Walmart Ends Policy of Keeping 'Multicultural' Products
in Locked Display Cases

Practice was used in about a dozen of Walmart's 4,700 U.S. stores

  

Walmart to stop keeping 'multicultural' beauty products in locked display cases
Retailer previously claimed locked products have higher theft rates

Walmart Inc will stop keeping personal care products designed for people of color in locked display cases, the retailer said, after the practice drew flak online with many saying it suggested customers for these products cannot be trusted.

“We have made the decision to discontinue placing multicultural hair care and beauty products in locked cases,” the company said in an email statement on Wednesday.

Walmart said the practice was in place in about a dozen of its 4,700 stores in the United States and the cases were in place to deter shoplifters from products such as electronics, automotive, cosmetics and other personal care products.

The criticism of the retailer comes at a time when the United States has been rocked by protests against racial discrimination, following the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, on May 25.

The change in Walmart's policy was prompted by a June 8 CBS News report that a Walmart customer had complained of the practice being discriminatory against people of color, while visiting a store in the city of Denver.

“The multi-cultural hair care is all locked behind the glass. That’s so ridiculous,” Lauren Epps, a black woman was quoted as saying in the report.

Walmart customer Judah Bell said she once asked a Walmart employee why they kept those products under lock and key and was told that those products have higher theft rates, but was not presented with any data to support that. Walmart confirmed to NBC News that the decision to place certain hair and beauty products in cases was based on theft data, and that it varied by market. It would not share that data.

Many companies have issued statements in support of the black community, in addition to setting up funds to fight systematic racism.

Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon has said the company, along with Walmart Foundation, will commit $100 million to create a new center on racial equity.

Walmart isn't alone in facing scrutiny for this practice. Many other personal care stores and national chains such as CVS and Walgreens have been accused of doing this. Walgreens and CVS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.   reuters.com nbcnews.com nytimes.com


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From Yesterday's Daily: Photo of beauty products locked up at supermarket sparks racism debate

From Feb. 2019: Walmart Is Being Accused of Locking Up Only Black Hair Products Again

From Nov. 2019: Target in US called out for racist anti-theft devices on cosmetics
 

Walmart Was Facing Mounting Criticism in the Wake of George Floyd Protests

Original Story Broadcast June 8
Denver Walmart Customer Believes Retailer Discriminates Against People Of Color
A Walmart customer says its location in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood discriminates against people of color after noticing only multicultural hair products locked behind glass in her local store.

Multicultural products are made specifically for textured hair, designed for people of color. Epps says it’s frustrating that women with finer hair get the luxury of browsing and reading product descriptions, while she feels pressured to make an immediate choice.

“I’m the kind of shopper who needs to look at things, read things. It’s awkward because you’re forced in the moment to grab it,” explained Epps. “People don’t realize what we have to go through on a daily basis.”

After Epps waited for an employee to unlock the glass, the employee began to reach for a portable locked case to put the item Epps selected inside.

Epps refused and left the store without purchasing the scarf.

“I’m not going to be shamed into thinking I’m a criminal for just wanting to get a scarf. This is very blatant because the heading above that aisle says ‘Multicultural Hair Care.’ They are saying that people, who are a different culture, need their stuff to be locked up,” said Epps.

Multicultural products locked behind glass have been found in Walmarts throughout Colorado and nationwide.

CBS4 asked Walmart why its entire multicultural hair section in its Montbello location is behind glass. In a statement, a Walmart spokesperson said:

“We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind at Walmart. We serve more than 140 million customers weekly, crossing all demographics, and are focused on meeting their needs while providing the best shopping experience at each store. We’re sensitive to this situation and also understand, like other retailers, that some products such as electronics, automotive, cosmetics and other personal care products are subject to additional security. Those determinations are made on a store-by-store basis.”

Epps pointed out that there are more expensive items that could also be tempting to shoplifters across the aisle.

“They could say these are the most shoplifted items, but you can’t convince me that every single item in there is on their radar,” said Epps.

She says this is another form of implicit bias that people of color experience every day.

“This Walmart is in the heart of Montbello. There are black and brown people all over the place. The message is clear: We don’t trust you,” said Epps, “And it’s for what? Shampoo? There are bigger things that are happening in the world than people wanting to wash and cleanse their hair.” denver.cbslocal.com

Walmart knocked for locking up beauty products for people of color
 

Shoppers Shared Their Frustrations - and Walmart Responded in Real Time

Multiple Walmart customers tweet their frustration with locked up products
Walmart and many other companies have long been criticized for placing products that serve the Black community behind locked cases when whites do not have that kind of barrier when shopping.

Walmart shopper Judah Bell said the process of shopping was often a humiliating experience. “This Walmart is in the heart of Montbello.

There are Black and brown people all over the place. The message is clear: We don’t trust you,” Bell said.

Bell often has to drive 11 minutes to a more affluent area of town where the cases are not locked. They generally are in urban areas.

Walmart even responded to these shoppers on Twitter while announcing that they are officially ending their policy:

Walmart Commits to Addressing Systemic Racism

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon’s Remarks on George Floyd's Death During June 5th Meeting
The murder of George Floyd is tragic, painful, and unacceptable. His death is not an isolated event. We remember Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many other Black Americans who have been killed. It’s important that we all understand that our problems, as a nation, run much deeper than one horrible event. Our nation has failed to fully acknowledge and resolve the root issues. Slavery, lynching, the concept of separate but equal and the other realities from our past have morphed into a set of systems today that are all too often, unjust. That’s why we see so many people mobilized and that’s why we see a diverse group of Americans joining the protest.

Walmart has over 340,000 Black and African American associates in the United States. Over the past few days, I’ve personally heard from many of our associates, leaders and members of the Walmart community. Overwhelmingly, people are hurting. There is an intense sense of pain, fatigue, and frustration. Let me say clearly to our Black and African American associates and communities, we hear you. We see you. I want you to know you are valued. You are loved members of our family. We need you to know you are not hurting alone. That I and others are hurting with you.

Because we want to address systematic racism in society head-on and accelerate change, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committing $100 million to create a new center on racial equity. Through this $100 million commitment, the center will support philanthropic initiatives that align with four key areas: the nation’s financial, healthcare, education, and criminal justice systems.

We’ll approach this work by dedicating teams to identify the places where our business overlaps with these systems and we’ll adjust our practices to positively influence those systems. These four highly focused teams will find the right places to lean in and develop strategies for us to get the work done. We’ll weave those strategies into our everyday work as we’ve done with our sustainability efforts. We’ve already begun identifying the leaders for each of these 4 focus areas and you’ll hear more about the teams and plans soon. Read full remarks