Walmart says it will stop locking up black haircare products
Published 11:06 pm Thursday, June 11, 2020
In a move to end a practice that underscores institutional racism, global retailer Walmart says it will stop keeping black haircare products behind lock and key.
While many white Walmart customers may have never noticed, a small number of Walmart locations placed the hair products typically used by blacks in locked cases while on a nearby aisle traditionally white products were on open shelves.
“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,” Walmart said in a statement.
A Walmart customer sued over the issues a couple of years ago, claiming racial discrimination. The company then said the store merchandised items that were more likely to be stolen differently than items less likely to be taken.