I used to like Macy’s -- bought a couple of shirts there last month.  While admittedly my knowledge of fashion is virtually nonexistent (I am colorblind and work in IT, enough said), I always did feel like that company could be relied upon to have upbeat, well-organized stores with the latest merchandise.  And their parades are fun and exciting, minus the commentary from the contemptible left-biased lapdogs on the Today Show.  Macy’s even seemed to me to go above and beyond in hiring and cultivating the best people for their sales floors.  Looks turned out to be deceiving.

Macy’s is now the most visible example of a company who falls very short on their stated commitment to hire military veterans.  A 21-year old Army Specialist named Kayla Reyes recently interviewed for a sales position at a Macy’s store in Fresno, California.  Having served in Afghanistan, and being a female with a minority background, you would think Reyes would not only be high on the candidate list, but would be a virtual no-brainer.  You would be wrong.

The woman who interviewed Reyes allegedly told her that service overseas disqualified her for the people-oriented nature of retail sales.That really stuck in my craw.  So, if customers get in the face of a salesperson, the response requires a delicacy of which war veterans are incapable? Not only is this discrimination and a clear violation of Macy’s commitment to veterans, it is a ridiculous claim on its face.  Macy’s is selling clothing and housewares, not pacifist placards.  Who knew that Code Pink bought their spray-painted “No Peace, No P_ssy”  t-shirts at Macy’s?

Dana Loesch interviewed Reyes during the second hour of her April 1 radio show (podcasts available here). Reyes told Loesch that this woman touted her own 15-year stint in this job.  Setting aside the fact that 15 years in the same retail job is a rather dubious distinction, would it not have been prudent to involve another authority in a human resources capacity, especially given that company’s stated belief in the value of hiring veterans?  If this woman has a personal problem with veterans, she could easily give input and make the actual hiring someone else’s decision.  Instead her shortsightedness and, by extension that of Macy’s, has gone viral and has reached people like me.

My family members know me as someone who will write off businesses if their leaders make me mad.  For instance, I cut up my CostCo membership card in 2012 when their CEO stumped for Obama, then hypocritically issued dividends early to avoid Obama’s 2013 tax hike. And I cannot even count the number of Hollywood shills whose movies are now off limits, at least until they are in the bargain bins.  It is starting to hit home, though.  My mother, whom I love dearly, is a big fan of Macy’s, and has given me countless beautiful shirts and sweaters purchased there.  I certainly will not ask her to join me in this boycott.

All Macy’s needs to do is admit wrongdoing.  Instead they prefer to repeat the same nonapology reiterating their bogus commitment to veterans.  One wonders if competitors like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom’s, and Dillard’s are salivating and issuing employee directives as we speak.

Marco Milaneci is an IT Compliance program manager in the semiconductor industry and can be reached at mmblog [at] austin.rr.com.