A vintage clothing shop in Savannah, Georgia has come under fire after they posted a Facebook promotion that stated they would require white customers to pay a $20 refundable deposit when they book an appointment to shop at the store, but they are waiving this fee for "BIPOC" (Black, indigenous, and people of color) customers.
Civvies on Broughton, which is known for its elaborate collection of recycled clothing, posted the viral promotion announcing their reopening plans, including their racial guidelines.
"As a mostly white staff with white ownership, we do not feel comfortable upholding a digital and financial barrier which could prohibit BIPOC from shopping at our store at this time on top of the limitations already made by online booking," the post read.
If white customers could not pay the $20 deposit, they could contact management to "discuss other options."
However, if white customers simply refused to pay the deposit because of ethical reasons they would "not be accepted for an appointment."
Civvies received major blowback for the post, with some even threatening legal action against the discriminatory policy.
"Most of the feedback about our decision to waive this refundable deposit is racist because it favors Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color," store manager Raine Blunk told local outlet WJCL.
The shop released a statement to social media to address the controversy that followed the announcement.
"It was not our intention to act in any way that might be perceived as discriminatory and we apologize," said the post.
The statement also confirmed the original posts have been deleted.
In June, Civvies encouraged its customers to donate to bail funds nationwide.