A black woman in Alabama shared a video complaining after a nail salon allegedly asked her and another black companion to pay upfront before receiving any service.
The woman shared a video with her companion outside the nail salon after the incident. She claimed that the salon was called Nail Pro and was located in Montgomery. The woman said that when they arrived at the salon, employees allegedly asked them to pay before receiving any service. “We don’t even roll like that at all,” she said.
The woman then claimed that the employee who made the request added, “we love black people.” Despite the comment, the woman believed that they were being asked to pay upfront because they were black. “No, it’s cause we’re black,” she said. She then added that the salon would not be getting their business or money because of the request.
The woman continued describing the situation, claiming that an older woman was inside the salon at the same time and was not asked to pay before receiving her service. She said the salon workers explained that this was because the woman was a regular customer. The request ultimately led the woman and her companion to leave and get their nails done at another salon.
Businesses, including nail salons, may require customers to pay before receiving a service as a way to protect themselves from people who leave without paying or otherwise fail to settle their bills. However, these policies can become controversial when customers believe they are being enforced differently based on race.
If black customers are required to pay upfront while other customers are allowed to receive services first, some may view the practice as discriminatory and believe race played a role in how the policy was applied. At the same time, businesses may argue that upfront payment is simply a precaution against potential nonpayment and is not motivated by racial bias. This distinction became central to the Alabama woman’s complaint, as she believed the salon’s payment request was connected to her race.
Viewers Side With Alabama Nail Salon Over Payment First Request
The video sparked reactions online. Many viewers sided with the Alabama nail salon over its alleged decision to ask the black woman to pay before receiving service. Some commenters said they believed more businesses should adopt similar policies. “I hope every establishment starts to do this,” one person wrote. Another commenter interpreted the woman’s complaint as suggesting that she may not have intended to pay. “This gives ‘I was not going to pay’ energy,” they wrote.
More people continued defending the salon. Some argued that businesses may change their payment policies after repeatedly dealing with customers who fail to pay. “They’re tired of not getting paid and being abused. How is that hard to understand?” one person wrote. Another added, “When you get stiffed for the bill too many times then you change your policies.” Someone else said, “too many of you guys don’t pay and that’s the real problem, my daddy always said the only people that will have a problem with your boundaries are people whom wants to benefit from you having none! I say make everybody pay before ANY service, too many snakes outthere.”
The video sparked a broader conversation about businesses requiring customers to pay before receiving services. It also led to debate over whether such policies should be viewed as racially motivated. That’s when they appear to be applied differently to certain customers. Others argued that they could simply be seen as a precaution businesses can use to protect themselves from potential nonpayment.
