Entertainment

Zendaya Claims She Was Refused Service Because Of Her Skin Tone [VIDEO]

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Katie Jerkovich Entertainment Reporter
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Actress Zendaya claimed she was refused service and was treated rudely by a store clerk because of her “skin tone.”

The 20-year-old former Disney star, whose full name is Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman, posted a series of videos to her Snapchat account explaining what happened when she tried to buy $400 worth of gift cards at a Vons store. (RELATED: This TV Show Host Just Apologized For Saying A Former Disney Star’s Dreadlocks Looked Like They Smelled Like Weed)

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“So we just got out of this Vons,” Zendaya said. “Now I am trying to buy a lot of gift cards… There are certain limits and some things, which is understandable. But the lady that was helping us, I don’t think she was a fan of our skin tone.”

“In fact I recall her not trying to help us at all, saying she couldn’t help us all, saying that we couldn’t buy the gift cards, and throwing my wallet,” she added. “I just can’t make this s–t up.”(RELATED: New ‘Spider-Man’ Movie Race Swapping Major Character)

“This is what we deal with,” she continued. Her friend in the car added “because we are black,” and the actress nodding in agreement.

Zendaya then took back her comment about the clerk throwing her wallet, and clarified that it was more like a toss.

“It wasn’t like a throw, it was like a toss,” she said. “She tossed it, with my cards still loose. My cards were loose, so my card fell on the scanner, and she was about to scan the next person!”

“She was like, ‘You can’t afford this,’ is how she looked at me,” she added. “It was $400! Long story short, there’s so much progress to be done in our world. … It’s all love. ”

“Maybe she went on to have a wonderful life.”

After the video came out, Vons responded in a statement to People magazine.

“At Vons, we strive to treat each and every customer with the utmost respect,” the statement said. “There is a policy that limits gift card purchases using a credit card. Zendaya was able to purchase gift cards up to our limit, and we apologize for any inconvenience or misunderstanding.”

“We respect Zendaya’s voice in the community and similarly are committed to diversity and inclusion,” they continued. “Moreover, we understand that race is a sensitive issue in America and view this experience as a reminder that every interaction is an opportunity to treat each customer as we ourselves would like to be treated.”

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include the statement from Vons.