Taipei 101 store suspends saleswoman amid discrimination allegations

Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) A Japanese footwear brand has apologized and suspended an employee at its Taipei 101 store who was accused of discrimination after she allegedly told a Vietnamese customer that the shoes she had asked to try on were "very expensive," and then proceeded to ignore her.

In a social media post on Sunday, a Taiwanese netizen said the incident occurred on Saturday, when a Vietnamese migrant worker she knows asked to try on a pair of shoes at the Onitsuka Tiger store in Taipei 101.

According to the post, the saleswoman replied in a disrespectful tone that the shoes were "very expensive," and then ignored her until the customer asked again, to which she curtly replied, "we don't have a size 37."

"I think it's unbelievable that there is still this kind of racial discrimination in 2026," the post's author said, noting that Taipei 101, particularly, is often full of foreign tourists.

Taipei 101 Chairperson Janet Chia (賈永婕) replied to the post later on Sunday, thanking its author and vowing to look into the incident.

As it came under growing scrutiny on Monday, Onitsuka Tiger issued a statement offering its "sincerest apologies" for the "recent incident."

The footwear brand said it had suspended the employee in question pending an internal investigation, and promised to take strict measures, including possible termination, if the accusations are substantiated.

As of Monday afternoon, the post making the accusations had attracted over 24,000 likes and 1,000 replies on Threads, which is widely used in Taiwan.

According to its website, Onitsuka Tiger has 10 stores in Taiwan. Most of its shoes sell for between NT$4,000 (US$126) and NT$8,000 a pair.