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Have you ever gone to a store ready to spend all your hard-earned money only to be disappointed because the salespeople chose to ignore you and entertained other people instead? You are not alone. Even Filipino celebrities experience the same treatment, especially when shopping in foreign countries. That’s what happened to Regine Velasquez – yep, Asia’s Songbird herself – when she went to a luxury store in New York City.
In her latest “vlang” (short for “video lang”, as husband Ogie Alcasid calls it), the celebrity mom gave a tour of the couple’s walk-in closet, including a peek of her many, many pairs of branded shoes. One of her favorite pairs from Louis Vuitton, which she bought almost two decades ago, had an interesting story behind it.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWShe starts, “I went to New York, kasi nandun ‘yung pinaka-malaking Louis Vuitton – hindi pa kami nung asawa ko to – so mga 2001 or 2002 siguro. Anyway, I went to New York to find this particular [pair] of shoes. I was so excited kasi tour ‘yun e. I couldn’t wait to get to New York to get these freaking shoes!”
The moment Regine stepped into the store, she already saw the shoes on display. But she was immediately told there was no stock in her size.
“Sa umpisa pa lang sinabi kaagad sa’kin wala akong size. Hindi ako binilhan [binentahan],” she shares. “Sabi ko, ‘Can I at least try them on?’ Sabi nung guy, ‘Uh, no.’ Nadiscriminate agad ang lola ninyo, so na-depress ako ng very, very light.”
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Regine says this Louis Vuitton pair is part of the brand's runway collection and is a limited edition.PHOTO BY Regine Velasquez/YoutubeCONTINUE READING BELOWwatch nowDisappointed that she was not able to get the pair she wanted, Regine walked out and went to the boutique opposite of Louis Vuitton – which turned out to be Neiman Marcus, a luxury department store – and looked for other pairs of shoes to buy.
“Nagwala ako dun. Ang ending ko, ang inuwi ko ay 20 pairs of shoes,” she shares. “Kasi na-depress ako. Again, I was being discriminated.”
While other shoppers were being assisted in Neiman Marcus, Regine was ignored yet again. Finally, a salesperson approached her to ask if she needed help. “Parang naiiyak na ako, ‘Yes, I need help!’ So lahat ng tinuro ko, binili ko talaga,” the Songbird shares.
She adds, “So ang happy niya, super happy siya. Samantalang ‘yung mga bwisit na ibang nandon [the other salespeople who ignored her], nagtitinginan sila kasi ‘yung ibang nag-susukat dun, wala namang binili, te!”
But the story does not end there. After paying for the 20 pairs of shoes, Regine went back to Louis Vuitton. “Nung marami na akong bitbit, pinapasok ako sa Louis Vuitton at nabili ko siya,” the mom shares. “Yan ang story ng Louis Vuitton shoes na ito."
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOWWhile other women would have let the incident slip, or just forego buying the shoes altogether, Regine bought that particular pair not only because she really wanted it, but because she wanted to prove a point.
She says, “I don’t think you should feel bad kapag na-di-discriminate ka. You go back and kick some ass!”
You go, momma!
Watch the full video below (her story starts at the 11-minute mark) and wait ‘til the end because the Songbird has a special surprise for her fans!
Have you ever felt discriminated or judged while out shopping? Share it with us in the comments!
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