A little more than 10 years ago, I had quit my chaplaincy and I needed to make some money. So I signed up at every temp agency in town.

The first one sent me to basically do some electronic filing at the Chanel Store on Michigan Avenue. $7 an hour, I think.

I showed up in my vintage thrift store suit and my Hair Cuttery 'do and they quickly shoved me into the back room.

I was taught how to answer the phone and take messages and make coffee and where to hang up the lovely fur coats of their customers.

In between all that, they showed me the f*cked up computer they were using. That thing was as messed up as it could be and I started my actual assignment - organizing all their data and making back-ups.

At one point, they had me fetch a coat. "Hurry!" the woman snapped at me. "It's for OPRAH WINFREY!"

So I scurried, and the moment I got to the door that opened to the sales floor, the woman ripped the thing from my hands. But not before Oprah smiled at me for a nanosecond.

Afterwards, the boss lady came back and shouted. Was I an idiot? She demanded. Did I not understand the savoir-fair that is Chanel? I was not to be SEEN by customers. I was to reach just the coat through the door.

About 10 minutes later, the phone rang. It was Oprah Winfrey. She had left her sunglasses on the counter, and she was having her limo turn around. Oprah asked me my name, and I told her, and she asked if I could run the sunglasses out.

I told her the manager should do it.

She sighed and asked was there anyone else who was available?

I really felt for Oprah, there. I'd only spent 3 minutes with the manager and it was already obvious to me that she was quite the b*tch.

So when the limo pulled up a few minutes later, I quietly slipped the sunglasses to Oprah's driver. Oprah called out "Thank you, Elizabeth!" from the back.

Then I walked over to the Walgreens on some errand. But my ruse hadn't helped me, the manager came running back to scream at me the moment I returned.

Only the MANAGER spoke to Ms. Winfrey, you see. How DARE I speak to Ms. Winfrey? How DARE I not immediately inform the manager that Ms. Winfrey would be returning to Chanel?

I was fired on the spot.

As I walked down the sidewalk towards the bus stop, one of the sales associates came running up to me. She had a little Chanel shopping bag full of samples - perfumes, some make-up, and a giveaway change purse. I remember being extremely touched by her kindness.

I wear Chanel perfume, to this day.

Posted by: Elizabeth at 04:06 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 500 words, total size 3 kb.

1 Bless your heart!!! Hugs to you!!!

Posted by: Azalea at February 25, 2005 10:35 AM (hRxUm)

2 What a great story! Thank you for sharing that.

Posted by: Donna at February 25, 2005 12:02 PM (oCZ1O)

3 What a cool story to have! Thank you for sharing it

Posted by: AGK at February 26, 2005 03:47 AM (EN7LL)

4 Yay Elizabeth! Yay Oprah! Now when you make your first million you march right back into that Chanel store, get fitted for a suit and have the staff trackdown the asshat manager. If you wish, I can take it from there. Always your fan, Grace

Posted by: GraceD at February 27, 2005 04:12 AM (UgoJv)

5 Oprah TALKED to you? Wow. (Dude, I love Oprah. Sometimes I want to quit my job just so I can watch Oprah and Dr. Phil in the afternoons. LOL.) That was a great story, thanks for sharing it with us!!! Jen

Posted by: Jen_Jake'smom at February 28, 2005 03:38 AM (2/T1v)

6 Me too. Coco. What a great story.

Posted by: Bella Ozfemme at March 01, 2005 12:50 AM (41K2/)

7 That's the Chicago shit I am so glad I left behind. That empty cold bitterness that resides in some of these bitches. They are nothing more than hollow shells who base their image on other people's money. They are worthless human beings! I'm sorry but it is the truth!! It brings back floods of memories of when I'd shop in Oak Brook. I didn't always doll myself up and when I didn't, the sales ladies would literally ignore me, berate me, etc. I learned to feel sorry for them. They were so insecure it was horrifying.

Posted by: Eyes for Lies at March 02, 2005 04:27 AM (QhI+Z)

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