*A TikTok video showing security tags placed only on makeup for dark skin at a Kentucky Walmart has gone viral.
User Aly Nicoletta recently shared the short clip that shows yellow security tags on makeup products for darker skin tones, while lighter shades of makeup in the same section were tag-free.
“OK, so I’m at my local Walmart and I’m looking at the makeup section,” Nicoletta began, “And I noticed this: I’m looking at the concealers, and they are all normal. But then once you get to the darker shades, they have security tags all over them. So Walmart, tell me you’re racist without actually telling me you’re racist.”
Watch below:
Racist Walmart in Kentucky puts security tags on just the darker shades of makeup pic.twitter.com/gMn7qCylZw
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) March 1, 2021
After the video went viral, Walmart responded to the racism allegations, insisting policies are in place for each individual store to add additional security tags to numerous products to ensure availability.
“We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind at Walmart. We serve millions of customers weekly, crossing all demographics, and are focused on meeting their needs while providing the best shopping experience at each store,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement to Yahoo Canada. “Like other retailers, we have policies and training in place that allow individual stores to add additional security for items such as electronics, automotive products, cosmetics and other personal care products to ensure they are available for sale to our customers. In this case, we have followed up with the store to ensure these policies were followed properly.”
Reactions in the comment section have been divided. Although many agreed that this could have easily been interpreted as racism, others have claimed that the reason certain products have security tags is because they are likely a frequently shoplifted item. One wrote: “This is dumb. If a retail store has data points or proof that a particular item is being stolen and/or is consistently going ‘missing’ they have every right to put a security tag on it. That doesn’t mean they are racist.”
