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Last week, a woman uploaded this video of the hair care shelves in Walmart. There was a difference in the way the hair care products for Black people were set up versus those for mainstream or White customers. And now, Walmart is being sued for locking Black hair products.

 

 

Y’all peeped all of the other products sitting freely out and open on the shelves, like most of Walmart’s offerings? So I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the story of the encased products has Walmart in some legal trouble.Essie Grundy, a woman from Perris, California has hired Gloria Allred to represent her in a discrimination case against the company.

In a press conference, Grundy said, “It was something I had to stand up for. I would like the glass to go down, and for things to go back to the way it was, where it’s not segregated and everything is where everyone can get what they need.”

In addition to the products being locked up, Grundy said that she was not allowed to even touch the product until an employee came, retrieved it and then walked her to the cash register to pay for it.

When Grundy complained to the employee about the protocol, the employee agreed it was excessive and then told her it was a directive from corporate.

Later, when Grundy returned to Walmart to shop, she noticed there was a security camera located over the hair and skin care aisle.

In response, a spokesperson for Walmart said:

“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,” the spokesperson continued. “Those determinations are made on a store-by-store basis using data supporting the need for the heightened measures. While we’ve yet to review a complaint, we take this situation seriously and look forward to addressing it with the court.”

I don’t know how they’ll be able to weasel out of this one.

 

Veronica Wells is the culture editor at MadameNoire.com. She is also the author of “Bettah Days” and the creator of the website NoSugarNoCreamMag. You can follow her on Facebook and on Instagram and Twitter @VDubShrug.