The Salience of Race in Everyday Life

Abstract

This article focuses on Black customers' shopping experiences in both Black and White neighborhoods, drawing on 75 in-depth interviews of Black shoppers in New York City and Philadelphia. Previous research focuses on the prejudicial attitudes of the business owners in predominantly Black neighborhoods, yet none of the studies include the customers' views. Customers report that most merchant-customer interactions in Black neighborhoods are positive rather than negative, and more poignantly, Blacks are treated worse when they shop in predominantly White neighborhoods. Black customers respond to the negative treatment by wearing their class, but this is no guarantee that they will be treated fairly.