Intersections of Race and Gender in Navigating Racialized Retail Environments

• In Event: Consumption and Inequality

Abstract

Retail environments are commonly framed as neutral spaces of commerce and leisure, yet for many Black consumers they function as sites of racialized social control. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 23 middle-class Black women and 20 middle-class Black men, this study examines the cognitive, emotional, and strategic labor involved in navigating retail racism. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we analyze how Black shoppers seek to prevent, identify, interpret, and respond to racialized mistreatment, and how these processes are shaped by gender. Findings show that Black shoppers engage in continual strategic decision-making about where and how to shop. Participants described avoiding certain stores, particularly upscale or predominantly white retail environments, and modifying shopping behaviors to reduce scrutiny. Both women and men reported attending to their appearance as a routine strategy to counter suspicion, though men were more likely to reference avoiding specific items, such as hoodies, because of their association with threat. Participants also described carefully evaluating whether they were being racially profiled by drawing on contextual cues, including clerks’ demeanor, patterns of surveillance, and whether white shoppers received similar treatment. After assessing mistreatment, participants weighed whether and how to respond, emphasizing that no single “go-to” strategy exists. Women frequently referenced the “angry Black woman” controlling image as shaping decisions to withhold confrontation, whereas men emphasized managing anger and avoiding confrontation to avoid escalation and possible criminalization. Pragmatic considerations, such as time invested in shopping and the need for essential items, further shaped responses. Participants’ strategic actions—including resisting, withdrawing, and confronting—functioned to protect dignity, challenge imposed narratives, educate others, and punish racism. Overall, the study highlights the extensive invisible labor Black shoppers perform and demonstrates that agency in retail spaces operates not as unrestricted freedom but as the deliberate, gendered navigation of a racialized social landscape.

Authors

• Stacy De Coster, North Carolina State University

• Martha Crowley, North Carolina State University

• Eucharia Nkem Ozoemenam, North Carolina State University

• Mahabuba Islam Meem, North Carolina State University