come back? Should the store have stood up and said, if you won't let our delivery person inside because he's black, then your order/delivery is cancelled? Or is this truly an example profit first?

The manager was fired.

"The leaders at the store level who made the decision to hold the driver back, they are no longer with the company," she said. "We have no tolerance for discrimination of any kind."

It's undoubtedly discrimination by the homeowners, but is it really discrimination by the employer??

Sounds like trash of a customer anyway:

ABC-13 went to the home where the two say the delivery took place. When asked her side of the story, the woman who came to the door said, "I got a right to have whatever I want and that's it."

When asked if she feels bad about the delivery driver the woman responded, "No, I don't feel bad about nothing."

Was Lowe's discriminatory?
Should they have said FU to the homeowner?
How does one properly handle a situation like this?

Lowes should DEFINITELY said "I'm sorry, then we can't accommodate you. You can pick up the item in-store." For moral as well as legal reasons. Any store that would not send a black delilvery/install person because the customer asked could quite possibly become a broke store.

If I was in charge I would have said screw the customer. But I hate customers in general so....

I don't think Lowes was discriminating. I think the homeowner was and Lowes has no control over that at all. They are in the business of "the customer is always right" and if the customer felt uncomfortable for whatever reason (a ridiculous one I agree) then Lowes as a business will work around that.

People will always be ignorant but I don't think Lowes did anything wrong here at all. They can't force the customer to take the product and allow someone into their home they are uncomfortable with. I'm sure plenty have been turned away besides this man. Long haired, tattooed hippies are likely stopped at the door quite often as well.

You can't fix stupid and Lowes did nothing wrong. If companies started selling on principle alone, a lot of them would go out of business. The only thing canceling the order would have done, would have been to cost them gas money, the loss of the sale, and possibly angry word of mouth negative advertisement. Too many losses and nobody there has a job. Either choice would have left the employee feeling just the way he originally did so it was a lose, lose all the way around.

Unfortunately we can't change other people into what we think they should be. One would think someone would be embarrassed to even call and ask for something like that even if that's the way they felt but I guess not.

Some people's children....

a reply to: Liquesence

Wow. I would of apologized to the poor guy.
Then given him the rest of the day off or somethin.

Then also refunded the racist female dog her money back.

You think we are going forward in our countries growth. And then stuff like this happens.

This country hasn't learned.

But the customer is always white... errr right, sorry Freudian slip there

I would have told the customer that they would need to find a new place to do business with because we can't accommodate a request like that ...
And then let the customer decide if they want the rest of the world know that they are a racist.

originally posted by: bananashooter
If I was in charge I would have said screw the customer. But I hate customers in general so....

You never buy anything huh?

Lady has her right, her home.....Manager should have said maam you can pick your item up here or at another store, whatever suits you better but I will not call my driver back due to the color of his skin.

a reply to: Kangaruex4Ewe

I don't think Lowe's was discriminatory, either.

If it was me, and my employer said "Hey, they don't want a white guy making the delivery," I wouldn't care—if they didn't want me to go there why would I *want* to go? Screw them.

It reminds me of that scene in Hombre when the carriage passengers find out Paul Newman is "Apache," (even though he's not). The carriage drivers tells him, "They say they don't want you to ride inside with them." Paul says, "And what do you say?" And he says, "I say...why make people uncomfortable?" He rode up top with the driver.

Not causing a scene vs standing up for principle.

And I completely agree with your points.

You certainly can't fix stupid.

a reply to: Chrisfishenstein

Yes I do, but in a self-loathing way.

originally posted by: bananashooter
a reply to: Chrisfishenstein

Yes I do, but in a self-loathing way.

Nevermind, you apparently missed my humor in my statement....

a reply to: grey580

Or maybe let the guy put on white face and a wig and return with the delivery.

That would throw the customer for a loop.

Perhaps something bad happened to this lady and the person who did it was black, its understandable she would be frightened, or perhaps she is just a raciest. The more interesting question is have we the right any more to choose who we let into our homes, and is it raciest to say who you want and who you dont. I know of times women drivers have been requested and it was ok, we need the full story before people start waving the racist flagabout

a reply to: Chrisfishenstein

I could say the same thing back.

a reply to: Liquesence

No maybe not. But policies should not tolerate such. It's back handed discrimination. How mighty whitey of them. Lowes should be in the business of protecting their employees. The hell with one customer, there are far more customers to have.
Personally I would have done what the rest here are saying..... cancel the order.
If I would have gotten fired.... holy effing lawsuit would prevail!

I would simply just bring the package back to the warehouse/depot and have them go pick it up instead.

Don't want the package? We'll reschedule or have it at the warehouse for pickup.

We're not going to overcome racism by accommodating racists.

Sure, you can be racist as hell, and that's your right -- but it doesn't mean that anyone has accommodate your racist wishes.

I think Lowes should have said, "please pick this item up in the store, we don't practice discriminatory policies with regards to our delivery drivers. Delivery drivers are assigned without regards to race, creed, nationality, sex, ect..."

The woman can always "shop around" and find a store that hires mostly white people.

What's the difference between this and apartheid?

Scumbag, I'd have delivered a pile of steaming # to their doorstep.

Customer is always right, even if they're wrong.

The difference here is customer is in own home, not inside a store buying something.

In a store if the customer said I don't want a black person helping me, then the manager can (legally, nicely) say, GTFO.

At a customers home, the customer has that right.

My lil O.

Managers handled hit wrong, then Lowe's compounded the problem by being extremists and firing the managers. Maybe a little training would have been more appropriate. Well, at least the customer "don't feel bad about nothing". Gotta love ignorance.