Unfortunately, many of these really outrageous stories turn out to be false.

I can imagine this happening perhaps in a small store in a conservative rural town. But Whole Foods in Austin? Really?

This seems a bit over the top. Watching the pastor's body language when questioned about why he didn't notice the slur in the store made me think right away that he's remembering his lines, not what happened. Plus, why would you request two words in an arc across the top of the cake and leave the center blank? Something just doesn't add up.

I hope the proper parties are exposed, and the others vindicated, whatever happened here.

Nor Whole Foods for that matter. It is, after all, a company owned by a union-busting, Obama-hating RWNJ.

If you're not from Texas, you won't get us. There are all sorts of hateful people lurking around the areas that, from the surface, may look like a transplanted Portlandia, but in truth are projecting out their inner demons with outward acts of hostility.

And then there are places like Fort Worth, the original Cowtown USA, and here in Houston where you'll find accepting, GLBT-friendly businesses and neighborhoods where you'd least expect it. We're complex that way. I think most humans are.

I can see how this happened, actually. Guy orders a cake by phone and a hateful, insecure employee there writes the slur on the order form out of a disgust deeply rooted in his own self loathing (and yes, I'm assuming it's a guy who did this). Then, when the order is handed off to the baker or cake decorator, this next employee shrugs and follows directions thinking, "Well, I guess it's okay and empowering when they call themselves those slurs."

Next thing you know, a once-loyal customer is being accidentally harassed by his once-favorite grocery store. Best case scenario is the victim here wakes up and starts shopping at Trader Joe's instead.

I don't think of Whole Foods as a progressive company. I know it's not.

Likewise, I'm aware that there are assholes even in Austin.

But employees of great big corporations usually don't do things this blatant. They'd get fired.

that's WF's flag ship store. It's gi-normous. that aside.

I have very close contacts with several people who work with whole foods.

the whole foods of old no longer exists and hasn't existed for about 12 years.

they aren't the "nature friendly" place that it once was. and it's certainly isn't staffed by "hippies" that are all "peace and love", those days are long since gone.

I have been to several of their company store parties and I can tell you from first hand experience, there are a lot of jerks that work at WFs.

I don't think of Whole Paycheck as anything but a ginormous profit machine. I'm well aware that it's not progressive.

That's why I'm so skeptical of this story. An employee of a big giant profit-making machine wouldn't do this - too easy to get fired.

it appears as if the pastor was trying to pull a fast one. they found video of him paying for the cake.

If I had to bet money, I'd bet the pastor wrote it himself.

I wish people wouldn't do this.

he said he watched this guy's youtube video showing the box that contained the cake was still sealed and he had the receipt.

when the cake was picked up from the bakery is totally beyond my comprehension. Who doesn't look at a customized cake upon purchase??

It's right in the middle of the fucking cake and there's a clear cellophane cover. And those stickers can be peeled back and reattached.

I'm calling bullshit.

I hope he's not lying. That would be deplorable.

But... it strikes me as strange that he says he saw what was written on the cake when he got in his vehicle. And yet he called the store instead of going right back in there? There at least needs to be a justification of that in his story. Something along the lines of "I was so shocked/afraid/upset that I went straight home."

And, oddly, he doesn't even say he called the store. He said "I attempted to call."

The edge is jagged, the body is wrinkled.

The added word has straighter lines and bigger bloops of icing.

And the color? Close, but not close enough.

"Our team member wrote “Love Wins” at the top of the cake as requested by the guest, and that’s exactly how the cake was packaged and sold at the store. Our team members do not accept or design bakery orders that include language or images that are offensive. Whole Foods Market has a zero tolerance policy for discrimination. We stand behind our bakery team member, who is part of the LGBTQ community, and the additional team members from the store, who confirmed the cake was decorated with only the message “Love Wins.”

http://www.houstonpress.com/news/whole-foods-accused-of-baking-homophobic-cake-for-texas-pastor-8334340

The store must be pretty confident - probably a manager checks outgoing orders.

Also, who picked up the cake? Wouldn't they have seen it? When was this reported to the store?

PS: Looked at the pic provided in the link in the thread. The *gay slur* looks like it was written differently - the bead is different.

And there is no way you wouldn't notice that in the store. This isn't plausible. Someone is hoping for free publicity/quick buck.

Finally, even pretending that the man got out of the store and only noticed it when he put the cake in his car. Why wouldn't he go back right then? He didn't even have to take ten minutes - just dump the cake on a manager and tell them he wanted his money back.

This is bull.

I have an idea about what did happen, but it is pretty slanderous so I will keep it to myself.

they always open the box and show me the cake before I pay for it. They want you to be pleased with the work they've done. I doubt whole foods is any different from most bakeries. I'm glad they are going to sue this guy.

it was probably a mistake of some sort.

Ironic

Sounds likely.

As if it weren't evident from the photo posted by the fraudster that the slur was written separately with a different decorating tool:
http://www.statesman.com/news/business/whole-foods-taking-legal-action-against-cake-accus/nq7qt/

frauds like this make it harder for real victims of injustice

I am not saying that the accusation against the store is not wrong, but I was thinking about how the employees felt and what they experienced.

To target innocent people with such disregard for their fates is really a bad, bad act.

Not only do they hire gay employees, they allow employees to add their domestic partners to their health insurance.

are nine times out of ten working a number.

There's lots and lots and lots to dislike about Whole Foods, but this claim seemed ridiculous. Problems with Whole Foods are corporate, not people working for hourly wages. Like you, when I hear clergy, I look for the smoking gun.

Completely different box from what the "victim" showed in his upload. He made it up. And now WF is suing him for fraud.