Kelly Clarkson’s $15,000 bird feud with a Brooklyn shop shows why winning the argument can cost you customers
Source: Fortune ·
Art of Play may have the facts on its side. A marketing professor says that’s not what onlookers are judging.
From the source
A $15,000 mechanical bird, an unhappy celebrity customer and a Brooklyn small business defending its side of the story have turned an ordinary shopping dispute into a viral feud. In a post on X Saturday, singer Kelly Clarkson said she got the Pretty Woman treatment at Art of Play, a curiosity shop in Brooklyn Heights. She said a staffer looked at her as if she “couldn’t afford” the mechanical bird she wanted to buy. How a shopping trip turned into a public feud The store responded on Instagram that the bird Clarkson had her eye on, a singing and dancing automaton named Molly, is permanently attached to the wall, plays a role in the store’s magic shows and isn’t for sale. It acknowledged that Clarkson’s experience would resonate with anyone who has felt judged in a shop, and said visitors are welcome whether they buy anything or not. The statement then struck a more aggrieved tone. The store said it had been “suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store” and…