Employees Kneeling Before Chinese Tourists... What Happened at a Japanese Luxury Store?

Employee abruptly removed worn product
After complaint, group kneeled and apologized
"Excessive" vs "Appropriate response"... Netizens in heated debate

Four employees at a Fendi store in Japan kneel and apologize in front of a Chinese female customer.
[Photo by SCMP]

At a luxury store in Japan, employees collectively knelt down to apologize to a Chinese female tourist.

On the 23rd (local time), Hong Kong media outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that "this incident was revealed through a post by Chinese blogger Annie Datouza." The incident occurred in Tokyo, Japan, where Datouza, who resides in New York, was visiting on a trip. At the time, Datouza visited a Fendi store in Tokyo to look at wool shawls. After trying on a shawl, she decided to purchase it and asked the staff to find a new one from the stock.

However, at that moment, an employee approached and suddenly took off the shawl she was wearing from her shoulders. Then, the employee handed the shawl to a Chinese couple. Datouza said, "I was shocked and completely stunned," and asked, "Why did a male employee take the shawl off my body without any explanation?" She immediately raised a complaint and said she felt uncomfortable and ignored during the process. The store employees' limited English skills caused the procedure to take a long time, and she witnessed the shawl she intended to buy being sold to another Chinese couple.

After Datouza's continued protests, the store manager led her to the second floor, where the manager, two sales staff, and an interpreter?four employees in total?knelt in a row and apologized. However, the manager also made excuses, saying, "There is no problem with giving the shawl to another customer," and "There is no surveillance camera footage to verify the incident."

Eventually, Datouza filed a complaint with Fendi headquarters and received an official apology via email. The apology stated, "We sincerely apologize for the behavior of the sales representative who took off your shawl. We should have obtained your consent before taking the product to show it to another customer." It also included, "We failed to provide clear and professional responses when you inquired about the surveillance footage and customer service contact information."

"Excessive" vs. "Appropriate Response"... Netizens Divided

Four employees at a Fendi store in Japan kneel and apologize in front of a Chinese female customer.
[Photo by SCMP]

After the incident became known, netizens showed mixed reactions. Some netizens criticized Datouza's actions as "too excessive" and said she "made a big deal out of something that could have been overlooked." They pointed out, "Weren't the employees just trying to bring a new product? Why are you still complaining?" "If you are not buying two shawls, isn't it okay to sell it to another customer?" and "Making employees kneel was too much."

On the other hand, some defended Datouza's actions, saying, "The store only knelt down because Datouza raised a complaint," "It was a natural response since the employee suddenly touched the customer's body," "Thanks to her, other customers visiting this store in the future will be respected," and "If she had backed down, any of us could have been the next customer to suffer."

As the controversy continued, Datouza posted an additional statement claiming, "I never ordered the employees to kneel." She added, "My behavior in the store was reasonable and calm," and explained, "The purpose of my complaint was to improve employee training and the store's crisis management level. It was to enhance the shopping experience for future customers."