PASADENA, Texas - Getting ready for prom is supposed to be exciting for a teen, however, a Houston mom says she and her son had a heartbreaking experience trying to buy a tuxedo all because he has special needs.
The store in question in the Men’s Wearhouse in Pasadena.
“Yes, he’s different but he’s normal his own way,” said Cynthia Garcia. “His smile says a lot about him.”
For 18-years Cynthia Garcia has tried to make sure her son Jimmy, is treated just like everyone else. He is described as a happy high school senior who’s had to contend with developmental delays.
“He doesn’t talk,” explained Garcia, “He is nonverbal and he’s not able to walk.”
Garcia wants Jimmy to have memorable experiences before he graduates high school and for a senior, that means prom. So, last Thursday they went to the Men’s Warehouse in Pasadena to buy a tuxedo.
“Pulling up I was still like, ‘oh my God! I can’t believe we are about to do this.'”
But Garcia says over their nearly 2 hour experience, that excitement turned into disappointment.
“He was looked at differently. I left there very broken and emotional.”
Garcia says when they arrived they signed Jimmy in then heard his name called.
“Then my husband wheeled him around the rack and he [the salesman] kind of just took a glance. But the glance wasn’t like, ‘I’m going to come back to help you’, it was like, ‘oh my God.’”
Garcia says they were told to wait but when a hour went by and others behind them were taken care of, she grew frustrated. Eventually, a store manager ushered them into a dressing room with a suit but never came back to see if it fit or offer measurements, according to Garcia.
Eventually, the family left empty handed.
Off camera, a store manager said during prom season the average wait time is an hour and a half and Garcia’s wait time wasn’t unusual. However, Garcia doesn’t think that was Jimmy’s case.
“No, I don’t believe that. People were in and out in 15 or 20 minutes,” said Garcia.
Men’s Warehouse corporate offices offered Garcia a $100 voucher and apologized for the experience via email, however, Garcia says that offer just isn’t enough.
“I want to know that that store manager is talked to. I want to know that those employees are trained the right way. He’s a person just like everybody else,” said Garcia.