Zendaya Accuses Cashier Of Being Racist

Zendaya didn't take it lightly when an allegedly racist cashier was rude to her on Sept. 6, 2016. The Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) starlet and an unnamed male buddy went off on a Von's clerk in a series of Snapchat videos.

Zendaya snapped, "So we just got out of this Von's. Now I am trying to buy a lot of gift cards...but the lady that was helping us...I don't think she was a fan of our skin tone." Her friend quipped, "Not at all! She was rude."

Zendaya, 19, continued, "In fact, I recall her not trying to help us at all, saying she couldn't help us all, saying that we couldn't buy the gift cards, and throwing my wallet...I just can't make this s**t up. This is the s**t we deal with." Her pal added, "Because we're black."

Zendaya held her wallet to the camera and explained, "[The cashier] tossed it, with my cards still loose. My cards were loose, so my card fell on the scanner, and she was about to scan the next person! She was like, 'You can't afford this,' is how she looked at me." The incredulous actress scoffed, "It was $400! Long story short, there's so much progress to be done in our world...It's all love. Maybe she went on to have a wonderful life."

However, a rep for Von's told TMZ the cashier didn't refuse to help Zendaya because of race, but because the store has a policy limiting the amount that can be used on a credit card to purchase gift cards. The limit is $200, and since Zendaya was purchasing $400 worth of gift cards, the manager needed to make a special accommodation for the purchase to go through.

It isn't the first time Zendaya has considered herself a victim of racism and called someone out. When she rocked dreadlocks to the Oscars in 2015, Fashion Police host Giuliana Rancic came under fire for saying Zendaya seemed to "smell like patchouli oil or weed."

Zendaya responded to Rancic's commentary on Instagram, writing, "To say that an 18-year-old young woman with locs must smell of patchouli oil or 'weed' is not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive. I don't usually feel the need to respond to negative things but certain remarks cannot go unchecked...I suggest some people should listen to India Arie's 'I Am Not My Hair' and contemplate a little before opening your mouth so quickly to judge."