Rick Hilton Ticks off Cartier

While Paris Hilton’s high-profile bad behavior has broughther international acclaim, her father Rick Hiltonseems to lack the Midas touch of turning personal obnoxiousness into celebritygold. According to a source who spotted the reality show paterfamiliasat the Cartier flagship store in Manhattan Monday afternoon, Hilton left patronsand staff there appalled at his bad manners.

“I was sitting next to him on the sofa, and he had this very arrogantposture, with his ankle over his knee and his arm slung over his chair while hetalked loudly on his cell phone,” says our source, who was waiting to pickup a watch. “I knew I knew him from somewhere, and then a young womanfrom Cartier approached him, saying, ‘Hilton! Hilton! Mr. Hilton!’He didn’t move, he didn’t acknowledge anybody, he just kept gabbingon his cell phone, saying, ‘I don’t know why I kept this watch, Iliked the other one I had.’ Yap, yap, yap.”

We’re told that when customers complained and asked the clerk if theycould be helped while the flush-faced 50-year-old hotel heir chatted away onhis phone, “She said, ‘Oh, I have to take care of Mr. Hilton,’and kind of rolled her eyes.” Visibly annoyed, the clerk called out,“Mr. Hilton!” and he closed his phone and “went up to takecare of whatever business he had to take care of.”

As soon as Hilton left, the clerk turned to our source and cracked, “Ohwell, I guess you can’t buy class.”

Called for comment, an employee at the Cartier store on Fifth Avenue and 52ndStreet said she did not recall the incident. Hilton could not be reached bypress time.