Lowe's Pro Member Faces Racial Profiling at Checkout: 'I Never Even Had a Chance to Swipe My Card'

A Chicago TikTok content creator experienced racial profiling at Lowe's, despite being a regular customer for over five years.

The Incident at Lowe's

Posting to her platform on December 20, Ce (@ce.loveee2), a real estate manager, described an incident where a Lowe's employee implied she was trying to "commit fraud." The manager went to Lowe's to gather materials for her properties, spending $17,000 at one location and $800 at another. At the second store, an employee allegedly prevented her from using her credit card and blocked her transactions for over 10 minutes. Ce had to call her credit card company to confirm there was no issue with her card. As soon as she did, they let her use the card to make the purchase with little to no issue.

Ce posted five different videos exploring the situation, with the first part garnering over 16,000 views. Many commenters agreed that the employee deliberately discriminated against Ce and that managers didn't appropriately address the situation.

Alleged Discrimination During Purchase

Ce went inside Lowe's to get jackets as gifts for her contractors and family members, totaling $824. She used her Lowe's credit card, which had a $68,000 limit. The day before, she had spent $17,000, leaving $51,000 available, as confirmed with a Lowe's representative.

When Ce walked over to the register, she noticed her cashier quietly speak to another employee—presumably a manager. The cashier then tried to help ring up the transaction, but every time she tried to swipe the card, the machine read, "Please wait." Ce recounted that she was never able to fully swipe her card, feeling as though the employee was deliberately stopping the machine from processing the purchase.

The employee told her it must be the "system" or her credit card. Ce tried to swipe the card multiple times, but the employee allegedly continued delaying the purchase. Frustrated, she called a Lowe's representative on speakerphone to confirm she had enough money and no reason for delay. Despite this, the employee allegedly denied the purchase, so Ce asked for a manager and accused Lowe's of racial profiling.

Manager Intervention

Ce explained the situation to a manager, who spoke with the credit card company representative. The manager then said they would proceed with the transaction. Ce expressed her frustration: "I told him my story like, you know, I've been a valued customer with Lowe's. I should never have to experience this. I should never have to sit here and call my card company because I got racial profiled."

She pointed out that she spent $17,000 at another Lowe's location without issue, reinforcing her belief of racial profiling. The manager allowed Ce to swipe her card, and it immediately approved. "It went through because my card was never declined," Ce said. "They never even let me get to the point to swipe my card, OK? Because every time I tried to swipe it, the little card system will say, please wait. They was pressing the system. They was pressing something, a cancel button, whatever buttons they have in the system."

@ce.loveee2: I can't believe this was my real experience, but since it was, I'm taking it all the way. I emailed the CEO. I'm leaving a review. And I'm speaking up. You cannot prejudge someone. You cannot racially profile someone because they're spending money and assume they're doing something illegal. I'm a Lowe's Pro member and a value customer for over five years. My card never declined. I had available funds. Yet I was forced to call Lowe's customer service in front of the entire store just to prove my purchase was valid, while everyone else was allowed to check out without issue. That was humiliating. That was unacceptable. And yes, I'm pissed. This is bigger than a transaction. This is about how Black women are treated when we walk into spaces we can afford. #loweshomeimprovement #racialprofiling #discrimination #fyp #lowes

Taking Action Against Lowe's

In a third video, Ce clarified she will be taking action against Lowe's. "You should never have to come in a store when you have valued customer and have to call your card because they are profiling you for spending $800," Ce said.

She mentioned messaging Lowe's corporate email and exploring legal options. Ce posted videos proving tension during the transaction, with employees claiming card issues. She noticed a man checked out without issue before her. "Everyone in the store was able to come and get what they wanted and check out but me," Ce said.

After seeing the evidence, commenters concluded the employee likely deliberately prevented her purchase due to racial profiling. One commenter said, "They did that on purpose. When they are not sure about the purchase they won't click the continue button and tell the customer it's their card. Oldest trick in the book." Others agreed, noting people of color often face scrutiny for medium-to-large purchases despite having the income.

The Mary Sue reached out to Ce and Lowe's via email for comment.