The way a white two-year-old girl handled an unexpected interaction with a Target employee when she bought a black doll has caught the attention of thousands of people online after the employee allegedly asked if the girl would like a doll that looked more like her.
Sophia, 2, has just reached a new milestone in her life: she learned to use the potty. Her mother, Brandi Benner, had told Sophia that if she was able to use the potty, she could “pick out a special prize at Target.”
“I told her that if she had no accidents and no diapers for a whole month, she could pick out a big prize,” Benner told NBC affiliate, WCNC news.
Brenner said she had an idea what her daughter was going to choose as her gift.
“Whenever she gets to pick out a present on her own, she picks a doll almost every time,” Benner said.
That’s because Sophia loves dolls, explained her mom. In fact, Sophia has dolls of every size and shade, and tons of dress-up clothing to go with them. But even with all she has, Sophia’s favourite is a doctor’s coat.
“I get checkups at least five times a day,” Benner joked to WCNC. “I get shots daily.”
That’s why when Sophia saw a black doctor doll at Target, she decided she wanted it. She even named her Megan.
When the family went up to the cash to purchase the toy however, the reaction from the cashier shocked Benner.
In a Facebook post, Benner claimed that the cashier asked Sophia if she was going to a birthday party, to which Benner said ‘No,’ and explained to the employee that the doll was her daughter’s prize for potty training.
“The woman gave me a puzzled look and turned to Sophia and asked, ‘Are you sure this is the doll you want, honey?’ Sophia finally found her voice and said, ‘Yes, please!’ The cashier replied, ‘But she doesn’t look like you. We have lots of other dolls that look more like you,’” wrote Benner in the online post.
Benner said she became angry and was deciding what to say back to the cashier when Sophia responded.
“Yes, she does. She’s a doctor like I’m a doctor. And I’m a pretty girl and she’s a pretty girl. See her pretty hair? And see her stethoscope?”
According to Benner, the cashier dropped the issue.
After posting about the incident online, Benner said she just believes the cashier – which WCNC described as an “older lady” – is of a different generation.
“I don’t believe she was doing it to be malicious,” said Benner.
Even so, Benner said she’s proud of her daughter.
“We could attack and go negative because of what she said, but my daughter just responded in love and that’s the heart of all of it.”
Global News has reached out to Target but did not receive a response upon posting of this article.
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