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| - I'm pretty sure 98.5% of the staff at this mall are not aware they are in a culturally diverse country in which they will encounter people of other races - virtually every store (except Deco-It & Ten Ren) that we went into - the staff were beyond rude, stared at us incredulously and showed blatant rudeness when asked simple questions about their wares. I heard about how this mall is so great - it's terrible and apparently my money is no good there because I am black.
I went into a store with children's pillows and blankets etc...so I asked the shop keeper what do they have that would be a good gift for a baby shower - she then proceeded to tell me in not-terrible English that she doesn't know what that is. I said it's a party, held for pregnant women where the guests bring her presents for the baby. She said "Sorry, I don't know..." Hmmm...0_o
I went into a store with bins of very exotic looking produce. Being the curious shopper that I am and taking genuine interest in learning about new things, I asked two ladies - who folded up like tents the minute me and my friend entered and stared at us like we had on ski masks and were about to hold knives to their necks - "Oooh, excuse me, what's this?" This woman kept her back to me, turned her neck to the side and shouted over her shoulder, "GINGER!!". Totally taken aback I decided I wasn't going to just whimper out of the store so I went by the counter - I saw these unusual dark green things in jars behind her - so I said, "Oh, and what are those?" Now, I couldn't hear her first response so I said, "I'm sorry, what's it called?" "It is Sea CUCUMBER!!" And no, I am not reading more then there is into it because her face told me exactly what her problem was. I then said, "Oh, ok, is it for tea?" "Of course not!". Alrighty then....We fulfilled their wishes and exited the store.
People at Pacific Mall (actually, a glorified flea market) get over yourselves. You are not back home, you are in the city of Toronto. I will never go back and I encourage other black people not to as well since our money is not wanted. That goes for all the Asian owned hair supply stores too - most of them hold racist ideas about us and don't want our blackness anywhere near them so much so, they are even willing to put their full prejudice on display so you are well aware. Very disappointing experience.
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