Walmart locked up hair products for people of color, and now it’s being sued

From the latest hair trends, to must-have products, to celebs like Katie Holmes who provide inspo for what’s sure to be a trendy cut for 2018, hair is a huge deal for many people. It can also be a sensitive topic. You need look no further than the backlash caused by Kim Kardashian calling her cornrows “Bo Derek braids.” And now? Walmart is being sued for what some say is racial discrimination in the hair care aisle.

After a Southern California woman shared her experience shopping at Walmart, many are crying foul — and she’s even suing the mega-retailer. It all started when Essie Grundy went to buy a comb but noticed something very different about how products for Black women were stored. While other hair care items were within reach on the shelves, the products for “ethnic” hair were locked behind a case.

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/955284663064342528

Seriously?

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/955285755399569408

The image was shocking, or at least enough to make most people shake their heads and ask one simple question: why?

But Grundy didn’t just stop with a few tweets. She’s suing Walmart for discrimination and has hired famed attorney Gloria Allred. During a press conference, Allred told reporters that the choice to keep some products under lock and key “perpetuates a racial stereotype that African-Americans are thieves.”

In a statement, Walmart shared that certain items require additional security measures based on the data of each location. “A high-value item in Washington or California or Colorado is not necessarily going to be a high-value item in Virginia or Tennessee. That’s why you have fishing equipment locked up in Florida.”

The retailer went on to say that they’re “sensitive to this situation.” They added:

"While we’ve yet to review a complaint, we take this situation seriously and look forward to addressing it with the court.

Hmm, okay.

Filed Under