Kelly Clarkson vs the New York shop that wouldn’t sell her a bird

The dispute between singer Kelly Clarkson and Brooklyn's Art of Play store emerged when Clarkson claimed she was condescendingly treated while inquiring about a high-priced singing bird automaton.

The store clarified the item was part of their magic show displays and not for sale, expressing surprise at the backlash from her social media followers.

Clarkson, defending small businesses but criticizing poor customer treatment, countered with evidence of the displayed price while reactions on social media divided between supporting Clarkson and defending the small business.

Art of Play expressed a desire to resolve the misunderstanding amicably.

NEW YORK, Oct 12 — A singing, dancing bird automaton has landed US singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson in a very public standoff with a Brooklyn shop, and social media users are split over who is in the right.

The row began last Saturday, when the singer, 44, posted on X that she had driven to Art of Play, a store selling home goods, puzzles, games, toys and books, with a few things in mind to buy.

Instead, she wrote, she “literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it”, and was told the shop could find something comparable for her.

She then urged her followers to visit the shop if they enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character Vivian in the 1990 rom-com Pretty Woman .

The post has since racked up over 39.9 million views.

Clarkson, who moved to New York City in the autumn of 2023, said the piece she wanted, titled Singing Bird, had a price tag of US$15,000 (RM61,300), and that she had been told it was for sale at that price.

Art of Play responded the next day on Instagram, saying she had asked about buying Molly, a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton that features in the magic shows the shop hosts.

“Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale,” the shop wrote.

It added that the “negative experience” Clarkson described would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop, and stressed that it welcomes browsers and buyers alike.

The shop also said it was taken aback by the online fallout.

“Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store.”

Clarkson hit back on Sunday through a sarcastic Instagram Stories post, saying the conversation she had about the price tag was now being brushed aside as something that never happened.

She also shared a grainy photo that apparently showed the item hanging on the wall with a price tag beside it.

“So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it,” she wrote.

The singer said she supports small businesses, having tried to spend money in one, but argued that “you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business”.

She added that she rarely blasts people, called the store cool and said its owner was not.

Online, some X users accused Clarkson of using her fame to go after a small business over one employee’s behaviour.

“A small business does not need a mega bully,” one X user posted under the handle @usebigears.

Others rallied behind the singer, with one user, @megakunt1, arguing that the shop’s staff were at fault because “they assumed she couldn’t afford it” even though the price was clearly displayed.

A few users went further, predicting that an employee at the store would lose their job over the incident.

Art of Play struck a calmer note, thanking supporters, welcoming the curious and saying it planned to keep a low profile.

“Hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday,” the shop said, before borrowing a line from her hit Stronger ( What Doesn’t Kill You ).

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歌手凯莉·克拉克森与布鲁克林的“玩乐艺术”商店之间的纠纷源于克拉克森声称，她在询问一款价格昂贵的会唱歌的自动鸟时受到了居高临下的对待。

商店澄清说，该物品是他们魔术表演的展示品，并不出售，并对她在社交媒体上的粉丝的强烈反对表示惊讶。

克拉克森为小企业辩护，但批评了小企业糟糕的客户服务，并拿出了标价的证据进行反驳。社交媒体上的反应则分为支持克拉克森和支持小企业两派。

Art of Play 表示希望友好地解决误会。

纽约，10 月 12 日——一个会唱歌跳舞的鸟形自动装置让美国歌手兼脱口秀主持人凯莉·克拉克森与布鲁克林一家商店陷入了公开的对峙，社交媒体用户对谁对谁错意见不一。

这场争执始于上周六，当时这位 44 岁的歌手在 X 上发帖称，她开车去了 Art of Play 商店，这家商店出售家居用品、拼图、游戏、玩具和书籍，她打算买一些东西。

她写道，相反，她“感觉自己好像买不起”，并被告知商店可以帮她找到类似的商品。

然后，她敦促她的粉丝们，如果他们喜欢像 1990 年浪漫喜剧《漂亮女人》中朱莉娅·罗伯茨饰演的薇薇安那样被对待，就去这家店逛逛。

该帖子目前已获得超过 3990 万次浏览。

克拉克森于 2023 年秋季搬到纽约市，她说她想要的那件名为《歌唱的鸟》的作品标价 15,000 美元（61,300 令吉），而且有人告诉她这件作品就是以这个价格出售的。

Art of Play 第二天在 Instagram 上回应说，她询问的是购买 Molly，这是一个独一无二的会唱歌跳舞的鸟形自动装置，是该店举办的魔术表演中的特色。

“莫莉是永久固定在墙上的，不出售，”商店写道。

声明还表示，克拉克森所描述的“负面经历”会引起任何在商店里感到被评判的人的共鸣，并强调该店欢迎顾客和买家光临。

该商店还表示，他们对网上引发的轩然大波感到措手不及。

“想象一下，当我们的小店突然遭到800万从未光顾过我们店铺的人的攻击时，我们有多么惊讶。”

克拉克森周日在 Instagram Stories 上发布了一条讽刺意味十足的帖子进行反击，称她之前关于价格标签的对话现在被轻描淡写地忽略了，仿佛从未发生过一样。

她还分享了一张模糊的照片，照片显示该物品挂在墙上，旁边贴着价格标签。

“所以你不仅粗鲁，还是个骗子。明白了。”她写道。

这位歌手表示她支持小企业，因为她曾尝试在小企业消费，但她认为“你不能因为自己是小企业就可以区别对待顾客”。

她还补充说，她很少公开批评别人，称这家店很酷，但店主却不酷。

在网上，一些X用户指责克拉克森利用自己的名气，因为一名员工的行为而攻击一家小企业。

“小企业不需要超级恶霸，”一位X用户在账号@usebigears下发帖说。

其他人则声援这位歌手，其中一位用户 @megakunt1 认为，商店员工有错，因为“他们以为她买不起”，尽管价格已经明确标明。

一些用户甚至预测，该商店的一名员工会因为这起事件而丢掉工作。

Art of Play 的语气则较为平静，他们感谢支持者，欢迎好奇的人们，并表示计划保持低调。

“希望有一天我们能和凯莉把事情说清楚，”商店说道，然后借用了她热门歌曲《Stronger》（《What Doesn't Kill You》）中的一句歌词。

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