On Wednesday, Walmart announced that they are doing away with black hair care products under lock and key for about a dozen of its 4,700 stores nationwide.
What We Know:
- The multicultural hair products were under lock and key to take “additional anti-theft measures.” Social justice reform is being called on all over the world, which sparked the concern in Walmart and many retailers across the US have been reevaluating their policies because of this.
“As a retailer serving millions of customers every day from diverse backgrounds, Walmart does not tolerate discrimination of any kind. Like other retailers, the cases were put in place to deter shoplifters from some products such as electronics, automotive, cosmetics, and other personal care products.”
- Essie Grundy, a California resident sued Walmart in 2018 for racial discrimination after multiple visits to a store in Riverside County found “hair and body products meant for African-Americans” locked away, according to her lawsuit.
- In the past, Walmart had said it was up to the managers of the respective stores to decide whether to place items in the glass cases, according to USA Today. Many people were not aware that some Walmart’s had products under lock and key until a tweet by Jesus A. Rodriguez went viral on Twitter on Monday, raising questions about Walmart’s alleged policy of “no discrimination.”
It’s more than just the police. pic.twitter.com/5SUJF8xBtm
— Jesús Rodríguez (@jesusrodriguezb) June 8, 2020
Walmart said it is sensitive to the issue and understands the concerns raised by customers and members of the community, but did not comment further.
