People are sharing photos of products that are sold predominantly to Black customers locked in cases to call out stores for systemic racis...
People are sharing photos of products that are sold predominantly to Black customers locked in cases to call out stores for systemic racism, and the backlash has prompted Walmart to announce it would stop the practice.
Jesús A. RodrÃguez took to Twitter on Monday to share side-by-side images that show how the multicultural haircare products are stored behind glass that needs to be unlocked by a store employee while other generic shampoos and conditioners are left out in the open on the shelves.
'It’s more than just the police,' he captioned the now-viral post, which has been retweeted nearly 200,000 times.
Systemic racism: Jesús A. RodrÃguez took to Twitter on Monday to share side-by-side images that show how multicultural products are stored in locked cases versus generic products
Damaging practice: One Twitter user noted that the implication is that store owners expect Black people to steal
Blatant: Another person tweeted images to show that one store put anti-shoplifting tags on concealer for darker skin tones but not on the lighter shades
'Anyone else realize Walmart first put cameras near the “ethnic” products before the rest of the beauty products of was it just me,' one person responded to RodrÃguez's tweet.
'The products that are locked. and chained up are the ones that specifically targeted at natural black hair; implication being that the store owners expect black people to steal hair products,' someone else commented.
RodrÃguez's example of bias against BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) inspired others to share similar photos in the thread.
One person tweeted images to show that one store put anti-shoplifting tags on concealer for darker skin tones but not on the lighter shades.
Hard to handle: Someone else pointed out that the products aren't even expensive
Infuriating: One person tweeted a photo of hair care product for Black men being the only one in anti-theft casing
Making a change: Walmart announced on Wednesday that it would end the practice
'This was in 2018, at Walmart in my very white hometown,' the woman noted.
After coming under fire for racial discrimination, Walmart announced on Wednesday that it would end the practice.
The mega-retailer also reached out to RodrÃguez on Twitter, writing: 'Jesús, we’re sensitive to the issue and understand your concerns. We have made the decision to discontinue placing multicultural hair care and beauty products in locked cases. This practice was recently in about a dozen of our 4,700 stores nationwide.'
In 2018, a California woman accused Walmart of implementing extra security measures on products marketed toward Black people and sued for discrimination. The lawsuit was dropped last year.
Ongoing problem: One person shared a link to a DailyMail.com story about Target shoppers accusing the retailer of racial discrimination in November
Say what? Someone else shared a snapshot of laundry detergent locked up in cases, though it's unclear where the picture was taken
Outraged: One person pointed out that a pregnancy test with a Spanish translation costs more than one without at CVS
'As a retailer serving millions of customers every day from diverse backgrounds, Walmart does not tolerate discrimination of any kind,' Lorenzo Lopez, a Walmart spokesman, told the New York Times in an email.
He said that certain items were locked up at a limited number of Walmart locations to 'deter shoplifters from some products such as electronics, automotive, cosmetics and other personal care products,' noting that other retailers have similar practices.
'We’re sensitive to the issue and understand the concerns raised by our customers and members of the community and have made the decision to discontinue placing multicultural hair care and beauty products — a practice in place in about a dozen of our 4,700 stores nationwide — in locked cases,' he wrote.
Walmart wasn't the only store that was accused of racial discrimination in the Twitter thread, however,
Out of sight: Another woman shared a video of the sunscreen aisle at her local Target to show how the 'Black girl sunscreen' was hidden behind a pillar
Not just America: One person shared a photo that shows a white baby doll cost $1 more than a Black one at a Canadian thrift store
One person shared a link to a DailyMail.com story about Target shoppers accusing the retailer of racial discrimination in November.
The company was slammed online after someone tweeted a photo showing only the darkest shades of Elf Cosmetics foundations marked with anti-theft stickers at one of the store's locations.
Another woman shared a video of the sunscreen aisle at her local Target to show how the 'Black girl sunscreen' was hidden behind a pillar despite there being ample space on the shelves.
CVS and Walgreens are also among the stores that have been criticized for locking up products sold to Black people.
Comments: Some people argued that stores lock up items that are frequently stolen, prompting others to point out that it is also an example of systemic racism
In the Twitter thread started by RodrÃguez, one person pointed out that a pregnancy test with a Spanish translation costs more than one without at CVS.
'If you're looking for a pregnancy test at CVS, the ones with Spanish translation cost 50 cents more for no observable reason!!!' the woman tweeted. 'I compared the boxes and the features and the only difference truly is the Spanish translation.'
Some people argued that stores lock up items that are frequently stolen, prompting others to point out that it is also an example of systemic racism.
'Let's acknowledge that the issue is not the stores locking up high theft products, but why those products are high theft.' one person wrote. 'They are frequently stolen because people can't afford them, right? Why can't people afford them? They live in disadvantaged communities.'
'I worked at a retail store that just opened that did this. The reasoning is not (as some people keep saying) "because these items have been stolen, so they do it to prevent further theft." This is done EXPLICITLY to keep black people from shopping in these stores,' someone else clapped back.
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