Posted Sept. 23, 2005 – Oprah Winfrey wanted to set the record straight about her summer feud with luxury store Hermes's Paris boutique and she did just that on the new season of her TV show.
Halfway through Monday's premiere of The Oprah Winfrey show, she addressed the June incident, in which she was denied entry after arriving at the posh store 15 minutes after closing time, even though others continued shopping inside.
Winfrey told her audience that she did not have a hissy fit because she was turned away merely because she wanted to shop.
"Shame on anybody for thinking that I was upset for not being able to get into a clothes store and buy a purse," she said. "I was upset because one person at the store was so rude. Not the whole company."
The talk show host extraordinaire invited Hermes USA president and CEO Robert Chavez to the show to clear the air. She ever so sweetly demanded a public apology for the incident.
"I would like to say we're really sorry," says Chavez "You did meet up with one very, very rigid staff person."
With Oprah's prompting, Chavez amended, "Rigid and rude, I am sure."
Winfrey said she wasn't playing "the celebrity card" and that she knew "the difference between the store being closed and the store being closed to me," The Associated Press reports.
Nevertheless, Winfrey complimented Hermes on its handling of the incident, including "sensitivity training" for employees, and urged viewers to again buy Hermes products.
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