This story is just heartbreaking. We feel really, really bad for this little girl. Etta saved all her money and purchased a pretty doll from Target named Gracie. When she was invited by her friend to bring her doll to American Girl Place for a “doll hairstyle” she was thrilled…until the stylist chided her for not having a “real” doll and refused her business.
From Etta’s Mom’s Blog:
“Come spend a day you’ll never forget!” the website promised. And boy did you deliver.
Frommers Guide to New York says “don’t forget to bring [your] favorite doll so it can get a makeover at the store’s own doll salon.” I know it’s craaaaazy that a Target fake (that cost only $29.99 of Etta’s real saved money!) would be her favorite doll but it was.
At least it used to be.
Back when she thought it was real.
…
“This isn’t a real doll!” the stylist exclaimed. (Thank your stylist!–we never would have had the heart to explain it that way!). And to prove that a fake doll isn’t worth the plastic she’s molded out of, she refused to do the doll’s hair.I’m not sure exactly what’s in it for your company, because you still stood to make $20 off of my daughter for doing the fake doll’s hair. I have two thoughts on that. Either her $20 wasn’t worth the same as someone else’s $20 (in which case I’ve learned something new too!) OR it was worth the $20 to you to be able to be the one to break the news to, I mean, to *enlighten* my little girl. You do promise to teach little girls, don’t you?
And she cried and cried and cried, and your stylist held her ground. That was a good lesson for her too. That feelings don’t have a place in “the heart of Manhattan’s prestigious shopping neighborhood” (another quote from your website).
This makes us feel terrible. Really terrible. We had a fake Cabbage Patch Kid when we were small. Our parents weren’t about to wait in line and punch other people just to buy a doll, so we made due. We loved that fake doll, and can’t imagine how terrible we’d have felt being publicly humiliated in front of “Real Cabbage Patch Kid” owners:
And did you realize how loyal to you all the other mommies in line were? You’d have been proud of them.
One chided Etta for not knowing she couldn’t bring a fake doll to the store. Tsk tsk. She’s in first grade now and can read by herself (taught herself, in fact). She probably should have done the research. There’s another great lesson for her. (Thanks mom in line!)
One mom muttered to another that Etta probably couldn’t afford a real one. Great hunch! She’s six!
One mom just smiled and said “Well, American Girl Dolls aren’t for everyone, you know.” A sentence cleverly crafted to make Etta feel like someone cared about her but also to be aware that she really didn’t belong there in your fancy store with the other, richer, better girls. How compassionate!
Mean! —MEGHANN MARCO
Fake, out. [One of those horrible moms] (Thanks, Matt!)
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one more point to all the people who highlight their wonderful experiences with AG — maybe the staff is so charming, patient and nice with you because they feel you have proven your worth by purchasing their highly coveted products?
Subsequently, the little girl with the non AG doll wasn’t worthy of their humanity because she hadn’t purchased it.
The mother should be giving her kid a better value structure in the first place. This is sickening.
According to Oxford American Dictionary:
Doll: A small model of a human figure, especially as a child’s toy.
According to American Heritage Dictionary:
Doll: a figure representing a human being, used especially as a child’s toy.
How can an adult tell a child that theirs isn’t a real doll? Not only were the adults stupid in their comments to this child about her doll, they showed cruel and inhuman behavior toward a 6 year old. How far down must some people go to prove their superior, apparently pretty damned low.
I emailed the rats saying that I was upset by their employee’s behavior and here the reply of someone named “American Girl Customer Service.” Nice dodge on their part:
Dear American Girl® Friend,
Thank you for e-mailing us about your concerns. We appreciate the
opportunity to address issues directly with our customers.
First, please know that it is the No. 1 priority of our staff to ensure
that every child who walks through our doors feels special and welcome.
If we learn of any behavior to the contrary, we strive to remedy the
situation as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, in the case you are referring to, we were never contacted
directly by this customer, so we have been unable to attempt to rectify
the situation or gather more details to investigate the incident further
on our end.
It is important to note that many girls visit American Girl Place with
various dolls in tow, and we are happy to have them share in any of our
experiences, such as our Cafe, Theater, and Photo Studio, which do not
involve an actual service for the doll. Please understand that we are
only equipped to replace, repair, or style dolls that we manufacture.
Our Doll Hair Salon and Doll Hospital are tailored to the specific
materials used in our doll lines, and?because we can?t be sure of the
materials used in other products?we do not want to risk damaging a
child?s favorite toy by using an incorrect procedure.
Providing high-quality service is the hallmark of American Girl, and our
sales associates are trained to always provide positive, respectful, and
professional service to our guests. When problems do arise, they are
empowered to take responsibility and do whatever they can to make it
right. On the rare occasion that this does not occur, we strongly
encourage our customers to contact us directly so we can correct the
situation immediately.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to address this issue with you. We
hope this information has been helpful.
Sincerely,
American Girl Customer Service
I’m not trying to play the bully, but might I remind you that consumerism and brand marketing is part of our culture! I’m not saying that the stylist was right for her judgment call, but look at similar big name shops. You can’t bring other merchandise to Desiel or Seven for all mankind to be altered or personalized. The PS3 is not for everyone, its a computer for “hard-core gamers!” Starbucks only hires 5% of applicants to become your cherished baristas! So if all of this is common knowledge, why should American Girl bend their rules for one girl. Again, it should have been dealt with a bit more disretion, and I’m sorry that it hapenned.
i wouldn’t want my child to own a Real Doll anyway. and by that, i mean the most amazing sex doll ever created (according to people i’ve never met).
Wow…New Yorkers are always arrogantly proclaiming how their city is the greatest on earth. Sounds to me like they’re just a bunch of elitist @sshats. I’m sure those mothers in the line went home in their SUV’s afterwards and told all their Stepford Wife buddies the story over a nice bowl of Vicodin.
You people really need to start reading some of this woman’s other blogs. So far this morning I’ve read about her cleaning lady, the VCR in her minivan, her trips to a spa (without the kids) and to Ireland (with the kids), summer camps, kitchen renovations on the Brooklyn brownstone she and her husband purchased, and an expensive nit-picker. And we’re supposed to believe that this kid is wearing thrift-shop clothes? Give me a break. The stylist told the woman and Etta that she couldn’t do the doll’s hair. The woman probably got pissed and caused a scene while Etta stood there crying. The other moms probably started saying nasty things because the woman was holding up the line. I see it all the time.
According to the blog, Etta is the one who chose to buy the Target doll rather than the AG doll. So even if the stylist was rude, she wasn’t telling Etta anything that she didn’t already know…her doll was NOT a real AG doll.
This mentality is why I have chosen not to have a child of my own.
If you’ve been to the Grove lately, you know about the American Girl Doll phenomenon: 7 year old girls dragging around $86 dolls with matching clothing that sells for about $80 per outfit for the girl (and $25 per outfit for the doll).
This incident is really sad to me, as a girl who grew up really loving the American Girl dolls. But alas, I outgrew them before Mattel took over, so I cannot comment on how the company must have changed in the turnover. I did have a real doll,(along with plenty of fake ones) but I was also born to a family that wasn’t about to spend money on things they could make themselves, so my mother and my grandparents painstakingly made all the furniture and clothes for my dolls themselves. they would try their best to copy it so it looked like the things in the catalogue, but I was always aware where the items came from, and I have to say that it never bothered me. To a little girl who loves her dolls, she is just happy to spend hours dressing and undressing them, combing their hair, then putting them to bed over and over. she doesn’t care about the brand names. Since when was it about brand names, anyway? I always thought American Girl was about letting a child be a child, teaching her something in the process (after all, all the books I remember had historical themes) and giving her a lifelong love of reading and learning and creativity. If this isn’t what it is about, what is it?
When I first heard they were opening the American Girl place, I really wanted to go, even though I think I was a bit too old by that point. I still might have liked to have gone at some point, if it wasn’t for this article. Now, I’m really rather disappointed that AGP isn’t the heaven I thought it was. Shame on you, Mattel, for breaking a child’s heart, making her cry and shaming her for no reason other than your own selfishness and materialistic motives. Is that what we are trying to teach our children? Is this how we want them to see the world? If that is your anthem, I know my child is never going to have a new doll from you. She can have my old dolls, which are thankfully still in good condition, and the beautiful outfits and furniture my family made with tender LOVING care. At least my child will always know what is really important in this life. thank you.
Good site to “vent” but I can do without the vulgar language in ome posts! Shame on American Girl for refusing to do the dolls hair. Her Mommy should have slapped the store clerk in the face for causing that little girl to cry and be humiliated in front of her friends. She deserved nothing less. I buy My Twinn dolls now and they are prettier and less expensive! Shame Shame! Barbie
I am a little shocked over people being so angry with American Girl. I think the mom needs to accept a little more responsibility. If your Chevrolet car breaks, do you take it to Ford to fix it?? I can see where American Girl would not want to do anything to someone else’s doll…AG has tested the hair and what they are using and know it is safe on their dolls. Go to Build-A-Bear and I bet they won’t repair a stuffed animal that is not one of theirs! This MOM should have known better or should have checked….sounds like she puts an awful lot of responsibility on her 6-year-old in the letter!
I really hate that people feel how they do about American Girl…they really are not much different than many other companies out there. Look at the cars some buy….take into consideration jeans. Everything has a cheap version and an expensive one that is way over priced. Consumers have the freedom to make choices. American Girl is a very successful company which tells me plenty of people have made the choice to buy there. And I am sure there are plenty of kids who can’t afford an American Girl….welcome to life! Most of us can’t afford BMW’s so should they stop making them? I am sure there are lots of families out there who have no problem with the American Girl price. If you can’t afford it, trust me this isn’t going to be the only thing in life you can’t afford. But don’t knock the place because others can and do.
If the stylist really said things the way the lady claims, that was rude and at the most AG needs to find a new stylist. Mom was mad and then rehashing this in her email so you have to really wonder if it was said the way she indicates. If we had been there, I think some of us might have a slightly different version about how things took place (and this might account for her opinion of other’s responses as well). There is no greater wrath than that of a mother bear protecting her cub!
I make my granddaughters dolls from muslin and calico. I hand-sew the yarn hair onto their heads. I draw the faces with fabric markers. This doesn’t make them any less “real” than a $90 doll. In fact, the store-bought dolls sit on the shelf while the rag dolls get played with all the time. I can make a doll and 25 outfits with bloomers, lace, ruffles and ribbons for less than the price of that one doll, and I’ll bet she lasts longer.
This is about keeping up with the Joneses just as much as buying the latest vehicle with a DVD player to pacify the kids so you don’t have to talk to them, and buying them a computer system to teach them ABCs and colors so you don’t have to do it yourself. We’ve become a society far more concerned with what we own than who we are, and it’s sad.
While I feel for the child in question, I’d not have even considered allowing a child of mine to go to that store. Instead, I’d have spent some time teaching her why that kind of thing is a waste of money and educating her on more responsible use of finances.
But then again, I’m horribly old-fashioned…after all, I make my grandchildren dolls and pajamas and pillowcases, just like I did for my own kids.
Wow! Is this true? Some heads need to roll. If I were this girl’s mom, I would have taken my child by the hand and told her gently that we were going somewhere civilized. That is, if I could have resisted the overwhelming urge to bitch-slap the bunch of whores and tell them what pathetic excuses for parents they all were. Some people obviously confuse the propensity for shelling out heaps of money for useless material crap with true human worth. This story reminds me of when I used to wait tables and the 4 wealthy women at the table were admiring the gaudy new diamond bracelet one was wearing that probably cost as much as my house. She says, “someone asked me if it was real–I mean, why would anyone wear FAKE jewelry?” They all laugh haughtily. I swear I am not making this up. Then one of them, noticing my proximity, says patronizingly, “Well, So-and-So, some people can’t AFFORD real jewelry.” Did I mention how hideous this bracelet was? Oh, they also made sure they didn’t leave a penny more than 15% at the end of all this. But I’m a grown woman and this is a little girl. Makes me want to send back that doll I just ordered–covered in vomit, because I think I’m gonna hurl.
I’m curious… the reaction of the mother who took Etta to the store is missing in the blog. Did she stand up for Etta? Did she demand an apology from the stylist and the other mothers who were imparting their elitist opinions to Etta? Did she insist on speaking with a manager?
I’m not talking about rude confrontations, but firmly expressing disappointment at the way the adults were acting.
When my children’s friends are with me, I am their proxy-parent. I care for them like my own and their feelings and physical comfort are my utmost priority. I have been fortunate in my 25 years of parenting to never have had an experience like this one.
Actually, I misspoke. It is the good fortune of the person(s) who would be heartless enough to make a target of any child (or a person of any age) with me.
Just wanted to add to the discussion on the little girl who’s doll was refused at the AGP Doll Hair Salon…. As a former doll hair stylist (and customer service associate and trainer) I can tell you two things 1)The stylists are NOT allowed to do hair services on non-AG dolls. Reason? We know what the AG dolls hair is made of and have been trained on how to work with it. The same can not be said for other dolls. And 2) The stylist obviously did NOT explain properly the reasoning for saying “no”. I experienced this situation MANY times during my time with AGP-Chicago, and I can tell you, I never let a little girl walk away upset. I may not have been able to style her doll’s hair, but I certainly could give her a “facial” (the doll skin cleaner works on ANY plastic doll) and I could also certainly put pretty ribbons in her doll’s hair…. and maybe in the girl’s hair to match. Don’t judge all AGP associates on ONE associate’s bad behavior!
When I worked at Joanne’s a mother was preparing for her daughter’s America Girl themed birthday where the girls bring their dolls. I asked her what if an invited girl didn’t have a doll. The blank bemused look on her face was priceless.
Wow. My daughter has an American Girl and I am a single mother who can barely afford to shop in their store. I do live in Atlanta and I did take her and spent over $30.00 for a pair of earrings, shoes and purse for her. Anyway, I was just online at Americangirl.com looking for a few things for her birthday and ran across this website. I will no longer be purchasing from them. I feel horrible for the little girl. There are always exceptions that one could make and this seems to be one of those times.
I am disappointed all the little girls want an “American” girl doll which is not made in America. Just like all of the other dolls they are made in China or elsewhere. They are very expensive as are their clothes, etc. I wish this was all over the news in this hard economic time so they would move production to the US and employ americans. The children are brainwashed to think they are better or special but there is no special craftmanship, etc. just the name.
I have purchased these in the past to please my daughters but feel they are nothing special.
My 6 year old daughter is in love with a 30 dollar target doll, her name is Rahel and she’s from Ethiopia. Part of the proceeds from her sale are donated to WorldVision. The Rahel doll and the other 11 dolls all have backstories and are beautiful and well-made. My daughter was first attracted to the Rahel doll because they looked alike. She was hooked by the backstory and enjoyed learning about Ethiopia. She was also very taken with the idea of helping others and it gave us an opening to talk about being thankful for what we have and our responsibility to help others. Not too bad for a fake doll.