Tina Lewis, a Texas woman, was reportedly denied service at Rose Nails salon in Houston, and she has now turned the situation around, accusing the store of discriminating against her because the stated reason for the service refusal was that she was too big to get a pedicure.
The woman had reportedly already visited the hair salon sometime before the incident and got an eyelash job done there, which left her satisfied enough that she wanted to come back for another treatment.
One of the employees, however, informed her that the salon had no chairs big enough for her to sit in.
According to the woman’s statements, she was used to getting her nails done on a regular basis and had never experienced anything like this in the past.
She then added that establishments like the salon had a duty to post their weight requirements at the front door so that people in her position would know that they could not be treated.
It is unclear why she had an issue with being told the same thing in person, however.
Lewis told KTRK: “I was like, ‘Can I get a pedicure? And what chair do I sit in?’ And [the employee] was like, the chairs were not big enough for me to sit in. And I was like, ‘Are you serious? So you’re saying that I’m too big to sit in a chair?”
Marie Bui, the salon’s employee involved in the incident, stated: “I said, ‘I’m sorry I cannot serve you because my spa chair is very small. After that, the spa chair and the machine broke underneath.”
Lewis replied to the statement by saying: “Someone needs to go down there and let them know that if they do have [weight] requirements, that they need to be posted on the door. ”
Responses to the situation have been mixed, but there has been very little sympathy for the woman in question in general, with many people pointing out that the salon was in its full right if they believed that they could not adequately service their client.
Others have noted similar incidents related to passengers being charged twice for airplane tickets due to their size, pointing out that there is a worrying trend among those who believe that society should bend to their demands.
One Lewis defender stated: “Be happy you seen their ignorance bc they don’t deserve your hard-earned money!!!”
A critic replied with: “I had a big lady break my chair before, she didn’t offer to tip me or anything, and I had to buy a new one. After that, I changed my consent forms, saying clients can’t be over 350 bc believe it or not chairs/tables have a weight limit. The next big lady who came to get her brows done I had to ask her her weight and explained to her the issue for safety purposes. She left me a bad review afterward, but it didn’t bother me bc I knew she was acting out of hurt. Business owners do have an obligation to protect their business first.”
Lewis is not happy with the answers given by the salon.
