Oprah Winfrey’s net worth is in the billions. The TV talk show host, network owner and magazine publisher has amassed a fortune. She may be the richest African American on the planet, but she’s still black. That was enough for a Swiss sales attendant to deny Oprah Winfrey the chance to look at a $38,000 handbag.

Oprah Winfrey was in Zurich for Tina Turner’s wedding when she spotted the handbag at the store Trois Pommes. Ophrah Winfrey, whose net worth is calculated to be about $2.8 billion and who consistently lands on the Forbes List, was directed away from such a high-ticket item.

The Swiss sales attendant allegedly told Oprah Winfrey, "No. It's too expensive ... You will not be able to afford that.” The handbag cost $38,000.

Oprah Winfrey was videotaped explaining the situation, saying, "I was in Zurich the other day, in a store whose name I will not mention. I didn't have my eyelashes on, but I was in full Oprah Winfrey gear ...I go into a store and I say to the woman, 'Excuse me, may I see the bag right above your head?' and she says to me, 'No. It's too expensive.'" Oprah added, "There's two different ways to handle it. I could've had the whole blow-up thing…but [racism] still exists, of course it does."

Oprah Winfrey has faced discrimination abroad before. Oprah Winfrey was barred from shopping at Hermes in 2005 after she arrived at the store after it closed and the shop owners wouldn’t reopen the doors for her. It was suggested that the French store operators didn’t recognize the media mogul, but it was also speculated that Oprah Winfrey was blocked because she is black. Media speculated that the store would have welcomed a white celebrity.

The BBC explained that Oprah Winfrey doesn’t have much of a media presence in Zurich. Oprah left the store without buying anything. The sales woman lost a huge commission. A spokeswoman for Trois Pommes, Trudie Goetz, says the the whole thing was a “misunderstanding.” Goetz told AFT, "Everyone wants to sell a crocodile bag." She said the saleswoman “explained how beautiful the bag was, then she said, 'Honestly this bag costs 35,000 Swiss francs, but I can show you other versions in ostrich, in pure leather and in velour.'" The saleswoman will not be disciplined.

The Swiss tourism board apologized to the Oprah Winfrey, saying "Switzerland Tourism is deeply sorry to learn about the experience Ms. Winfrey recently had in Switzerland, and we apologize that her feelings were hurt. We would like to assure Ms. Winfrey—like any visitor to Switzerland—that she is welcome with open arms."

Oprah Winfrey took to Twitter to explain the shopping mishap. She tweeted, “Turns out the store clerk did me a favor. Just found out that bag was #38K!!! She was right I was NOT going to buy it."

Oprah still loves Zurich, though. She also tweeted, "Other than the handbag diss. I had a GREAT time in Zurich. Best spa ever @doldergran. Would love to experience again."