Lowe’s Worker Told To Change His ‘Controversial’ Shirt Following Customer Complaint

Update: Revisit of a July 2020 News Report

In July 2020, a story emerged about Kyle Sales, a teenager working at a Lowe’s store in Washington, who was reportedly asked to change his shirt after a customer deemed it offensive.

Sales was instructed by a supervisor to remove his shirt, which featured the phrase “Black Panther Wakanda Forever,” because a customer had complained that it was racist. The supervisor gave Sales the option to either buy a new shirt or go home to change.

Sales expressed his confusion and frustration over the situation, questioning how a shirt from a popular movie could be considered racist. “She said a customer found your shirt offensive and racist,” Sales recounted. “It’s from a movie. How is that racist?”

Upset by the ordeal, Sales decided to cover the shirt with a sports jersey instead.

He shared his feelings about the situation, saying, “I was very angry. It didn’t seem fair given everything happening in the world. This isn’t racist, and I shouldn’t be penalized for wearing a movie-themed t-shirt.”

Later, Sales discovered that the same customer had returned the next day to inquire about the consequences he faced for wearing the shirt. “She came back demanding to know what happened to me and what my punishment was,” he said.

Sales had recently started working at Lowe’s after graduating from high school and was saving money for his upcoming college studies at Washington State University.

Reflecting on the incident, Sales compared it to past experiences of discrimination, recalling racial slurs and derogatory terms he had faced in school and previous jobs. His mother, Kimberly Sales, described the situation as “pure, unadulterated discrimination” and felt that Lowe’s owed her son more than just an apology.

In response to the incident, Lowe’s issued an apology through a local CBS affiliate. A company spokesperson stated, “Mr. Sales should never have been asked to change his shirt, and we have apologized to him directly. We recognize this as an opportunity to improve, and we will be taking steps to better train our managers to prevent such issues in the future. At Lowe’s, diversity and inclusion are core values, and we are dedicated to creating a workplace where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued.”

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