Oprah

[Butterbun]

a billionaire, went into a store in Zurich and asked the shop assistant to show her a handbag worth £24.000.00. Shop assistant refused telling her that she couldn't afford it.

[FredPuli43]

Good salesmen can smell money and sales. A Zurich store will have such staff. A prize example: My uncle was the scruffiest man you could imagine, but only he was invited out of the crowd at the Aston Martin stand at the Motor Show. The old salesman suspected correctly that he was the only man in the crowd who could write out a cheque for one (or two) without blinking, and was the kind who would buy such a car; correct again, for he had, in his youth, bought a 1948 Triumph roadster off the stand, number one of the model. He was that type of bloke.

No sales assistant would really make such a bad judgment on a handbag sale, though I can't imagine what bag it was; vintage Hermes in crocodile doesn't fetch more than £10k. More likely is that it was in a locked cabinet and Oprah got a bit huffy.

[Mrsspagnoli57]

Storm in the proverbial. Hasn't Oprah a movie out soon ????? Publicity stunt.

[aelmpvw]

she's a billionaire ... i don't think she's overconcerned about the success of her next movie

[237SJ]

Fred - looks like it was a Tom Ford bag

[naomi24]

I remember reading a story about Michael Caine when he first became wealthy. He went to a salesroom intending to buy an expensive car, and upon hearing the Cockney accent, the salesman told him to go away.

[FredPuli43]

Having seen the version Oprah gives, it's nonsense to say it was racist, not that Oprah says it was. True that there aren't many blacks in Switzerland, but those that go into exclusive shops may be wives of despots, with access to vast sums of diverted money, some of it in accounts in Zurich.

Though I must say that some junior staff are remarkably reluctant to shift themselves to sell anything. However, they are found much closer to home, and cheaper.

[naomi24]

It is odd, because when you go into shops that sell items as expensive as that handbag, you get first class service. I know she said she didn't have her eyelashes on - but I'm sure she would have been shown the handbag even if the saleslady hadn't let it out of her grip.

Maybe it is a publicity stunt for the new movie. Even with all her riches, she no doubt wants it to be a success.

[FredPuli43]

A Tom Ford bag? They don't cost more than two grand normally. Mind, if you want to find something which is ten times the price of the normal product, Geneva and Zurich are the places to go. It is quite extraordinary. I'm in Geneva every Christmas . Geneva toy shops' idea of a model train as a Christmas present for the lad is one that costs over £200 for one wagon

[DaisyNonna]

Bought a lovely bag for £1.99 from Oxfam.

[aelmpvw]

hope it was a Tom Ford Daisy

[DaisyNonna]

Have no idea who Tom Ford is.
Definitely unfazed by fashion.

[EDDIE51]

Anyone smell ''free publicity''here I do. Oprah has been a bit 'under the radar' recently now she is front page news again. No such thing as bad publicity.
I am reminded of the story of the Rolls Royce showroom in Mayfair, a very scruffy looking man with a carrier bag asked to test drive the newest 'Roller' he was told to' fluff off' . The next day the showroom got a call from the Bentley showroom down the road. The 'scruffy' man was an eccentric millionaire . he had the full cash price for a new Rolls Royce in the carrier bag, but bought a Bentley when the Rolls showroom told him to f off.

[237SJ]

My friend who was wearing ripped jeans and a jumper went into a shop in Bluewater and asked the assistant how much a particular handbag was. It was in a sale and the assistant told her the price. My friend then pointed to a £400 bag and the assistant didn`t tell her the price but just rather sniffily said "That one isn`t in the sale". My friend said "I`ll take it and can you please make sure you wrap it nicely". Very satisfying.

[EDDIE51]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/swiss-introduce-apartheidlike-restrictions-local-authorities-ban-asylum-seekers-from-public-places-8750765.html
Yet you think 'asylum seekers' are not popular in England? Oprah is renowned for looking somewhat scruffy in public they probably thought she was an asylum seeker , Switzerland has the highest % of asylum seekers in Europe and they are not popular.

[EDDIE51]

On an aside how can any handbag be worth £24,000 ? or even £1,000 ?

[Cloverjo]

Following on from 237SJ's post, I was in a fairly expensive(for me) clothes shop once. I had been looking at the sale rail and then went on to the regular priced stuff. The sales assistant rushed up to me and said "these aren't in the sale you know". So humiliating. I wish I'd thought of a witty retort, or just bought something. Instead I just said ok, hung around for a minute longer pretending to browse and then slunk off.

[stokemaveric]

my mrs has 2 of those handbags in the cupboard..

[LyndaB]

Well I can only say that even if I won the euro millions I would not pay £24,000 for a handbag, and I think that anyone who would needs locking up!

Oprah has a film in the offing? Well I never!!!!!!

[ludwig]

// I had been looking at the sale rail and then went on to the regular priced stuff. The sales assistant rushed up to me and said "these aren't in the sale you know" //

It sounds like she/he was trying to be helpful cloverjo.

The more I think about it. 24K for a bag. It seems wrong, and I don't mean inaccurate, I just mean wrong.

[FredPuli43]

Wouldn't you just love to have the money, while looking ordinary, to get your own back on snooty staff? David Robinson looked very ordinary. He used to have the same seat in a hotel restaurant. One day he went in and was told that he couldn't have it because a firm of estate agents had it for every day to do business and he would understand. He understood all right. Next time he went in, he got the same answer from the snooty manager. And his answer to that? "You're sacked", He had gone out and bought the hotel!

Mr Robinson is the reason there is a Robinson College in Cambridge University. He paid for it. There are some people who it doesn't pay to be snooty to !