What would be a normal stop to pick up an online order at a Home Deport in Winnipeg has turned into an incident involving a security guard and an investigation.
On Oct. 1, Calvin Nepinak and Jennifer Chartrand went to the store in the city’s north end to pick up a door they had ordered.
According to the couple, they walked in and stopped to look at some Halloween decorations and snow blowers and were approached by a security guard.
“He says, ‘What are you doing here? What do you want?’” says Nepinak. “I said, ‘Excuse me?’ That’s exactly what I said, ‘Excuse me?’ And he said, ‘What are you doing here? What do you want?’ And I said, ‘I’m here to pick up an online order.’
“This guy came up to us and he’s like almost attacking Calvin,” said Chartrand in the video.
“It’s racial profiling – that’s exactly what it is,” Nepinak told APTN News.
Chartrand says she started to record the event on her cell phone about a minute after initial interaction. According to Chartrand, the guard also recorded them while they were trying to resolve the incident at the customer service desk.
“I heard these stories go terrible, you know?” says Chartrand. “I fumbled for my phone and instantly went live.”
In the end, they were told by the security guard to leave the store without their purchase.
“I’m afraid,” says Chartrand. “We were completely humiliated. Absolutely. I felt like a criminal.”
APTN reached out to Home Depot. According to the company, an investigation is underway.
“We take these matters seriously,” says the statement. “The actions of the third party security guard involved were unacceptbable and did not align with our values. Customer service, respect and safety are always a priority. The security guard is no longer at this store.”
APTN also reached out to Toro Security in Winnipeg but no one was made available to speak after numerous attempts from APTN.
“There are other places where we can spend our money,” says Nepinak. “And we’ve done a lot of business over the years.”
Home Depot also said they offered Nepinak and Chartrand their online order for free along with free delivery to their home.
The company official added that the couple was offered a Home Depot gift card for the trouble they experienced.
The couple said they declined and did not accept the offer.
