Kelly Clarkson has taken her complaint about the game store Art of Play to social media, and the shop has answered back more than once. Vulture reported that the dispute centers on a mechanical bird and on whether she was treated fairly when she asked about it.
Clarkson's account
Clarkson wrote on Twitter that she made a special trip to the store, expecting to buy a few things. She said an employee looked her over as though she could not pay, then offered to find something comparable. She called him an idiot and said the store had lost a big sale.
After the shop replied, she pushed back. She said she had pointed to a price tag on the wall reading Singing Bird, and that she was told the piece cost $15,000. Her verdict, per Vulture: "So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it."
The store's response
Art of Play's first Instagram post said the bird, an automaton called Molly, is fixed to the wall and not for sale. It neither confirmed nor denied Clarkson's version of events, but said her described experience would sound familiar to anyone who has felt judged in a shop. The store also said it was hit by a flood of criticism from millions of people who had never visited, and it closed with a line borrowed from one of Clarkson's own songs.
The second post, dated October 12, gave more detail. The store said Clarkson spent about five minutes inside and asked about Molly, which it described as an unofficial mascot. It said a nearly identical machine belongs to its maker, an artist named Bliss Kolb, who would part with it for $15,000. The store added that it offered to show her another singing bird, made by a traditional clockmaking shop, at roughly $2,000, and that she left before seeing it.
Where it stands
The accounts differ on whether a price was quoted for a bird that is not for sale, though both sides mention the $15,000 figure. Art of Play says it has contacted Clarkson in hopes of laughing the matter off. Vulture noted that a resolution looks unlikely if the exchange keeps going.
Reporting sources: Vulture, “Why Is Kelly Clarkson Beefing With a Brooklyn Game Store?”.