The Philippine ambassador to New Zealand has called for a boycott of donuts retailer Krispy Kreme after a Filipino woman was denied entry to its Manukau store on Wednesday because she is a foreign national.
Accusing the American-based multinational of engaging in racial profiling, Jesus Domingo said on Facebook it should be renamed KKK — Krispy Kreme for Kiwis only — for turning the woman away.
“How do we determine what makes a Kiwi? I would have no complaints if everyone’s passports were being checked, but this sounds like this is a simple case of racial discrimination,” he said.
The unnamed women was queuing with her boyfriend Christopher Smith, 30, at the opening of the first New Zealand Krispy Kreme store when the incident occurred, News Hub reported. Free donuts were being handed out to early customers as part of a promotional offer.
Smith said they arrived at 2.30am, but were stunned when a security guard asked his girlfriend if she was a New Zealand citizen. When she answered that she wasn’t, the guard said “she has to go, she has to go”. The woman went and sat in their car for more than five hours. “I’m not a citizen here, I didn’t have the right to fight,” she explained.
Smith said at least three other people were turned away because they were not New Zealanders. “It’s just donuts,” he said.
Krispy Kreme Australia and NZ chief executive said Andrew McGuigan said in a statement the woman was probably refused entry because only New Zealanders were eligible to win prizes in a competition run during the promotional period.
“When running a competition, we typically apply standard terms and conditions, which stipulate entry is open only to residents of the specific country where the competition is running,” he said.
“We understand New Zealand has a wonderful and diverse population. In hindsight, it was a lapse in judgment to apply our standard T&Cs. We are in the process of reaching out to them to rectify the situation.”
The company’s regional marketing manager, Russell Schulman, accepted that Krispy Kreme had no legal right to evict customers purely because they were foreigners. He said the woman should have been allowed in even if she was not eligible for the competition.
“It may be just a tired security guard being a little over-zealous potentially,” Schulman suggested.
Damaged had been done already to our kababayan who was treated second class citizen. KK donuts for boycott specially here in the Philippines.
Reason unacceptable.. Were calling filipino and other people to boycot crispy creame. Its not just a guard… They just following orders buts its crispy cream .. Nothing more
Filipinos here in our country are morons..idiots…full of shit.. if they do patronize this dont nuts…..Pres Duterte must do what he did to Kuwait..its a similar case ng pagyapak sa mga Pilipino..
To rectify the incidents no alibi should be accepted as an excuse to justify what is not right. If they believe that it was not right, all they have to do is to make amendment to the victim. So simple as that.
No kk anymore…
australians and new zealanders may deny that they’re racist, but you can feel it in the way they look at you and talk to you.
totally unacceptable. 100% gonna boycott KK here in PH.
I agree it was wrong to apply American standards in New Zealand but as a kiwi living in the Philippines a regularly experience racisum for example many tours here have a disscount for Philippinos. Also my Philippino wife has to purchase almost all the things we buy as the prices are always higher if I ask. Another huge difference is a Philippino living in N Z for five years can apply for residency and and recieve many benifits and after ten years can apply for cidizenship and recieve all the rights and benifits of any other New Zealander while here in the Philippines I am only considered as an alian and can never become a citizen. Philippino’s in NZ can own land here only my wife can own land here so yes it was wrong but your own country as every country in the world has some rasist asspects so don’t be so quick to judge others.
ikaw lang yan, hehe.
As a New Zealander living in the Philippines I assure you I feel the same from many but not all Philippino’s. Sadly racisum exsists everywhere.
Wow, to dougnuts to president duterte? May maipost at makapag english lang. Binsa mo ba article?
Guarantee they didn’t turn away any ‘Kiwis’ of British or Pacific Island origin, because there are many, and the British, in particular, are embraced as fellow ‘Kiwis’ virtually from the day they arrive.