After being accused of racial discrimination online, Walmart has decided to no longer place “multicultural hair care products” in locked cases at any of its stores in order to be sensitive to the issue at hand.
NBC News reports Walmart first disclosed the change to CBS Denver reporter Tori Mason in response to her story which revealed the company specifically kept haircare products that are predominantly used by people of color, locked behind glass cases.
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In an email to Mason, Walmart said the practice was only in place "in about a dozen” of its 4,700 stores nationwide and the company has made the decision to discontinue placing “multicultural hair care products” in cases.
BREAKING: Walmart emailed me saying it will discontinue placing multi-cultural hair products in cases. https://t.co/ruP87MA6hP pic.twitter.com/2K8Fb4Puwm
— Tori Mason (@ToriMasonTV) June 10, 2020
Walmart spokesman Lorenzo Lopez told NBC News that the company is “sensitive to the issue and understands the concerns” and would be implementing the change in policy “as soon as possible.”
“As a retailer serving millions of customers every day from diverse backgrounds, Walmart does not tolerate discrimination of any kind," Lopez said. “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."
According to NBC News, a customer says they were once told by a Walmart associate the reason these products were locked away was because of a higher theft rate.
Walmart confirmed to NBC News that the decision to place certain hair and beauty products in cases was based on theft data that varied by market but the company would not share that data.