Unpredictable. Unfocused. Just like life.

Like you, when I first read the blog, I felt pretty bad for the little girl. But then I thought about my own experiences at AG Place in NYC. I've gone there with my daughters, with dolls and without dolls, dressed nicely and dressed not-so-nicely, and we've always been treated well. The customers are a mix of New Yorkers and tourists, and the employees are a mix of ages and ethnicities.

It's important to read the whole blog entry, not just the blurbs posted on Consumerist. In the original blog, the mom states that the little girl chose to buy a Target doll rather than an American Girl doll. So the stylist, even if she was rude (and I honestly doubt she was), wasn't telling Etta something she didn't already know. She knows her doll is NOT an American Girl doll. If the doll was refused service, the mother/guardian could have handled it better: ask for a manager, or take the girl to a different department and let her spend her money on AG books or accessories. Furthermore, it's completely understandable that they only style the hair of AG dolls. If they damage the hair, they can easily replace the doll on the spot. However, if they damage another brand, then the child/parent will be upset, and there will be all kinds of issues regarding replacement.

I decided to read some of the mom's other blog entries, since she makes it seem like her family is impoverished and can only afford thrift-store clothing. But her other blogs mention her cleaning lady, the VCR in her minivan, expensive summer camps, a trip to a spa, trips to Ireland and Italy with her kids, kitchen and facade renovations on the brownstone she purchased, and the expensive nit-picker she hired when her kids got lice. So she's not as poor as her letter implies.

It's interesting that the mother tells us exactly what the stylist said and did, and exactly what the other moms said and did, but she does not tell us what she (or the adult accompanying Etta) said and did. If this incident really did occur, I imagine it went something like this: The stylist refused service on the doll. The woman argued with the stylist while the girl cried. The other moms got annoyed because the woman was causing a scene and holding up the line, so they made some rude comments to the woman.

Don't boycott AG because of this story. Even if it did occur, it's an isolated incident involving one employee and a few customers. Not all AG owners are the stereotype: rich, snobby, elitist. Some of us prefer to save up our hard-earned money to buy quality dolls with wholesome historical stories. I'd rather buy one AG doll than a handful of Bratz dolls.