A clothing store chain is catching a lot of flak online after it responded to a recent theft at one of its chain stores in Westlake, Ohio. The store then issued an apology, which wasn’t well received on Facebook, with many people condemning the store.
The original post appeared on Facebook, posted by Once Upon a Child’s official account. However, it was saved by numerous people online, then shared on reviews, social media, and even commented on by TikTok creators such as Joe Anybody.
In the original post, Once Upon a Child had learned of a theft—a pair of children’s shoes. Left behind were the child’s old Frozen-branded shoes, which had big holes in the front.
Once Upon a Child stated it was a “small, locally owned business” and that theft “has a real impact on us.” The store, however, is part of a chain of over 400 stores; it is by no means a ‘small’ business.
“Whoever did this has until closing on Tuesday to return our shoes,” the store stated, adding that if the shoes weren’t returned, they would “consider posting the footage to identify the person responsible.”
Westlake’s Once Upon a Child then issued an apology online. The store rolled back their initial post, stating it had been done “out of frustration and emotion” and their intent was not to make someone feel “uncomfortable or judged.”
The store then thanked the community, stating they would be “open” to a fund that would “help pay it forward to others.” In the edits, the store initially wrote that the fund would be used to “help offset losses from situations like theft.”
However, the response online was less than ideal. Many had a hard time accepting the apology on Facebook and made their ire known.
The apology backfires on Facebook: ‘The way your apology is worded shows you still don’t understand’
Many outright condemned Once Upon a Child, arguing the apology wasn’t good enough and that it ultimately hurt the brand. Facebook user Sara Myers Fischer took a more cynical view of the apology: “Damage control, that’s what this is,” she wrote on Facebook. Others saw this as a wasted opportunity for the store to do something good for its community.
One Facebook user didn’t seem to make the same connection as everyone else and instead wanted to drive the conversation towards accountability:
“Why do we assume someone stealing is always desperate? Why can’t we also consider that some people just make bad decisions without considering others? Not condoning the behaviour of the store but also saying can we stop pretending thieves are just misunderstood and do not need to be held accountable?”
-Lorraine Lowry, Facebook
This created a comment thread on her post, with several Facebook users asking if she actually saw the state of the original shoes. She said she did.
Luckily, there were kinder hearts in the comments, too. Facebook user Angela Fowl wondered if Once Upon a Child couldn’t “create a box of free shoes,” specifically for shoes the store passes on.
Another commenter, Jacquelyn Gibson, offered a similar solution, but with a fund. This would lessen the odds of shoes being stolen. “The way your apology is worded shows you still don’t understand,” she added on Facebook.
Comments continued to roll in, some from the community and some as far as Canada. Few defended Once Upon a Child. It was otherwise seen as a tone-deaf response to struggling parents.
