A J Houseware & Gifts — Local services in Chicago

Title: Disturbing Incident of Racial Profiling and Unjust Treatment

I had a deeply troubling experience at A J Houseware & Gifts on January 2, 2025, that I feel compelled to share. My daughter and her friend were shopping at this store when they were falsely accused by an employee of stealing. The children were detained, forced to empty their pockets, and not allowed to leave the store. In addition, one of the children was physically pushed out of the store by the employee.

When the police were called, they reviewed the store's surveillance footage and confirmed that the children hadn’t stolen anything. The footage also showed the employee making physical contact with one of the children, which is a misdemeanor. Despite this, the police officers chose not to arrest the employee or take any further action, which left me deeply frustrated and concerned.

What is even more troubling is that I believe this incident was racially motivated. There are numerous reviews and reports from others indicating a pattern of discriminatory treatment at this location, especially towards Black and Brown individuals.

This experience has caused significant emotional distress for my daughter, who now requires therapy to cope with the anxiety from this encounter. It’s heartbreaking to see a business engage in such behavior, and even more so that no action was taken to hold the employee accountable.

If you’ve experienced similar treatment at this business, I strongly encourage you to report it. You can file a complaint with the Chicago Commission on Human Relations for discrimination or with the Office of Inspector General if you believe there was misconduct. Additionally, if you feel your rights have been violated, you may want to contact the ACLU of Illinois for further assistance.

This type of behavior is unacceptable, and we must take a stand to ensure that no one else faces such mistreatment. I hope this review raises awareness and encourages action to prevent others from experiencing what my daughter and her friend...

Visited while in Chicago. Stopped by this place and had an unpleasant experience the owner assumed I don’t speak Chinese and openly talked negatively about me right in front of me. Also bought some Pop Mart toys with the actual logo on them, only to find out they’re fake. Please take action if you also got scammed by these people, because shady businesses like this shouldn’t be allowed to operate. In the meantime, I recommend avoiding this place.

Contact the Brand Directly • Most brands have a department dedicated to dealing with counterfeit products. Look for an official contact email on their website, usually under “Contact Us” or “Report Counterfeits.” • Provide as much detail as possible: store name, address, date of purchase, product details, and photos of the fake items. File a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) • Go to reportfraud.ftc.gov and click “Report Now.” • Choose the relevant category (e.g., “Product or Service” → “Counterfeit goods”). Contact Local Authorities or Consumer Protection Offices • Many states have a consumer protection office you can report to. Search “[Your state] consumer protection office” online to find the contact info. Report to Customs or CBP (if applicable) • If the goods were imported or sold by an overseas vendor, you can also report to U.S. Customs and Border Protection via their e-Allegations online trade violation reporting system. Leave a Public Review • Warn other customers by leaving honest reviews on Google, Yelp, and other...

Took my kids to Chinatown to eat and visit their shops. These people were extremely rude! My daughter wanted some reusable chopsticks, when we went to go pay for everything she grabbed chopsticks and threw them on the counter and said in a rude loud voice “NO, THESE SELL WITH BOWL! YOU WANT SINGLE ONE GET THEM THERE!” And she pointed to an aisle where they had individual chopsticks for sale. My daughter was mortified and embarrassed, because she is very shy and didn’t realize those chopsticks went with a bowl. It was an honest mistake. She told the lady “it’s okay I don’t want any” We ended up spending $379 as we bought several shirts and sweatshirts and other souvenirs to bring back to friends and family. Once we paid, everything was just sitting on the counter. I asked her if she was going to put it in a bag. In a rude tone she said “YOU WANT BAG YOU PAY $1.00 A BAG THEY ARE NOT FREE” so of course we ended up giving her three dollars for 3 bags to fit everything we bought, it was extremely uncomfortable and weird. Makes no sense being that tourists are what keeps their businesses thriving! Our lunch in Chinatown was no different! Definitely will never visit in Chinatown again, I wouldn’t waste your time if you’re thinking...