SHENANDOAH, Texas - A local woman is speaking out after she claims she was profiled while shopping at an OshKosh store near The Woodlands. She says police were called simply because she's black.
It's a shopping experience Q Moses wants to forget.
"All I could say was, 'Wow,'" Moses said. "It was humiliating to me."
She was shopping with her 15-year-old daughter.
"I had a bag full of items and clothes in my arms with the hangers, and I had every intention of buying," Moses said.
But employees thought she was a shoplifter. They used the "heart attack" line as a code to get police to respond. When they arrived, the Shenandoah PD officers started questioning Moses and her daughter.
"He went on to say, 'Ma'am, because you're a black woman with a large bag, that's probably the reason for this premature call,'" Moses said.
Moses says she doesn't blame the police but how the store treated a paying customer simply because she was black.
"I went on to talk the officer, and he said I wouldn't buy anything from the store if I were you," Moses said.
OshKosh issued this statement:
“Carter’s strives to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for our customers and employees. Yesterday, a customer made us aware of an alleged incident in our Shenandoah, Texas, store that, if true, would be inconsistent with our values. We are currently investigating the alleged incident.”
Shenandoah Police confirmed this was indeed a shoplifting call. For Moses, that statement from the company isn't enough.
"I don't want comps," Moses said. "I'm not shopping there ever again. All I want is an apology, and I feel that's simple enough."